John Laird and I could probably argue about it until winter, but the summer is really the season of hip hop. I am, if you know me, not referring to the gritty, sweaty club rock that requires women to be sprayed with hoses before appearing in music videos. Instead, I’m talkin’ ‘bout the kind of hip hop that forces you into a supine position from which to marvel at rhymes, beats, and the boom bap as you try desperately not to sweat your face off; also necessary to the summer repertoire are the slow, soulful and funky grooves that spark any barbeque into a festive soiree instead of just a slow meal. Both the main picks for today’s column and the flashback will be some of my very favorite new & old summer tracks.
:Busdriver - Split Seconds: L.A. MC Busdriver just came out with another blissfully avant garde LP called Jheli Beam. This track is one of those to which you lay on your couch and try not to move, to keep the sweat from rolling into your eyes, and focus on the tumble of words and phrases in his characteristic faux-booming voice. Just so you know, trying to follow the labyrinthine path Busdrives lays will so occupy your resources that your pores just might give up on all that sweating. :Canto I - Day Dream: The two brothers from Reno that make up Canto I make back-to-your-roots boom bap hip hop, like the track above. I love this track in the summertime; the repetition of themes and lyrics lets your sun baked brain catch up to the motif, and the slow, snare beat is the epitome of summer hip hop. This track is from their 2007 release Entry Level - Elements and the rest of the album continues the Pharcyde feel of this three-part track. :Jr And Ph7 - Summer Chill (Featuring Edgar Allan Floe): This track from German producers Jr and Ph7 along with MCing by Egdar Allen Floe (awesome!) is a rare and perfect mix of the right summer beat and a delightfully conscious and progressive rap about growing up on the block. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the heat wave.
:Duke Of Earl - My Summer Kicks: This anthemic track encompassing the various summer activities of B-Boys in the eighties was unreleased until 2006’s Blast Master Tapes, a compilation of rare and unreleased Boogie Down Productions and inner circle B-Boy tracks from ’85-’87. The 29-song comp is well worth owning, since this isn’t the only gem on there. I recommend blasting My Summer Kicks from the bass-heavy speakers of your El Camino.
- Leah Manners
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