An Ode To The And1 Mixtape Tour Thanks To The Newest 30 For 30 Dropping Next Week

[Source] - ESPN will debut the next installment in the Peabody and Emmy award-winning 30 for 30 series, “The Greatest Mixtape Ever,” on May 31. Directed by Chris Robinson (“Shooting Stars,” “ATL”) and Set Free Richardson, the documentary examines how 1990s streetball and the And1 Mixtape transformed basketball culture at large. “The Greatest Mixtape Ever” will premiere May 31 at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN. The film will be made available on ESPN+ immediately after its premiere, along with the rest of the 30 for 30 library.

In the late 1990s, a burgeoning young New York City DJ, Set Free, had the idea to set some grainy streetball highlights to a soundtrack of emerging rap music. The results culminated in what came to be known as the And1 Mixtape, a series of VHS tapes that forever transformed the game of basketball.

Hell yes. Sign me up for this 30 for 30 right away. If you're in your mid-30s or so you remember how important and awesome the And1 Mixtape Tour was. Shit you still remember the names. The Professor, Hot Sauce, AO, Escalade, Spyda, The Bone Collector, 1/2 Man 1/2 Amazing, etc. And obvious everyone knows the story of Skip to my Lou aka Rafer Alston. 

But all I can think about is the And1 Mixtape Tour. I remember going to see them live at Central High School in good old York, Pennsylvania back in like 2002. It lived up to the hype even before social media hype. Even better was watching them embarrass some local guys and shattering a backboard shutting the entire thing down. 

This was word of mouth and VHS hype. You talked to your buddies about it at the lunch table and then gather around to watch a VHS trying to replicate The Professor's moves. 

Maybe you tried to mimic Hot Sauce:

Maybe you'd lower the rim in the driveway or go out to a trampoline and replicate the dunks. 

And I know the 30 for 30 is focusing on streetball as a whole, but the And1 Mixtape Tour was what we knew in the early 2000s. It was cooler than the Globtrotters and something everyone I knew got into. It didn't matter if you played basketball or not. You knew the And1 Mixtape Tour. 

Then there's Skip to My Lou - the man who made it to the NBA. I hope we get a good portion on him because the face Rafer Alston went from streetballer to a decent NBA career is still crazy to me and something that's not talked about enough. 

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So shout out the And1 Mixtape Tour. So damn awesome.