I remember when this one dropped back when I was living in Philly, I really dug it and still do. There’s been several attempts at rap/rock mashup albums throughout the years, but this one seemed to be better than the rest. I think due to the black keys‘ passion for gritty raw hiphop (they said when they made their first album, they tried to get Pat’s drums to sound like Rza drums).
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 sent a song to a friend of mines (his in his early 40s) thats not really a hip hop fan (more into rock, vut wants to dive into hip hop) and he hated it. Was it the wrong song or something?
(Big Daddy Kane - Ain't No Half Steppin)
Has this happened to you before? In the future what song should I recommend?
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?
Death Row Records is probably the most influential rap label of all time. They helped define West Coast hip-hop, sold millions of records, and at their peak were the biggest rap label in the world, even outperforming Bad Boy. They also helped popularize the idea of record labels having their own chains and branding, something that later became a huge part of hip-hop culture.
What do you think ultimately ended Death Row? Was it Tupac’s death? Suge Knight’s leadership and constant legal troubles? Dr. Dre leaving the label? Or was it a combination of all those factors? Could Death Row have survived if Pac had lived, or were the cracks already showing long before that?
you are in a stationary position and its a last stand type deal, so you dont have to worry about mobility or body weight or anything like that.
Antics of recent years aside (cuz I know one of yall gonna bring that up), I’m not disputing that!
Top tier rapper with a great discography under his belt. He deserves way more recognition than he already has.
Sorry to tell you but the old Kanye not coming back