Hip hop heat from Pro Era, Jay Z and more

This past summer was an eventful one for hip hop fans. A lot of artists released projects and, naturally, I had some opinions about them.

My favorite project of the summer was Summer Knights by ProEra. It had a chill, 90’s New York feel to it. Kirk Knight and Chuck Strangers proved themselves as great producers. I especially like ProEra because it is a young group with incredible talent, like a younger A$AP Mob with more attention to detail; though I can’t say that I can name all of its members.

Speaking of A$AP Mob, Ferg released his album Trap Lord at the end of the summer. He definitely delivered as the second rapper coming out of the A$AP Mob camp following A$AP Rocky, with his singles “Work” and “Shabba” taking over the airwaves throughout the summer. What I like most about his album is the variety: he has club bangers like “Work” but chill songs, like “Cocaine Castles,” too.

The most talked about album this summer was Magna Carta Holy Grail. Jay Z is always making noise and his new album was no exception. MCHG was not his best work and it was nowhere near being up to par with Reasonable Doubt, but Jay Z has done a great job of staying relevant. He hasn’t really fallen off in the near two decades he’s been releasing music. Jay Z had the club rocking with the song “F***WithMeYouKnowIGotIt.” He had a love song with Queen Bey, “Part II (On the Run).” He channeled his inner art historian with “Picasso Baby.” “Beach is Better” is just 56 seconds of greatness. MCHG showed great production as well; I was happy to hear Timbaland come back.

You know I couldn’t talk about Jay Z without mentioning J. Cole’s Born Sinner. As a huge fan of J. Cole, I was impressed by his album. J. Cole is a well-rounded artist; his skits are just as enjoyable as his songs. Still, he doesn’t get enough credit as a rapper, since people only see him as Jay Z’s protégé.

An artist to look out for is Chance the Rapper. I listened to Acid Rap almost every day of the summer. When I downloaded 10 Day, I knew Chance the Rapper was someone to look out for, especially after he impressively made it to the Billboard Top 100 list with his free mix tape. Give him a chance and check out his music.