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Over the past two semesters I worked with Patrick Rivers, Ph.D. and Professor Mark Tavern on creating a compilation album as my independent research project. During that time, I gained experience in being an album producer, creative director, and product manager.

As the first step, I A&R’d the compilation, listening to all the material, choosing what I thought worked best together. The music was compiled from 10 years of tracks completed by students in Dr. Rivers’ Hip-Hop Technology and Production course.

The project itself was inspired by Dr. Rivers, who says, “Hip-Hop Technology and Production was the realization of my dissertation. Ten years later, this compilation represents some of my most rewarding times in a classroom. Our students' inspiration, creativity, and humanity are recorded on this cassette.”

After choosing the tracks, I reached out to each producer, some of whom are now alumni. I licensed the material from each, and then decided on the order. Once set, I turned to Tony Rodriguez ’26, who assembled and mastered the album.

This project was more challenging than I anticipated. Ten years of students giving their all into their music is a lot to sift through, and picking favorites was even harder. The connections I made throughout this process were the most rewarding part. Hearing from dozens of students and alumni who were proud of their education and their time with this class was truly special.

I then worked with Professor Tavern on the package design and on manufacturing the final product. I had no idea where to start with the package design other than wanting it to feel authentic to the hip-hop scene. Our graphic designer, Sofia Shaul, helped me discover the project's aesthetic, guided me in the right direction, and helped me add my own touch to the 1980s and '90s hip-hop vibe I envisioned. While it was stressful at times stepping into the role of a product manager, it turned out to be an incredibly valuable experience, especially one I never expected to have on this project.

Simulating the look and feel of a mixtape was meant to celebrate the earliest hip-hop recordings. Because it was originally a live music genre, passing around homemade mixtapes was the only way to hear the music outside of a club, and helped hip-hop morph into the recorded music genre it is now. This decision is also a nod to DJ Kool Herc, who used hand-written flyers to advertise the first hip-hop party at 1520 Sedwick Avenue in the Bronx on August 11, 1973.

The final step involved putting together a marketing plan and overseeing the promotions involved in building up to the record’s street date. It made sense to release the project on the student-run record label, , and I coordinated promotions with members of the label’s marketing team.

“I really couldn’t be prouder of all the work that went into this project”, says Prof. Tavern. “Records require lots of collaborators, but also a producer who sees things through to the end. I told Cristina several times along the way that everything she had to do to realize this cassette was an in-real-life experience for those in the record business, and she got the chance to do that as part of her coursework.”

The cassette is a limited edition and hand-numbered, and I am pleased to share a physical-only release launched earlier this month, exclusively at the .

Cristina Shaul ’25 is a music major within the University's College of Arts and Sciences.