In hip-hop, the mixtape strategy is legendary. Artists trying to break into the music industry have seen the mixtape as a path to, and sometimes around, the highly coveted record deal. In recent years, this tactic used by aspiring artists to build a fanbase and gain a profile in the business has become the definitive paradigm shift for talented content creators to leap past the high barriers to entry in music, television and entertainment to show the powers that be exactly “Who’s next!”

Dozens of hip-hop artists owe their success to the mixtape formula. It sounds old school, but the same DIY approach to getting one's art, product or message out there lives on in today’s African-American millennials (ages 18–34). They are 11.5 million strong and wield $162 billion in spending power. They are better educated than generations before them. They have cross-cultural tastes but are culturally aware and attuned to how they and other African Americans are portrayed in media and advertising.

Partly because of Black millennials, social platforms such as Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat have become cultural necessities. Black millennials spend about two hours more per week (8 hours, 29 minutes versus 6 hours, 28 minutes) on the internet on PCs, and about an hour more weekly (3 hours, 47 minutes versus 2 hours, 33 minutes) watching video on PCs than all millennials.

Black millennials come in second only to Asian Americans in Smartphone usage with 91% of Black millennials accessing the internet on handheld devices, more than any other demographic group. African-American millennials see their devices and social media pages as extensions of themselves. Yes, Black millennials, through increased mobile access and their undisputed affinity for all things tech, also get credit for helping to close the digital divide.

Through these and other important insights in Nielsen’s consumer report “Young, Connected and Black: African-American Millennials Are Driving Social Change and Leading Digital Advancement,” it is clear that you cannot have a conversation about digital influencers without mentioning African-American millennials. These incredibly tech-savvy, digitally connected content creators are taking the mixtape paradigm to a new level. They have leveraged mobile technology, social media and free online platforms to operate and get noticed in spaces where the barriers to entry have been extremely high.

Black millennials have some great success stories to spur them on. Chance the Rapper bypassed the traditional entry point to the music industry by releasing his album free via live stream. Similar to the mixtape paradigm from back in the day, except this time it is fueled by mobile access and digital platforms created expressly to support creatives. He’s now a two-time Grammy winner, hometown philanthropist and a highly sought after product spokesman.

Actress Issa Rae is another example. After admitted struggles to be seen and heard in Hollywood, she created a web series that gained some 2.3 million followers. From that, she was invited to create, write and star in HBO’s breakout hit show, Insecure. ( FYI…. #TEAMLAWRENCE)

African-American millennials are increasingly turning to social platforms to engage in the social discourse around everything from police shootings to Halle Berry’s hairstyle at the Oscars. And speaking of Oscar, African-American millennials took the saying ‘’be the change that you seek’’ to heart launching the #OscarsSoWhite campaign on social media to protest the lack of diversity at the Academy Awards in 2015. Two years later, we just witnessed, dare I say, the “Blackest Oscars” in Academy Award history.

There is power in the mixtape paradigm. We have seen it in music, video and progressive movements. What’s the next mixtape movement? Who’s next?

If you are reading this article, on this platform, there is a good chance it’s you. The digital divide may be closed, but the digital space is wide open for Black millennials to convene, collaborate and leverage their power to create social impact, ground-breaking authentic content and economic opportunities.

Andrew McCaskill
Senior Vice President,
Global Communications & Multicultural Marketing

Nielsen

@DrewMcCaskill on Twitter

His favorite mixtapes of the moment are “Pretty Girls Like Trap Music” and Chopstar’s “Purple Moonlight.”

McCaskill is an accredited marketing, communications and crisis management executive with 20 years of experience delivering award-winning communications and brand campaigns at Fortune 500 companies and highly successful technology startups.

He holds a BA from Morehouse College and an MBA from the Goizueta Business School at Emory University. His professional experience spans journalism, public relations and brand marketing, including stints at Interpublic Group, The Coca-Cola Company and Time Warner.

He completed his most recent expat assignment in Shanghai, China, and was named one of PR Week's Top 40 Under 40 global PR executives.

Andrew McCaskill

Writing since March 2017 · 1 story contributed