The majority of mixtapes are composed of a clusterfuck of recycled material. Shit like that is not worth the trouble. Here’s what I look for in a mixtape:

A sense of cohesion

This shit is hard to explain because mixtapes aren’t mean to be as focused as major releases. Basically, the mixtape should either have a central theme, central artist or central group/duo of artists. Don’t take the theme shit too rigorously, it’s more of a marketing tool than an artistic motif.

Predominately New Material

Obviously beats and hooks can be hijacked but at least 90% of the verses should be new. You tend to see a lot of mixtapes which package standout tracks from old mixtapes with new stuff leaked from the studio. Nothing wrong with that, it’s just not what I’m interested in.

Artist Official (If put out through a DJ)

If the mixtape is put out through an artist, it should be official. That means both the artist and DJ are working together to put out new material. Be cautious of DJ’s who put out mixtapes full of older verses mixed over new beats.