Dear Summer, you know we’re gonna miss you.
From Kool Herc’s Bronx block parties to Hot 97’s annual Summer Jam concert, the heat and intensity of the months from June to September hold a certain sway over any hip-hop fan. Whether you hit the clubs, or just roll your windows down with the radio blasting, the music sounds different, and better. Hell, the season even has an official hip-hop anthem.
It’s the time of year that your favorite MC loves to romanticize in his lyrics (especially if it’s Hov), and that you’re thinking about as soon as the frost of Winter starts to melt away. But not all summers are created equal, and some left a mark that changed the way we think about the season.
So since today is the final day of summer, here’s one last look at the season, before we wait 9 months for the next one. These are the 10 Best Summers in Hip-Hop History, with the songs we banged, the fashions we might’ve worn, the news stories and sports phenomenons we obsessed over, and the Summer blockbusters we may have seen.
Take a trip down memory lane with hip-hop's ten best summers.
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Written by Al Shipley (@ShipleyAl)
10. 2007
9. 1998
8. 1986
7. 1991
6. 2003
5. 1997
4. 2001
3. 1995
2. 1994
1. 1988
