That Time I Got My First Mixtape

Do you remember what it felt like when you had your first crush or when you found out that someone was crushing on you? I remember my first crush. I really just thought he was the coolest kid in third grade. Unfortunately, I was shut down cause he didn’t like girls with allergies (I just laughed to myself) I was consumed with all the allergies. What did we know as kids about liking boys or girls? Little did I know my day was coming.

Middle school changed the game for me. I was still riddled with allergies but I was in the band. While the movie “American Pie,” made the band seem corny and extra lame. New Orleans let you know the band was life (and still is)! Okay, so, I was only tangentially cool but I was cute. At this stage in my life when I had a crush they crushed back and as a result, I got my first mixtape. I know I’m aging myself by saying tape but CD players hadn’t been out very long so recording a CD was out of the question. Not to mention tapes were easy to access.

-- SIDEBAR ODE TO THE 90’s CASSETTE TAPE --

Cassette Tapes were easy to come by because most parents had stacks of them with various recordings such as sermons, albums and many other things in which they purchased. Children like myself would put a piece of cotton (thank you ancestors) in the top and place a strip of scotch tape over it and would proceed to record over the precious (purchased) sermon and such. Thank you, parents, for knowing and not killing us. Jesus, I apologize for not listening to the sermon and recording over it… in hopes of finding love.

-- AND WE’RE BACK --

My first mixtape came from the new kid that was a grade ahead of me. His parents were in the military and since our school was next to the base it would cause an influx of frequent new kids whose parents had no idea about the Orleans Parish school system. Once they were hip to the game or sent to another duty station the new kids were gone just as fast as their new kid label dropped.

This guy, however, had a name with a ring to it, the kind that would easily roll off your tongue in conversation. I’m not sure if he was confident or just the “Jaden Smith of the 90s.” I need to note here that we wore school uniforms so there were very few opportunities to be an individual but he found a way. You may not remember when dookie braids were a thing and if they weren’t where you grew up then know they were a thing in NOLA and was no respecter of persons. My mixtape guy rocked his dookie braids like Mystikal in his 90’s hay day with the No Limit Soldiers. When we were in the halls during class change or at lunch he would throw on the shades and be mister cool, calm and collected. I am more than aware that nothing about this would attract me now but at the time, this brotha was nothing like the guys I was used to seeing and it was just my luck we had the same lunch period. I can’t remember who spoke to whom or how I even found out he liked me but when I did!

We exchanged numbers and thus began our phone escapades. I wasn’t allowed to have a boyfriend so we just spoke on the phone and stood next to each other at lunch. I quickly realized he was not much of a talker, which worked in my favor because I had a lot to say. In the evenings we would talk about absolutely nothing on the phone but we would listen to music. Music was what connected us and he was cool with playing the music I liked and keeping a song on repeat for me if that’s what I wanted. Yes, he would put a song on his radio, at his house and I would ask him to play it over and over again for me. Talk about middle school love! After a couple days of that, he came to school with a tape and handed it to me. The song that I had asked him to play over and over again started and ended the series of songs that would become the best (and only) mixtape I had ever been given.

As I type, I’m listening to, “With You” by Monica the Miss Thang album. That was the song that played on repeat nearly every night for months after I got that mixtape. Listening to this song takes me back to such great memories of youthful, innocent love. I want that for my children. I want that for the generations that come after me. I want us as a people to remember what it was like when we didn’t over complicate our peace and we opened our heart to be loved. My hope is that you read this blog and remember what it felt like when you opened yourself up to goodness. My prayer is that we become that goodness in this world and we choose to share it with others. Thank you for reading. I truly appreciate it beyond the words of thanks.

With Love-

Juls