YoungstaCPT Explains Why He Prioritises Mixtapes Over Albums at Red Bull 64 Bars

• YoungstaCPT sat down for a candid Red Bull 64 Bars panel discussion in South Africa on 3 October 2026
• The Cape Town rapper broke down the financial reality behind why he has released only one studio album despite a prolific career
• YoungstaCPT also aimed at the current state of the music industry, arguing that artists no longer know how to craft proper bodies of work

Cape Town rapper YoungstaCPT has sparked a serious conversation about the state of the music industry after a clip from a Red Bull 64 Bars panel interview went viral on Instagram. Filmed at a Red Bull-branded event space decorated with graffiti-style murals and Oxy signage, the discussion found the veteran MC being refreshingly candid about why mixtapes have been his format of choice throughout a career spanning 36 projects.

Why YoungstaCPT keeps making mixtapes

For YoungstaCPT, the decision is rooted in financial survival. In the clip, he drew a clear line between what qualifies as an album and what does not, explaining that a proper album is an official body of work that should be backed by a record label, distributor and marketing infrastructure. Without that support system, he argued, calling something an album is a stretch.

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"When you release an album, an album is a body of work. It is an official release, right? It should be backed by the record label, a distributor, marketing, something like that. If you don't have that behind it, it cannot be classed as an album, really," he said.

As an independent artist, committing that level of investment 36 times over would have been financially devastating. "Just imagine I put all that money into one album, but I did it 36 times. I'd be bankrupt. You wouldn't see me sitting in this building," he added.

The State of albums in the streaming era

Beyond his personal finances, YoungstaCPT turned his critique outward, arguing that the broader music industry has lost the art of crafting cohesive projects. He pointed to artists prioritising singles over sequenced albums, noting that the streaming era has made listeners passive consumers who no longer invest effort into discovering music.

"The algorithm is dictating where stuff goes," he said, adding that the ease of streaming has eroded genuine appreciation for full projects. He also referenced a recent album drop by an artist he called "Cuevo," suggesting it landed poorly because the skill of building a proper body of work, with consistency, storyline and sequencing, has largely disappeared from the mainstream.

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Watch YoungstaCPT break down his approach to mixtapes and albums:

Fans in the comments largely agreed with his analysis. Here is what they had to say:

@djaakob: "This is why 3T will always be the goat of albums 🔥🔥"

@thabanimakanza: "He's analysis of the industry seems to be right. Albums are just playlists a lot of the time with 4 good songs. Rarely do you get proper bodies of work like The Fall Off."

@tee_f.l.o: "prolly finna drop 20 ep's and mixtapes before my debut album😭💯"

@justbeinggreene: "One thing about music is the fact that nothing is guaranteed, so there's no formula to be successful; you just need to do your thing. What's meant for you will eventually find you

@he.rman597: "General proof of the fact that we as listeners should focus on quality rather than quantity. The one and only true Lyricist in RSA 🐐😎🙌."

@clintsmart021: "The apparition for albums is something that's lost"

Source: Briefly News