Backpackers

HISTORY

"Backpacker" was originally a slang term from the 1980s for a graffiti artist who always wore a backpack containing his music collection and, more importantly, his spraypaint cans, markers, and spray tips. Typically, the music collection would consist only of local underground rap/hip-hop music artists. The sub-genre or sub-categorization of the music means nothing, as long as they are a local unsigned (no recording contract) artist. A backpacker's music selections are based upon three principles: 1) no mainstream, 2) the music is commercially unavailable, and 3) the music was given/sold to them "hand-to-hand" from the originating recording artist. However, these principles eventually became very loose, and soon many people who listened to commercially available underground rap or "indie rap" became known as "backpackers."

The term gradually came to refer to someone with this musical taste, and now has almost nothing to do with graffiti (although certain "backpackers" may participate in graffiti "tagging.")

Many hip-hop listeners from the 1980s and early 1990s believe that since the rise of the Internet has made it easier to acquire music that was once localized, the underground has died along with backpackers and their three main principles, hence this modernized definition incorporating Independent rap/hip-hop music and locality of artists became less useful. Hip-hop listeners of twenty or more years often disagree on the definition of "backpacker" with the new era of listeners who haven't experienced hip-hop without the Internet.

source: wikipedia

Here's a ruff mix that i did entitled "Backpackers Express". Enjoy,

Tracklist

Atmosphere - God's Bathroom Floor
Peanut Butter Wolf - Methods
Adeem - Younger Days
Sage Francis - Climb Trees
Binary Stars - Reality Check
Grouch - The Enchanted
Emanon - The Waiting Room
Sound Providers - The Field
Zion I Feat. Aceyalone - Cheeba Cheeba
Hieroglyphics Feat. Goapele - Make Your Move
Aesop Rock - Daylight
Boac - Thought Bubbles
Crown City Rockers - Training Techniques
Living Legends - Nothing Less

Download: Backpackers Express