Websites offering up free — and not always legal — music flourished in the gap between the fall of the CD era and the rise of streaming. That freedom unlocked an era of unfettered creativity for a generation of artists and built a critical digital-first audience that would later lead to rap’s dominance in streaming. It also led to the current dilemma: How do you preserve a part of hip-hop history that isn’t necessarily legal?
Source: Mixtape Sites Like DatPiff Propelled Rap. Can They Be Preserved?