Hot 97 Summer Jam 2015 Lineup, Tickets: The Best and The Rest

Hot 97’s Summer Jam announces initial lineup, including Kendrick Lamar, Chris Brown

It’s that time of year again in New York City, when everybody bitches about the Hot 97 Summer Jam lineup, but everybody will call in favors from every cuz, fam and potna to try and get passes.

Yes, folks, Summer Jam is coming, and despite all the shade thrown Hot 97’s way, the Summer Jam lineup is always hotly anticipated, the performances are generally well-received, and the atmosphere is like no other.

It’s easy to take Summer Jam for granted, especially in an era when the hip hop festival has become somewhat commonplace, but it bears noting what the history of this now-legendary concert was, and is.

During hip hop’s “Golden Era,” few promoters, if any, wanted to take on a full-fledged rap festival. They barely wanted to book any hip hop acts in the first place, let alone such a monster event. We have San Francisco’s own iconic radio station KMEL to thank for the first-ever Summer Jam lineup in 1987. Though it continues on a smaller scale today, it wasn’t until 1994 that New York hosted its first Summer Jam concert…

The lineup was nothing short of legendary. The mighty Wu-Tang Clan. Nas. A Tribe Called Quest. Gang Starr (RIP Guru). Queen Latifah. Black Moon.

Since then, some Summer Jam lineups have been better than others, and known as much for their controversy and beef (Jay Z vs Prodigy) and special appearances (Jay Z & Michael Jackson), but overall, it’s inevitable that Summer Jam will make the news for days to come.

So, without further ado, let’s take a look at the Best and The Rest from this year’s Hot 97 Summer Jam lineup:

THE BEST

Kendrick Lamar. He’s riding an incredibly hot buzz, and for good reason: he’s one of the most consistently solid rappers out there today, and dropped an amazing album with To Pimp A Butterfly. No, he’s not New York, but some would say his controversial “Control” verse helped give a shot in the arm to the New York scene. In any event, his talent, creativity and respect foe the craft is right up New York hip hop’s alley, so we’re excited he’s headlining this year’s Summer Jam.

Fabolous & Friends. Inevitably, when you see the words “and friends” in the lineup, you know that some really great special guests will be on the stage (case in point: G-Unit Reunion). One thing you have to give Loso credit for — He brings out ALL the New York rappers wherever he goes. Good for Summer Jam. Better for the scene. I’m not mad at him.

Joey Badass. One of New York’s bright yonng upstarts, who should have been offered the main stage, instead of “Festival Stage” billing, Joey Bada$$ represents the new New York well.

Childish Gambino. The multi-talented hyphenate better known as Donald Glover (remember his turn on TV’s Community?) was an excellent writer back when he was doing duty at 30 Rock, and that tradition continues with his Poindexter style of rapping. Plus, he got his name from an internet Wu-Tang name generator, so there’s that. Any fan of Wu-Tang is alright in my book.

B.O.B. Say what you want about him, but he’s consistent with his stuff, and has a great ear for music. The true mark of a good artist is consistency, and B.O.B. has it in spades. He’ll be a welcome addition to the event.

Dej Loaf A bit of a newcomer, she’s sort of the “bad girl” answer to Nicki Minaj (we won’t count the Mixtape Nicki days — Lord knows she doesn’t). If nothing else, her “Try Me” was a bona fide hit, so it should be interesting to catch her performing live.

THE REST

Chris Brown. He’s one of those artists that in some ways, has gotten worse, not better, over the years. And yes, I hold the Rhianna thing against him. That’s just the icing on the cake. Who’s his guest gonna be? His baby mama?

Meek Mill. Unless he brings out Nicki Minaj during his performance, I’m not interested.

Big Sean. He makes pop rap, which is good for top-40 radio, not-so-good for the culture. Unless you see some cultural significance in “Ass, Ass, Ass.”

Omarion. I can’t look at an artist with any sort of seriousness when he appears on Love & Hip-Hop. The fact that this dude used to be a part of B2K means I can’t take his brand of gangsta seriously. On the other hand, he’s on a label run by a former corrections officer who swears he was a dope dealer… So maybe I shouldn’t be surprised.

Teyana Taylor. The struggle continues.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDgG_sXvvzk]

Hot 97 Summer Jam takes place Sunday, June 7 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ. Tickets are on-sale now at Ticketmaster.com, all Ticketmaster retail locations or by phone at 800-745-3000, with special packages, which include premium show seats and VIP access.