Top 10 Things to Look Forward to in Hip-Hop During the Summer 2013 Season

Summer is great for many reasons-warm weather, no school, holiday weekends, etc. And since that eagerly awaited time is right around the corner, AllHipHop.com made a list of the top ten things Hip-Hop is set to do in the upcoming summer season that will make the 2013 one stand out from the rest.

Drums please.

10). Two of the South’s best, Big Boi and Killer Mike, are on the “Shoes for Running Tour” that is already underway and isn’t set to conclude until mid-July. It’s hard to believe it’s been almost 10 years since Outkast’s last proper studio album. And while Andre 3000 has ventured into other things, Big Boi released two solo albums- the latter of which he is promoting with his current tour.

9). Just like the album cover suggests, Mac Miller has said that his new album, Watching Movies with the Sound Off, is very personal. He even told Hot 97 that he has pushed back the collaboration project with Pharrell, Pink Slime, in order to build his own brand. But fans who have been eagerly awaiting that will get a little something to tide them over on Miller’s upcoming LP. One of the confirmed tracks, “Objects in the Mirror,” is produced by Skateboard P.

8). Although there is no official release date, Game recently released a tweet letting the world know that his Operation Kill Everything mixtape is coming soon. After Jesus Piece received a positive response in late 2012, this new project is a great way to keep his momentum going and introduce material under newly-formed Rolex Records, a company the former G-Unit member formed with Atlanta rapper Stat Quo.

7). Summer sequels aren’t just limited to movies. After the success of last year’s “Under the Influence Tour”, Wiz Khalifa is still smoking a year later with a follow-up to the aforementioned outing. On this go round though, he is touring with A$AP Rocky instead of Mac Miller. The tour has 20 stops and begins on July 7 in San Francisco, CA, and ends on August 11 in Cincinnati, Ohio.

6). On “Cole Summer,” J. Cole rhymes, “And I told my fellas, I dropped “Friday Night Lights” in the winter just to make her jealous/ Wanted to drop the album in the summer, but the label didn’t think that they could sell it/Recoup the first week, I think it ain’t s**t they can tell us.” Not only that, the album debuted at #1, went gold, and was critically acclaimed. Now he gets to drop in the summer with Born Sinner, set for release on June 25th.

5). LL Cool J has made some unfavorable musical choices lately such as “Ratchet” and “Accidental Racist,” but hopefully his “Kings of the Mic Tour” can help make up for it. Accompanying LL on this 25-date tour are fellow Hip-Hop legends Public Enemy, Ice Cube, and De La Soul. This is an outstanding ensemble of Hip-Hop’s elder statesmen and all of them are known for great live performances.

4). Historically, Hot 97’s Summer Jam has had some major moments. Remember when Jay-Z put up pictures of Prodigy in a leotard? Or when The Game beat up the giant rat that was presumably 50 Cent? With the 20th anniversary of the Hip-Hop festival taking place in June, some big surprises are bound to be in store for all those in attendance at Met Life Life stadium. Not to mentioned, big names like Kendrick Lamar, the Wu-Tang Clan, Chris Brown, and 2 Chainz have already been announced as part of the lineup.

3). Who would have ever thought that a blonde-haired blue-eyed teeny bopper and a rapper from Marcy Projects would tour with each other as “Legends of the Summer?” Nevertheless, after each reaching the pinnacle of success in their respective genre, Justin Timberlake and Jay-Z decided to hit the road together and perform their music for the masses. And even with Kid Rock being critical of the high ticket price, the shows will undoubtedly be packed with people ranging from those too young to remember NSYNC to the ones who saw Jay-Z tour with Big Daddy Kane, and all ages in between.

2). “We fully expect to be releasing a new Eminem album in 2013,” Paul Rosenberg, president of Shady Records told Billboard magazine. “It’s safe to say that it will be post-Memorial Day at some point, but we’re not exactly sure when.” Local Detroit station 95.5 even said it could drop on July 2nd. If that’s the case, one of the biggest rappers could provide help provide Hip-Hop with one of its biggest summers in recent memory.

1). The speculative release date , June 18th, announced via Kanye West’s Twitter account, had the Internet going crazy. Now, the album just has to live up to the hype. Fortunately, Mr. West has always delivered quality material and he is never short on confidence. And with a wide of range of artists said to have recorded new material with Kanye (Skrillex, Daft Punk, Odd Future, Chief Keef), his new album has the potential to take Hip-Hop into uncharted territory…again.