Before iPod playlists, I had a wonderful collection of mix tapes, self-made, labours of love – radio cassettes with a self-titled sticker. Since then, the mixtape has evolved from a personal music compilation to the current marketing tool for artists to make themselves known, promote their brand and speak to their fans.

In 2011, two of my favourite albums were official mixtapes. Frank OceansNostalgia, Ultra and The WeekndsHouse of Balloons. It was these mixtapes that brought the artists to my attention and subsequently made me a fan. Im on lookout for new material from these artists, from videos, to music and even blogs.

Some artists use mixtapes to avoid having to go through the regular media formula of managed promotion, interviews and back to back appearances before presenting work and tour dates that they know their fans will appreciate, and pay money for. Its a known fact that both Ocean and half-EthiopianTesfaye arent big on interviews; they've kept low profiles while still managing to collaborate with major artists like Jay-Z and Drake and continue to build significant fan bases.

Mixtapes have always played a strong role in pop and Hip-hop culture. As early as the seventies, artists like Africa Bambaataa were releasing mixtapes. It was the strongest link a fan could have with an artist; live performance recordings that would allow the listener to truly evaluate the artists skills. DJs would show their mixing skills, rappers would show their lyricism without heavy studio work on the tracks – it was all very raw and creative. Yet it took a while for the mixtape culture to take off on the continent, I believe the "pioneers" in Africa are Hip-hop artists.

Though Hip-hop started to blossom in Africa in the late 80s, with artists from many parts of the continent adapting the original template and made it their own, its still, to some extent, finding its feet, and many artists still get criticized for imitating American hip-hop. And I understand the criticism. In the hands of some emcees, the blueprint that is American Hip-hop is being copied and pasted with a lack of originality. But in the hands of others, the blueprint serves merely as a guide for their inspiration.

Somalian rapper KNaan released "The Messengers" in 2009, possibly one of the most notable mixtapes by an African artist to date. The collaboration with mixtape producer J.Period was a tribute to three "messengers", Fela Kuti, Bob Dylan and Bob Marley. This project is really special to me, said KNaan on its release. Its not the product of ego but of passion. Far from a marketing tool, it is an honest musical offering. Nothing gives a better window into the root and concept of my own sound than The Messengers.

A year later K'Naan became part of the mainstream following the success ofWavin Flag. But when this happens to an artist they sometimes risk losing credibility amongst their core group of original fans, and even, sometimes, among their peers. Dropping a mixtape can help, in such a case, to maintain your credibility with this group.

The Messengers' 85,000 downloads in the first few weeks of its release was impressive, but those aren't mass market numbers. Those figures came from his core fan base. Most of the "new" fans KNaan that came on board a year later are unlikely to have rushed to download that mixtape, and are less likely than his previously established fan-base to rush to download a new one if he decides to put one out. This new, and much larger, global audience will pay for the concert tickets, as well as the singles and albums on iTunes, but chances are its the smaller, established base of dedicated fans that will be yearning for, and expecting, what they see as less "commercial" or more "authentic" stuff.

About five years ago I came across a CD by a Moroccan Emcee,Taoufiq Hazeb, also known as Don Bigg. Its hard to know if the album was a fan-made mixtape, an artist-released mixtape or merely a collection of the artist's songs. The recording quality was what I would expect of a mixtape, but with the state of the music industry in many African countries, recording quality on many "studio" albums isnt always a major priority. At the time I tried to research Bigg and his music, but it didnt lead to much. This is a common story with a lot of African artists. Many times I stumble upon music by artists who have a weaker online presence than I am used to on an international level.

Worldwide, the online presence of artists keeps growing, and we the fans follow them on Twitter, check their YouTube channels and read their blogs. But in Africa it is still very common for an artist to be relatively popular and yet have little or no online presence to speak of. We have TV and radio introducing us to different artists all over the continent but then we are let down when we try and find out more about them and get access to more music.

In Uganda, there are English speaking rappers as well as rappers that rap in our local languages, but the former make a much greater use than the latter in using the internet to release singles and mixtapes. Which makes sense since English lyrics have a much wider potential market.

Popular Ugandan rapperThe Mith, released his first mixtape as a solo artist,September Reign Vol.1. He was already well known as a the well established rap groupKlear Kut, but a mixtape was the perfect tool for him to maintain and gain fans for his solo projects. In all honesty, I released my mixtape because I felt like the audience needed to know what angle I was going to take with my music. They had heard me with Klear Kut, but my solo projects hadn't been heard. So the mixtape route was the perfect way for me to introduce them to the new style. Songs likeSo UG, became instant hits that only his fans would know came off his mixtape and not an album. His delivery was well received and paved the way for more recent hits likeFire ft.Tickie Tah. All of which gave Miths solo career the validation he sought.

Like other artists on the continent whodo see the opportunities afforded by the internet, he uses popular online platforms to promote his music, From blogs to the Soundclouds to the Reverbnations to Datpiff, which is a site that distributes mixtapes for artists all over the world, you get to give the fans the music.

Once a mixtape is available online, it becomes easier to document and the work can become part of the artists discography, as well as part of the genre and African music culture at large.The internet also means the potential of a global audience. You would think by now that anyone releasing a mixtape would know this. The mixtape also lets an artist experiment with styles and sounds (with the hardcore fan base as willing "guinea pigs") before serious money is spent on studio time and production. So it's a shame that most artists in Africa are not taking full advantage of these powerful twin tools. Entertainment websites and blogs generate healthy traffic by finding and posting artists' content while the artists themselves sit back and dont do much for themselves.

Im not afraid to say that some artists are just being lazy, they are leaving someone else to do it because they know that a certain YouTube channel will always upload their videos and that certain blogs will consistently write about them. Others, just dont realize the marketing power at their disposal. Perhaps they think, 'If my mixtape does well, great; if it doesnt, so what?' After all, it is common, even at the international level, for the poor reception to a mixtape to have no detrimental effect on an artist's career. It was just a mixtape, just playing around in the studio. If I'm right, then some artists are really missing the point. Some artists get it, and, right now, those are the ones up in the mix.

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MELINDA OZONGWU