Summer 2014 is passing us just as quickly as it first arrived. Yes, that’s absolutely depressing, but the bright side is that there’s still over a 30 days left for Hip-Hop to shake things up.
So far, there’s nothing that makes this season noteworthy in a historical sense. This time last year, Hip-Hop fans were riding the high of new albums by Jay Z, Kanye West, and J. Cole, just to name a few. And there were tons more on the way. Needless to say that the current terrain sorely lacks in comparison.
That said, Hip-Hop Wired has listed eight critiques very similar to what we did last year, with hopes that something will change by the time Labor Day passes. Hit the jump to hear our thoughts.
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Photo: YouTube
A True, Universal Summer Anthem
With the rise of Bobby Schmurda and records like Rae Smerrurd’s “No Flex Zone,” there’s certainly a conversation stirring about which cut is this year’s summer anthem. But both, to an extent, are regionally relevant street singles, as a opposed to national phenomenons. Meanwhile, cuts like Chris Brown’s “Loyal” and Wiz Khalifa’s “We Dem Boyz” continue to ring off, but are a little dated. What gives?
Absent Heavyweights?
It’s Drake’s time. Don’t try to fight it. But even the multi-platinum selling Canadian favorite has yet to reach the status of, say, a Jay Z, Nas, or Kanye West (who’s reportedly working on an album). Last summer two of the aforementioned three MCs dropped projects. Esco’s last LP arrived around the same time a year before. But this season, it’s been pretty quiet for Hip-Hop’s top elder statesmen.
Photo: WENN.com
An Album, Is That Too Much To Ask?
Common put out a solid body of work yesterday (July 22) in Nobody’s Smiling, but for the most part, this summer has lacked an album folks would put in a time capsule for 2014. On a mainstream level, Wiz Khalifa, Jeezy, and Meek Mill are among those set to impact in the coming weeks. The real question is whether any of them will leave a mark on the game.
Truthfully, this writer’s focus is on Shabazz Palaces’ new LP.
Where The Ladies At?
This one is a bit tricky, because female MCs traverse through a more difficult playing field than their male counterparts. However, that didn’t stop us from having high expectations from a talent pool that includes the likes of Rapsody, Nitty Scott, MC, and Snow Tha Product during these warmer months.
Dom K., Where Art Thou?
Since his Get Home Safely album uncharacteristically dropped in October, Dom Kennedy’s seasonal promise of summery tunes laden with playeristic talk has been off schedule. With about a month left of cookouts and proper rooftop gatherings, we’re hoping he drops a track at the very least.
A Must-See Music Video
Rap visuals are growing more monotonous with each new release. While there have been quality clips, few (if any) will reflect summer 2014 in years to come. The fact that there’s no definitive anthem this season probably has a lot to do with this, though.
To Diss Or Not To Diss
Other than Drake, few rappers are in the business of being openly competitive on wax these days. “Control” was almost a year ago, so it no longer suffices as a counter argument. That is, unless you count Total Slaughter. Yeah, that’s what we thought.
Still No Jay Electronica Album
What’s understood doesn’t need to be elaborated on much. Following an amazing performance at the 2014 Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival, anticipation for the New Orleans MC’s Roc Nation debut is as high as it’s ever been.
