It came more out of physical limitations (and expectations) than anything else. Calling something an EP now basically just means it's on the shorter side but I've seen folks calling everything from 3 songs/8 minutes to 8 to 10 songs/30+ minutes an "ep" -- the range is pretty wide.

Which, by consequence, doesn't say anything about how developed/cohesive the material is. Thought's second volume was 9 tracks, 23 minutes -- a single producer with a very cohesive sound on both the production and the lyrical end. It felt like an album regardless of its length. Kota's Lyrics to Go was similar to me, although in some ways that felt more like a fully-developed mixtape (due to the short track lengths)... but again, the distinction becomes semantics at a certain point.

-thebigfunk

~ i could still snort you under the table ~