This Summer's Rap Was Actually Good

Graphic by Jonah Weintraub

By: James Kelly

This summer was the best summer we’ve had in a while for rap music. I’ll say it if no one else will. 

All levels of rap had amazing releases almost every month. Looking at the mainstream, Gunna and Young Thug had phenomenal first releases since their arrest in May of last year, with the former coming in with the song of the summer, “fukumean.” Lil Uzi Vert and Travis Scott both had their long-anticipated releases with Pink Tape and UTOPIA, respectively, and they both exceeded expectations. The albums showed a more experimental side of the artists, with Pink Tape having much more of a rock/metal aesthetic surrounding it and UTOPIA showing off a more dark and gritty side of Travis. Even Kendrick and Keem had to jump in the mix, introducing their new duo name, “The Hillbillies,” and releasing a fun self-titled single. 

The sparkle of this summer did not end with the mainstream, as indie and alt-rap had amazing albums all across the board. Aminé and KAYTRANADA combined to make the alt-rap super duo “KAYTRAMINÉ” and released their self-titled debut album in May. This beachy tracklist gave us some of the best vibes of any LP this summer and had unlimited replay value. Staying on the topic of duos, Paris Texas released their punk-inspired album, MID AIR, to rave reviews. This chaotic project cemented their place as one of the newest stars in the alt-rap game. 

While the music of the summer itself was amazing, everything surrounding it was even better. The rollouts that have been going on have been some of the best we have seen in a while. The UTOPIA rollout was incredible all the way through, with the UTOPIA movie, the legendary briefcase, the billboards with the coordinates to Utopia, Texas, and the concert at the Pyramids of Giza (which was canceled and then replaced with a concert in the Roman ruins of Circus Maximus. This was one of the first live performances of Travis Scott not at a festival since his two shows in London in August of last year).

Speaking of live performances, this summer did not fail to deliver. The It’s All a Blur Tour with Drake and 21 Savage sees their first tours as headliners since 2019. Also, Lil Baby, Snoop Dogg, Wiz Khalifa, Lil Durk, and 50 Cent are all on tour right now, with 50 Cent’s tour being his final ever. Festivals this summer have also been stellar, with shows like Lollapalooza in Chicago and Outside Lands in San Francisco having headlining rappers like Kendrick Lamar, Pusha T, Lil Yachty, and J.I.D. 

In all aspects of music, this summer should be considered as one of the best since the legendary days of 2016 and 2018. The music has been stellar, the rollouts have added magic to these albums, and the festivals and tours have capped off an amazing few months. And to add, all of this has happened during the 50th year of hip-hop. Can it get any better than this?