<p><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">This article is part of </span></i><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/introducing-upstream-a-lifestyle-and-culture-section-of-the-daily-wire"><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Upstream,</span></i></a><i><span style="font-weight: 400;"> The Daily Wire’s new home for culture and lifestyle. Real human insight and human stories — from our featured writers to you.</span></i></p>
<p><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">***</span></i></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Back in the &#8217;80s and &#8217;90s, no one had ChatGPT to find the words to say how she really felt. Instead, everyone had access to the world’s most reliable form of communication: the cassette mixtape. Cool kids mastered the fine art of meticulously assembling other people’s songs with a flow that told a story, capturing the vibe in Sharpie, adding a makeshift “album cover” revealing each track so you could fast-forward to find it, and neatly folding everything into a clear plastic case. After all that work, gifting the epic masterpiece to its recipient felt as majestic as lighting the Olympic flame.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">First-gen mixtapes were totally rad manna from heaven. </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Never had anyone heard these songs in this order in their </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">lives</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;">. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Smash cut to now, NFL reporter </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Dianna Russini</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> sure understood the power of a playlist when she reportedly <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/a-spotify-playlist-we-cant-pause-the-dianna-russini-and-mike-vrabel-scandal">made one on Spotify</a> for then-Titans Head Coach Mike Vrabel back in 2022. The catch was that both of them were (and still are) married to other people. Oops. Supposedly designed to pump Coach up after a series of losses, it was one hour and nine minutes of pure, unadulterated proof of adultery. At least according to the court of public opinion, which is always in session. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Track 1: “</span><a href="https://youtu.be/yrtWLyp5gLI?list=RDyrtWLyp5gLI&amp;t=9"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Cuff It</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">” by Beyoncé starts out like, “I feel like falling in love, I’m in the mood to f*ck something up.” Say less, Dianna. The sunny R&amp;B beat doesn’t make the line “Can I sit on top of you?” any more okay when it ain’t ya husband. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">It wasn’t a great look considering the Spotify debacle happened two years into what we know about the timeline of their alleged affair, but Track 2 (“</span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8GpG8C0YzA&amp;list=RDT8GpG8C0YzA&amp;start_radio=1"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Big Energy</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">” by Latto) revealed Dianna’s real feelings for Big Mike through song. “I could be your fantasy, I can tell you got big d*ck energy.” Maybe she didn’t have time to dash off a burner text or book a “work trip” to a casino in </span><a href="https://www.tmz.com/2026/04/23/mike-vrabel-dianna-russini-smile-at-mississippi-casino-after-titans-firing/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Mississippi</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, but she knew Mike could get away from </span><a href="https://www.justjared.com/2026/04/23/who-is-mike-vrabel-married-to-meet-his-wife-jennifer/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">his wife, Jen,</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> to listen to “</span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7qR7xvKFEU&amp;list=RDH7qR7xvKFEU&amp;start_radio=1"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Pump It Louder</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">” by Tiësto and the Black Eyed Peas, thinking warmly of how much his colleague Dianna cared about his football career. His big, wandering football career. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Someone tell this reporter we can search public Spotify playlists. And that sharing your “</span><a href="https://x.com/DavidCovucci/status/2048914416704409689/photo/1"><span style="font-weight: 400;">TURNIN THE PAGE</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">” compilation with someone named “Mike” made it too easy. There’s no way she didn’t want to get caught and criminally charged with bad taste in music. Tracks by Styx, Van Halen, Guns N’ Roses, and KISS seemed less “workout playlist” and more like </span><a href="https://www.tmz.com/2026/04/28/dianna-russini-spotify-playlist-mike-vrabel/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Vrabel’s reported</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> favorite way to pump up the volume.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Dianna allegedly named </span><a href="https://www.justjared.com/2026/04/23/dianna-russinis-2021-tweet-about-her-son-named-michael-goes-viral-amid-mike-vrabel-2020-kissing-photo/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">her firstborn son Mike</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> after her NFL side piece. It’s not like she’s suffering from excessive creativity. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The other day outside my apartment building, I noticed a boom box with none of the usual bells and whistles of modern “ghetto blasters.” This matte gray OG featured only a single cassette tape slot and a power cord. It was obviously a trap set by 1980s aliens. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">I wondered aloud to my dog about who’s going for a bulky cassette setup over streamlined Apple Music. Analog audio like this requires excruciating commitment to preserve it: avoiding </span><a href="https://everpresent.com/do-cassette-tapes-go-bad/#:~:text=As%20sturdy%20as%20the%20plastic,MECHANICAL%20WEAR"><span style="font-weight: 400;">humidity</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, dust, and sun. The magnetic film degrades with every play (and rewind!) and can spontaneously spew its guts at any moment. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">It’s also sturdy and portable. And decades after it went mainstream, the mixtape is still the greatest medium for sound ever invented.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Cassettes shaped the future of the music industry. Originally invented in </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/blackwaxcafe/posts/this-day-in-history-aug-30-1963-compact-audio-cassette-first-introduced-by-phili/1171660748318428/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">1963</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, mixtapes took off as a broke-friendly strategy for aspiring </span><a href="https://www.wired.com/story/history-of-mixtapes-future/#:~:text=The%20mixtape%20goes%20all%20the,was%20born%20out%20of%20necessity.%E2%80%9D"><span style="font-weight: 400;">hip-hop artists</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> to get their tracks into the hands of fans. Once the </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/postpunkmagazine/posts/on-this-day-in-1979-the-first-sony-walkman-made-its-debut-on-store-shelves/1210476187791768/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">WalkMan came along in &#8217;79</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, listening to music via two-by-four-inch plastic became everyone’s favorite way of tuning in.</span></p>
<blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DXVPkUUDfPw/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14">
<div style="padding: 16px;">
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;">
<div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div>
<div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;">
<div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div>
<div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div>
<div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div>
<div style="padding-top: 8px;">
<div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div>
</div>
<div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"></div>
<div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;">
<div>
<div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"></div>
<div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"></div>
<div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"></div>
</div>
<div style="margin-left: 8px;">
<div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"></div>
<div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"></div>
</div>
<div style="margin-left: auto;">
<div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"></div>
<div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"></div>
<div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"></div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;">
<div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"></div>
<div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"></div>
</div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DXVPkUUDfPw/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Erik Johnson | Nicola Joy Johnson (@henryandjoy)</a></p>
</div>
</blockquote>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Mixtapes also served as mini hubs of self-expression, where anyone could be an artist through song and the creative use of Xerox machines and colored pencils. With personalized </span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/cassetteculture/comments/1gx3r9v/best_ever_name_for_a_mixtape_and_best_homemade/#:~:text=Alternative%20Mixtape%20Titles:%20One%20user%20recounted%20making,Sex%20Action%22%20and%20%22Teenagers%20High%20on%20Drugs%22."><span style="font-weight: 400;">liner notes</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> dedicated to none other than the recipient, “Crystal’s Mix” felt like an on-air radio dedication from the Billboard Hot 100 chart to regular, totally awesome Crystal. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">It’s a little more complicated now that most of us don’t stuff tape players into our back pockets before heading out, but there’s a growing fanbase for mixtapes on cassette. Satisfying the need to </span><a href="https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/gen-z-social-media-instagram-tiktok-poll-b2964488.html"><span style="font-weight: 400;">go back in time</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> without leaving the sofa, enthusiasts on forums such as </span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/cassetteculture/comments/1i2lqib/naming_mix_tapes/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">r/cassetteculture</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> share everything from lo-fi concert recordings to art inspo, titling tips, and mixes for every moment.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Major artists answer Gen Z’s call for old-school by wooing the cassette set. </span><a href="https://shop.iamchappellroan.com/products/the-rise-and-fall-of-a-midwest-princess-anniversary-edition-cassette?srsltid=AfmBOoq1J2I8dG0CU0mxZoRSTPFZOyJkvAWuT4kLY632uv9B_zMRZbO7"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Chappell Roan</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://store.sabrinacarpenter.com/products/mans-best-friend-d2c-alt-cover-cassette?variant=52024297554285&amp;country=US&amp;currency=USD&amp;utm_medium=product_sync&amp;utm_source=google&amp;utm_content=sag_organic&amp;utm_campaign=sag_organic&amp;gad_source=1&amp;gad_campaignid=23521253893&amp;gbraid=0AAAAApCfFnBIFESkTKcjopa2JeCITX0ea&amp;gclid=CjwKCAjwtcHPBhADEiwAWo3sJtsyf2dHOsWPxulrP_TduY4GQRiuaL2-IXkVmt8SestlyRRRowbypRoCBtYQAvD_BwE"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Sabrina Carpenter</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, and </span><a href="https://store.taylorswift.com/collections/cassettes?srsltid=AfmBOoq_5GoLxSFujpzxVA09ztusx4qZEbtDN2TBT3VTAoEjlossKLzo"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Taylor Swift</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> are all available on plastic for more than anyone should pay for something that melts in your car. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">I’m cool with a digital playlist. But I’m not over here clasping my hands under my chin, staring out the window, dreaming about Spotify. Maybe it’s just me, but random ads about inflammation from Jardiance diabetes meds don’t exactly set the mood. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">I got an unsolicited mixtape from a classmate once. Schmave Schmith (his name has been changed) in junior high. I’m pretty sure Schmave hoped the sonic tapestry would wrap me up in the crush he was feeling. But the first emotional beats of U2’s “</span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ujNeHIo7oTE&amp;list=RDujNeHIo7oTE&amp;start_radio=1"><span style="font-weight: 400;">With or Without You</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">” landed between my ears like a wet blanket. I wasn’t ready for the adult feels of “I caaan’t liiiiiiiive … with or without you.” </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">I was a definite “without you” as I listened to the first track of “For Lauren” in my bedroom at a volume my parents couldn’t hear, even if they were glued to the other side of my door. I pressed eject, unspooled the tape myself, and chucked it in the trash. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">I found the same song now, on YouTube, remastered and streamed more than 217 million times. It still gives me the heebie-jeebies, but only because mixtapes meant something. They said something real and pure, with an underground ritual required for their creation that just can’t be replicated with links. </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUsrYVxrDwI&amp;list=RDnUsrYVxrDwI&amp;start_radio=1"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Ella Langley</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> and </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2ah9tWTkmk&amp;list=RDu2ah9tWTkmk&amp;start_radio=1"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Alex Warren</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> might make people fall in love or become best friends, but their perfectly tuned tracks have nothing on the timeless warbled melodies of “SUMMER ROADTRIP &#8217;99!”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Maybe we’ll never be able to revisit the glory days of mixtapes. But we have Spotify bangers like Dianna Russini’s Track 3 “</span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjki-9Pthh0&amp;list=RDyjki-9Pthh0&amp;start_radio=1"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Break My Soul</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">” by Beyoncé to help us express the words we can’t, or really should never, say.</span></p>

<script async src="https://www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<script async src="https://www.tiktok.com/embed.js"></script><div data-widget-host="revcontent" data-pub-id="165152" data-widget-id="290588"></div><script src="https://delivery.revcontent.com/165152/290588/widget.js"></script>

One Playlist, Two Marriages, And A Story That’s Getting Messy Fast

Woke Fashion Brand Discovers Its Fans Can’t Handle The American Flag

Weekend Plans with Gad Saad

The Bright Side: The Happiness Hack Backed By Science, Plus The World’s Cutest Goalkeeper

Why Are Hollywood’s Biggest Stars Raising So Many Trans Kids?

The E. Jean Carroll Rabbit Hole Goes Deeper Than You Think

Weekend Plans With Alexis Wilkins

Upstream

dianna russini

Mike Vrabel

mixtape

Music

A video goes viral showing a baby being refused his mother by two gay "dads". This is just the tip of the iceberg, which is why we will have an important discussion today about surrogacy. 

Hour 1

The Matt Walsh Show

Ep. 1765 - This Video Is One Of The Worst Things I've Seen In A Long Time 

The Strait of Hormuz officially opens for business (kind of), the Pope makes “shocking” comments on immigration, and President Trump promises UFO disclosure at TPUSA. 


The Michael Knowles Show

Ep. 1956 -  Pope Leo's "SHOCKING" Immigration Comments EXPLAINED

A false miscreed has corrupted our leadership class.


The Andrew Klavan Show

Ep. 1275 - Dumb, Dumber and Progressive

President Trump announces a 10-day ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel, a murder-suicide involving former Democratic Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax shakes Virginia, and France and Britain hold a conference to secure the Strait of Hormuz – after the Iranian conflict ends. Get the facts first with Morning Wire.

- - -

Ep. 2738

- - -

Wake up with new Morning Wire merch: https://bit.ly/4lIubt3

- - -

Today's Sponsors:

Alliance Defending Freedom - Visit https://JoinADF.com/WIRE or text 'WIRE' to 83848 to learn more.

Pocket Hose - Text MORNING to 64000 to get a FREE pocket pivot and their 10-pattern sprayer with the purchase of ANY size Copper Head hose. Message and data rates may apply.

Morning Wire

U.S. Expands Hormuz Blockade & VA Fairfax Deaths Investigated | 4.17.26

U.S. Expands Hormuz Blockade & VA Fairfax Deaths Investigated | 4.17.26 [Member Exclusive]

A ceasefire goes into effect between Israel and Lebanon, a tragic murder-suicide rocks Virginia, and Dairy Queen deploys AI in the drive-thru. Get the facts first with Evening Wire.
- - -
Ep. 2737
- - -
Wake up with new Morning Wire merch: https://bit.ly/4lIubt3 
- - -
Today’s Sponsor:

Alliance Defending Freedom - Visit https://JoinADF.com/WIRE or text “WIRE” to 83848 to learn more.


Evening Wire: Lebanon Ceasefire Begins & Murder-Suicide Rocks VA | 4.16.26

The Pendragon Cycle

Menu

— Upstream —

One Playlist, Two Marriages, And A Story That’s Getting Messy Fast