Blog: Stereogum

Summer Jam, the annual stadium concert thrown by New York rap-radio giant Hot 97, has been a tradition around the city since 1994, when its lineup included Arrested Development, SWV, and Black Moon. In the nearly 20 years since, the event has grown into a rap-scene circus that serves as an in-that-instant Polaroid of everything happening in the rap music overground at that particular moment. Summer Jam sets are the moments where artists, if they're so inclined, make statements: Introducing high-profile guests, say, or launching campaigns against other artists. In 2006, I watched Busta Rhymes use the Summer Jam stage [...]