Your Ultimate Brooklyn Hip-Hop Summer Mixtape
by Benjamin SuttonPage 2 of 3
Notorious B.I.G.: "Juicy"
We put a lot of thought into this one, and for a while "Hypnotize" was going to be the mixtape's Biggie entry, but between the summery feel of this song, and its pool party video, we just couldn't keep from picking the most obvious Notorious track. But in trying to pick a soundtrack for a Brooklyn summer, this is probably the song you would actually hear the most often just riding around town, so what the choice lacks in originality it makes up for in accuracy.
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Busta Rhymes: "Turn It Up"
Remember when Busta was the most exciting rapper in the game? You probably know the Afro-futurist remix of this track better than the original, which might be Busta's funkiest and most warm weather-appropriate track to date. Aside from repeatedly likening himself to a heat wave, there's this passage: "So hot baby body heat bubble your skin/everytime I flow speak/I caress the whole beach/Just like the body guard Les straight walkin' the street."
Listen:
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Masta Ace: "Take a Walk"
Though Ace has a whole really outstanding record called A Long Hot Summer that plays like a pretty spectacular score for your summer in Brooklyn, his previous record, Disposable Arts, features this perfect stand-alone track about summer in the borough. Ideal for strutting down brownstone blocks, Ace even says: "Hey this is going out to your hood straight from mine/let's take a walk in blue skies and sunshine, come on." Yes, let's do that.
Listen:
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Jean Grae: "Supa Luv"
So, obviously we needed to include our favorite BK feMC since MC Lyte, and since this mixtape is otherwise lacking an ode to summer romance we figured we'd include the best such song ever (seriously, wherever 9th Wonder found this sample, it's perfect).
Listen:
RZA featuring Allah Real and Masta Killa: "Grits"
Sure, when RZA raps about it being really hot he's referring to his momma's grits, but Masta Killa provides some seasonal imagery: "Girls skippin' rope in the street/the summer heat, left the jelly prints stuck to they feet." Sounds familiar.
