The summer is well underway, but the season has yet to produce an anthem as it has in years past - last year brought us "In Paris" and "Super Bass," while the previous one had Rick Ross' "B.M.F (Blowin' Money Fast)."
What makes these four summer standout mixtapes so interesting is that the artists seem to be living in that festive, top-of-the-world atmosphere that the youth often desires to be initiated into while still representing where they're from and who they are.
This is part of the job summer anthems do. Veteran rapper 50 Cent is back, Troy Ave is speaking for his generation and newcomer Joey Bada$$ and the Pro Era collective has fans looking from the outside in as they continue to gain hype. The only rapper based outside New York, Meek Mill, is taking no prisoners with his affiliation to "The Untouchable Maybach Empire."
Even if an anthem doesn't surface for the summer, the sheer amount of charisma, hype, and, most importantly, quality may just make this a great summer after all.
Meek Mill - Dreamchasers 2
Part of Meek Mill's charm lies partially in a catch-22.
The rapper is part of the Maybach Music Group, a label that is headed by the seemingly invincible Rick Ross - who performed in last year's Spring Fest. With the label's second collaborative album (Self Made Vol. 2) set to be released on June 26, and Ross' long-awaited God Forgives, I Don't dropping on July 31, Mill doesn't necessarily need to continue with his high-intensity delivery he's known for. The mixtape is called Dreamchasers 2, but he's already living the dream.
Yet there he is on the mixtape tape with the same high-volume style that grasped fans. It begs the question: Why is there still fire in his voice even though he's already on top of the world? Perhaps the listeners are wrong for not getting on Mill's energy level, especially since a majority of them aren't on major record labels. If a man that's already at the top still sounds that hungry, why shouldn't the Average Joe?
That sort of unintentional rhetoric works in Mill's favor for the duration of Dreamchasers 2. The MMG soldier maintains his energy throughout the whole 20-track playlist - track seven ("Flexing") sounds every bit as strong as track 17 (the solid "House Party" remix), while Mill sounds as battle-ready on track 18 ("Real") as he was in track two ("Ready or Not").
Another aspect of Mill's performance on this mixtape is that he fits well with every guest that he has on his tracks - and there are a lot of them. The featured artists play straight man to Mill's off-the-handle persona. The relationship peaks in "Burn," featuring Big Sean.
Mill is shouting "Let that s**t burn," while Big Sean slips in with his typical nonchalant swagger.
"My cousin finished school, can't believe he graduated," Sean raps. "I threw him 20 thousand dollars, told his ass congratulations/ Cause me? I wasn't made for that s**t/ But I could probably hire him and who all paid for his s**t."
The mixtape doesn't bring anything a listener wouldn't expect from Mill, so it can get a bit predictable. It also won't earn him any more fans, either. But Mill and his hits are hard to avoid. Anybody who spits that loudly is hard to ignore.
Troy Ave - Bricks in My Backpack 3
With cities like Atlanta and Miami churning out names like 2 Chainz and Rick Ross, the south has been the overwhelming force in hip-hop in recent years. However, it seems New York City is working hard to become a buzzing city once again. Brooklyn native Troy Ave released the third installment to his Bricks In My Backpack series this summer and reminds hip-hop fans that behind all the gold is hard work.
Troy Ave's lyrics have always brought the gritty neighborhood in Brooklyn that raised him to light, hence his stage name, but he does it in a manner that doesn't allow his music to get lost in a world where drugs are a common denominator.
In "Snow," Troy Ave contradicts his drug-infused lyrics over what would easily be confused as an R&B beat. The track serves as a nod to those hard workers, both in the realm of legal and illegal activities, and a call-out to rappers lying through their lyrics.
"It's all paper chasin'/So, motivation/At least for real n****s, fake n****s just be hatin'," raps Troy Ave.
What works as the icing on top to this track is the commencement of the track, which features the rapper singing "ain't no business like snow business."
The unorthodox formula of soul beats and dope lines from Troy Ave continue in tracks "Merlot," featuring Spring Fest 2012 performer Fabolous, and "Wheelin' and Dealin'," featuring fellow New York up and comer, Action Bronson.
With so many flawless beats and hard hitting lyrics, Bricks in My Backpack 3 still had its sporadic tracks that didn't pack the same punch as others. "Nightmare on Fed Street," Troy Ave's dope boy alter ego Harry Powder's middle finger to the police, sounded more like a filler track than the rest of the mixtape.
Troy Ave is a consistent force in rap music, and his Harry Powder trilogy has proven so. His music might not be radio-friendly, yet, but he surely has the talent to come up; although being a neighborhood lyrical legend might just be enough for this Brooklyn native.
Joey Bada$$ - 1999
Joey Bada$$ clarified that his mixtape stood for two things in an interview with Complex. Firstly, the year represents the last in hip-hop's most revered decade, and brought the Y2K bug fiasco, which had many people thinking that it was the end of the world. It's been 13 years since, and people still believe in the end of the world while hip-hop fans are still clamoring for the golden era.
But if the year represented the end, then the mixtape represents rebirth. At 17, Bada$$ represents a generation of artists that are giving new life to the genre, and the Brooklyn native is rapping with nods to his predecessors. The best part of it is that the 15-track set all sounds authentic.
Bada$$' debut mixtape is essentially what fans have been hoping for since the video for his single "Survival Tactics" featuring Capital STEEZ went viral. The genius lies in the rapper'ssharp delivery (as seen in the mixtape highlight, "Hardknock"), solid lyricism, and a great ear for beats. Although the Nas comparisons may be considered overreaching, they are understandable - there are a few echoes of potential greatness.
Bada$$ and the Pro Era collective aren't trying to make a large statement with this release, as he's more interested in satisfying the fans - he apologizes for the wait in the opener, "Summer Knights." This sort of reserve, which is aided by the self-focus in the lyrics and strong '90s-style production, draws more attention to where it's necessary. The genre is splintering in all sorts of sonic directions and maintaining that throwback flavor adds a sense of uniqueness. They're not them. This is this.
1999 is credited under Joey Bada$$, but the mixtape does lend its spotlight to the Pro Era rappers/producers. Their contributions compliment Bada$$' nicely, and it's only fitting that the mixtape end with the posse cut "Suspect." STEEZ shows breakout potential with his verses in "Survival Tactics" and "Killuminati."
"King Arthur when he swung his sword, a King Arthur I ain't even use a pen in like a month or four," STEEZ raps in "Survival Tactics."
Instead of expending the genre, Bada$$ strips it and brings it back to basics. The result: best mixtape to come out in 2012 so far.
50 Cent - The Lost Tape
Queens, N.Y. rapper, 50 Cent is no stranger to the mixtape circuit. In fact, he's considered a legend by longstanding hip-hop fans. Mixtapes were the foundation of 50 Cent's eight-year reign in rap music, but recently, he's shown more focus on side projects such as his Street King program, which is working towards ending world hunger in third world countries. Last May, 50 released his latest mixtape, The Lost Tape hosted by DJ Drama, and it's like he never left.
In true 50 Cent fashion, the mixtape has its fair share of boisterous gun talk. The attitude that made 50 infamous shines through on "Remain Calm," which features West Coast rap legend, Snoop Dogg. However, the same attitude that made 50 Cent prominent is now considered tired themes, something the New York rapper couldn't break through on this track.
"Them n****s all workers, I smack the s**t out their bosses/Ferrari, I'm stronger than 500 horses/Money is power, you n****s better wake up/My earrings blinking, that's old s**t from Jacob," 50 raps.
Luckily for 50, he recruits his mentor Eminem for one of his strongest tracks on the tape, "Murder One." The song stays within the confines of 50's predictable arrogance, but the flawless production by AarabMuzik and the transition into the tape's next track make it a standout.
50 Cent teamed up with 2 Chainz on said track, "Riot (Remix)," a nod to rap's current reigning king. The original track sets the tone of absolute debauchery, and 50 Cent has no problems bringing that point home in his verse.
"That Pyrex in my kitchen/Rich n****s still b****ing/Them G.D.'s and them Vice Lords/Or that gangsta s**t I be kicking," 50 raps.
The Lost Tape won't be 50 Cent's triumphant return to the top, nor will it ignite the fire in fickle rap fan's hearts to embrace him, but those who have been around sincehis debut album, Get Rich Or Die Tryin', know The Lost Tape is a step in the right direction.
Email: arts@ubspectrum.com
Photo: Sean Krueger / UB Center for the Arts
Photo: UB Center for the Arts
