As odd as this may sound, Lupe Fiasco reminded me of 50 Cent the other day. His back-and-forth tweet-off with the folks from Nah Right made me reflect on the accuracy of Curtis’ claim that “In the hood, summertime is the killin’ season. It’s hot out this b*tch, that’s a good enough reason”. Summer and beef often go together in this culture. Sadly, and equally truthfully, those are some of the things that we have come to expect as the weather gets hot.

Now, summer 2010 is fully upon us. And despite inclement weather that seems too moody to fully agree, everything east of the Golden State is quite convinced. So, in celebration of the things that we have come to expect from summer (like a Jay-Z album, Summer Jam, backyard bbq’s and shots fired), here’s a mix of some of the summertime must-haves for any aficionado’s outdoor event.

Part 1 is 1995 and earlier. Part 2 is music made since the birth of iSouljaBoyTellEm.com

PART I

• Tag Team – Whoomp, There It Is (1993)
• DJ Quik – Summer Breeze (1994)
• Will Smith and Jazzy Jeff – Summertime (1991)
• Fat Boyz – Wipeout (1989)
• Keith Murray – The Most Beautifulest Thing in This World (1994)
• Naughty by Nature – OPP (1991)
• LL Cool J – Going Back to Cali (1989)
• Ice Cube – Today Was a Good Day (1993)
• Coolio – Fantastic Voyage (1994)
• Guru – Loungin’ (1993)
• WRECKX-N-EFFECT – Rumpshaker (1992)
• Snoop Dogg – Gin & Juice (1994)
• Dove Shack – Summertime in the LBC (1995)
• Raekwon – Ice Cream (1995)

PART II

• Joe Budden – Pump It Up (2003)
• Naughty by Nature – Jamboree (1999)
• Joe Budden – Stuntin’ ft. Coke & Jay-Z (2003)
• Jay-Z – Big Pimpin (1999)
• Notorious B.I.G. – Mo Money, Mo Problems (1997)
• Game – California Sunshine (2008)
• Jay-Z – Dear Summer (2005)
• 2pac – To Live and Die in L.A. (1996)
• Notorious B.I.G. – Going Back to Cali (1997)
• Beenie Man – Girls Dem Sugar (ft. Mya) (1998)
• 2pac – California Love (ft. Dr. Dre) (1995)
• Cunninglynguists – Summer’s Gone (2007)
• Pras – Ghetto Superstar (1998)

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