u/SmoothManMiguel

With this summer winding down, I couldn’t help but feel like the releases this year were kinda lackluster compared to summers of the past.

Summer 2004 was one of my personal favorites honestly. You had Terror Squad’s Lean Back playing at every get together, Juvenile had Slow Motion, Lloyd Banks was killing things with I’m So Fly, and Jadakiss had the whole city bumping Why.

Akon came out the gate with a crazy debut, Wayne dropped Tha Carter, The Roots hit us with The Tipping Point. Shit Mobb Deep had Amerikaz Nightmare.

And that’s not even counting the joints from earlier in the year that were still played during the summer. Kanye’s All Falls Down, Lil Flip’s Sunshine (funny now, but the girls loved that record back then lol). Looking back, that whole summer was just fun man. The radio, the videos, the blogs, everything was dope.

Now, I’m not saying 2004 was the last great summer, but it’s definitely one of the ones that stuck with me.

If I had to pick the last great one though, I’d probably say 2017. That summer was nuts.

What do y’all think though?

My cousin and I ended up talking about Run‑D.M.C, and every time they come up I immediately think about JoJo Simmons. Dude is unintentionally hilarious. My guy REALLY tried to follow in his father’s shoes and NO ONE cared for his pen game lol. Dude even had a crew, Team Blacklight or some shit. He got into a random beef with Juelz Santana lol. Shit is crazy

The funny part is on Run’s House, JoJo was always irritated by Diggy. Next thing you know Diggy grew up and shit on him in every thing lol. DJ Premier, Lupe, Pharrell & Kanye all co-signed him, labels fought over him, XXL put him on the Freshman cover, and dude even started acting.

JoJo was supposed to be the heir to the throne but Diggy ended up being the one who inherited the talent.

I was thinking about how much posthumous hype shapes the way we talk about certain rappers. Honestly, would some of these artists be as critically acclaimed as they are if they hadn’t passed away so young or so tragically?

That’s not to say these people were whack or anything, because a lot of them were great but the way folks tend to romanticize their potential and/or elevate their “legacy” even though they never got the chance to evolve is wild sometimes.

It’s almost like an early death guarantees you a legendary status amongst certain listeners.

How do y’all see it? Does dying young amplify someone’s legacy in a way that wouldn’t have happened otherwise?

I was thinking about how much posthumous hype shapes the way we talk about certain rappers. Honestly, would some of these artists be as critically acclaimed as they are if they hadn’t passed away so young or so tragically?

That’s not to say these people were whack or anything, because a lot of them were great but the way folks tend to romanticize their potential and/or elevate their “legacy” even though they never got the chance to evolve is wild sometimes.

It’s almost like an early death guarantees you a legendary status amongst certain listeners.

How do y’all see it? Does dying young amplify someone’s legacy in a way that wouldn’t have happened otherwise?

Bro… this shit was eating at me for decades. Back in like ’03–’04, I remember watching 106 & Park and the “New Joint of the Day” was this track by a dude named Drift. Song was called “Don’t Call Me”, and the concept of the record really stuck with me because of how creative I thought it was at the time

The wild part is after that moment, I NEVER heard about dude or the song again. For years I kept wondering if I imagined the whole thing, because I couldn’t find the record anywhere. YouTube wasn’t a thing yet, the blog sites were a mess back then, and even Google couldn’t find shit. It deadass felt like I dreamt the whole thing.

Fast forward to this morning…I randomly stumble across the shit. I was fuckin blowed! And not only does the song exist, but there’s a Remy Ma remix too. It felt like a weight came off my shoulders. Like man, I wasn’t crazy after all lol.

Y’all experienced something like this before?

Nas gets roasted often for his beat selection, but honestly, they’re not terrible by any means.

What are some of your favorite he has rapped on?

For me it’s, Nas is Like and Got Yourself a Gun

When folks think of will.i.am, they immediately think the Black Eyed Peas and Pop, but dude was creating with some of the most respected rappers of that time.

He was producing singles for Common, Nas, The Game, Busta Rhymes, Talib Kweli, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, Too $hort etc..

Here’s what I’m talking about:

Common – “I Want You”
Nas – “Hip Hop Is Dead” & “Can’t Forget About You”
The Game – “Compton”
Busta Rhymes – “I Love My Bitch”
Talib Kweli – “Hot Thing”
Too $hort – “Keep Bouncin’”
Bone Thugs‑N‑Harmony - “Streets”

And even with all those rap placements, he still made his signature Pop shit like

Flo Rida – “Hands in the Ayer”
Usher - OMG
Fergie - Fergalicious

The man was everywhere

I always see folks calling artists “criminally underrated,” and while I get the sentiment, I don’t think every dope artist is supposed to be a superstar. Some rappers are exactly where they need to be. Respected enough to have a strong following, but not so famous that the labels start fucking with their sound and/or identity.

There’s a certain lane where an artist stays creative and connected to their audience without having to play ball so much. And honestly, some of the best artists, in my opinion of course, are right there.

For example: Big K.R.I.T.

Dude is always doing him and is respected by the industry and the fans for it

I always see folks calling artists “criminally underrated,” and while I get the sentiment, I don’t think every dope artist is supposed to be a superstar. Some rappers are exactly where they need to be. Respected enough to have a strong following, but not so famous that the labels start fucking with their sound and/or identity.

There’s a certain lane where an artist stays creative and connected to their audience without having to play ball so much. And honestly, some of the best artists, in my opinion of course, are right there.

For example: Big K.R.I.T.

Dude is always doing him and is respected by the industry and the fans for it

I’m talking about those hooks that pop into your head outta nowhere even if you haven’t heard the song in a while.

Unfortunately for me, one of those hooks is “One Call Away” by Chingy. I have no fuckin clue why that shit randomly pops into my head. It’s not even like I was a huge fan when it dropped, but man…that’s a catchy ass hook. Shoutout to Simba lol

Some songs aren’t “bad,” they’re just situational. Like you wouldn’t play them weekly, but when the vibes make sense, they always hit hard!

For example:

“Drive Slow” by Kanye hits best when you’re driving at night

A lot of Mobb Deep’s music is perfect when it’s hoodie season

Obviously Summertime by Will & Jazzy has it’s time and place

What’s are some other songs you enjoy, but only when the timing is right?

Quick sidenote, I didn’t realize how stacked 2001 really was. What’s your favorite?

*These are in no particular order*

1.) The Blueprint - Jay-Z

2.) Stillmatic - Nas

3.) Big Boi & Dre Present… - OutKast

4.) Word of Mouf - Ludacris

5.) Pain Is Love - Ja Rule

6.) The Great Depression - DMX

7.) Stoned Raiders - Cypress Hill

8.) Miss E… So Addictive - Missy Elliott

9.) Ghetto Fabolous - Fabolous

10.) The Reason - Beanie Sigel

11.) Kiss Tha Game Goodbye - Jadakiss

12.) Diary of a Sinner - Petey Pablo

13.) Genesis - Busta Rhymes

14.) Music & Me - Nate Dogg

15.) 9 Lives - AZ

16.) The Cold Vein - Cannibal Ox

17.) X.O. Experience - Tha Liks

18.) Anghellic - Tech N9ne

19.) Expansion Team - Dilated Peoples

20.) Bulletproof Wallets - Ghostface Killah

21.) Legend of the Liquid Sword - GZA

22.) The Giancana Story - Kool G Rap

23.) Cee‑Lo Green and His Perfect Imperfections - Cee‑Lo

24. Until the End of Time - 2Pac

25.) Labor Days - Aesop Rock

Usually it’s tough for me to enjoy a record if I notice it’s built off a sample that another song already made me fall in love with. I just focus so much on the version I heard first, and anything after that feels off.

Perfect example: I heard Common’s “Misunderstood” way before I ever heard Lil Wayne’s flip of the same sample. For a long time. I just couldn’t get into Wayne’s version because of how much I loved what Common did but eventually I came around and realized both joints were dope in their own way.

Same thing happened with JID’s “Surround Sound.” They obviously used the same Aretha Franklin sample that Mos Def flipped, and at first all I could think of was “Ms. Fat Booty”. But after awhile I realized both versions hit.

It’s wild how the same sample can trigger that bias depending on which version you heard first.

Does this happen to y’all?

Those rare/semi rare joints the average listener probably doesn’t know. Those overlooked album tracks, the regional joints, the mixtape gems, the stuff you only know of because you were there or someone who was there put you on.

I’m originally from Jersey but I live in Tampa now, and bro… I cannot stress enough how often I end up defending Northern Hip‑Hop down here. A LOT of folks in the South really downplay anything that comes from up top. I don’t know if it’s still some lingering energy from the Source Awards / OutKast moment 31 years ago or what, but it gets exhausting.

Down here, you hear the same two takes

1.) “Rappers from the North only make music to show off their skills.”
2.) “Northern cats don’t know how to have fun.”

What’s crazy is that the North has plenty of records that are fun and energetic.

Busta Rhymes alone has a ton of fun records.

Biggie had joints that are party anthems.

Swizz Beatz damn near specialized in high energy club joints.

Redman is funny as hell

Bruh there are so many examples of Northern rappers just having fun and not talking about violence or anything serious.

I think each region just expresses “fun” differently.

Like one of those tracks that was mid at first, but then one day something about it actually caught your attention, and suddenly it became one of your favorites.

Do you think rappers accused of having ghostwriters actually use them, or are they just heavily influenced by the people around them?

Some artists get accused of not writing their own lyrics, but I feel like sometimes they were just around elite writers and HAD to step their game up

Take Fat Joe. Big Pun and Cuban Link had ridiculous pen games. So were they actually ghostwriting for him, or did Joe just imitate some of their techniques after being around them so much?

Same thing with Wayne and Gillie.
People swear Gillie wrote for Wayne, but others say Wayne was already nice and just picked up certain flows, and rhyme patterns from being around him so much.

What do y’all think?

Do you think rappers accused of having ghostwriters actually use them, or are they just heavily influenced by the people around them?

Some artists get accused of not writing their own lyrics, but I feel like sometimes they were just around elite writers and HAD to step their game up

Take Fat Joe. Big Pun and Cuban Link had ridiculous pen games. So were they actually ghostwriting for him, or did Joe just imitate some of their techniques after being around them so much?

Same thing with Wayne and Gillie.
People swear Gillie wrote for Wayne, but others say Wayne was already nice and just picked up certain flows, and rhyme patterns from being around him so much.

What do y’all think?

My boy and I were talking about Hip‑Hop fashion throughout the years, and man…there were a lot of cheesy trends lol.

Like skinny jeans, baggy jeans, tall tees, LED belt buckles, two‑tone du‑rags a bunch of other shit

But at the same time, it’s had plenty of dope trends too. Things that still look good and influence the culture.

Like Timbs, Jordans, and gold grills. Granted, the grill thing is definitely more of a Southern trend but still.

What’s your favorite fashion trend?