Jonwayne had the simple idea of releasing a few underground tracks on a cassette when he first signed to Stones Throw. He wanted to simply call it Cassette, released only on tape, designed by Jeff Jank to look like a pack of Marlboro cigarettes – no CD, no vinyl, no digital. Little did we know we’d have lawyers for the western world’s largest cigarette company kicking down our door when the tape came out claiming trademark infringement. Actually, it was thrilling that they even cared, and it presented a nice match for two things going out of style: cassette tapes and lung cancer. Just as the original Cassette was forced out of print, Jonwayne came back with Cassette 2. Again, tape only. Steering clear of any possible trademark issues, we packaged this one to look like a can of Coke. A few months later came Cassette 3, possibly the best of them all. Designed in the style of a 1st generation iPod, copies were handed out at the local Apple store. Some of the Geniuses had never seen a cassette. Jonwayne went on to release his ambitious debut album Rap Album One, our stock of the remaining Cassette 2 and Cassette 3 has run low, and the lawyers have gone away. We always wanted some of these tracks on vinyl, so Jon picked some of his favorite tracks from the series. We’ve remastered them all, pressed them onto a thick slab of 180-gram wax, and packaged it in a giant cassette sleeve. The record features co-production by Mndsgn on “Altitude,” and features MCs Jeremiah Jae, Oliver the 2nd and Zero. Mastered by Daddy Kev. Design by Jeff Jank.
Cassette on Vinyl by Jonwayne