Are you up on the latest and greatest? If not, don't worry, because Complex TV has got you covered with our new series the C-List. Whether it's music, sports or movies, we highlight everything you need to know in pop culture. The series is hosted by the lovely and talented Dariany Santana, who delivers a play-by-play on the biggest stories of today.
In this episode of the C-List, Dariany Santana counts down the 5 best rapper mixtapes of all time. While albums typically display a polished version of the type of music an artist can create, a mixtape release gives rappers an opportunity to take risks and potentially impact hip-hop in a major way. That's exactly what happened on Drake's 2009 release, So Far Gone. The mixtape solidified the Toronto rapper as a star who was deadly with the pen, as well as on the hook.
Drake's labelmate, Lil Wayne, is another rapper who took advantage of the mixtape game. Before Wayne dropped his much anticipated album Tha Carter IV in 2008, he hit the streets with Da Drought 3 in 2007, a seminal project that found the New Orleans native lyrically destroying any and every instrumental that crossed his path. You down with O.P.I. (Other People's Instrumentals)? Weezy sure is.
50 Cent, Young Jeezy, and Dipset also made the cut with their respective mixtapes, but who tops the list? Watch the video above to find out. If you enjoyed this episode, check out our list of 10 things you didn't know about Nas on the C-List below. There's some real gems here about God's Son.
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