Nipsey begins his climb to the top with The Marathon. He already had some local buzz, but this tape started his national growth. Nipsey mixes original tracks with remixes of other artist’s songs to help put Crenshaw on the map. Released on December 21, 2010, Nipsey released the mixtape around the time he was trying to get out of his record deal with Epic Records so he could release South Central State of Mind independently. However, that album never saw the light of day. According to Nipsey, the mixtape’s theme is a: Declaration of independence from the confines of the traditional music biz that forced him to endure over two years worth of delayed celebration for the still-pending release of his formal debut, South Central State of Mind.