Summer Knights
Summer Knights is the second mixtape by American rapper Joey Bada$$. It was released on July 1, 2013, by Cinematic Music Group. The mixtape was planned to be released as an EP, to prelude the release of his debut album B4.DA.$$, but instead it was announced to be a full-length mixtape. The mixtape features production from Chuck Strangers, Kirk Knight, MF Doom, Statik Selektah, DJ Premier, Lee Bannon, Oddisee, Navie D, and Bruce Leekix. The mixtape features more original instrumentals than his first mixtape 1999 which was primarily samples.
| Summer Knights | ||||
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| Mixtape by Joey Bada$$ | ||||
| Released | July 1, 2013 | |||
| Recorded | 2012–13 | |||
| Genre | East Coast hip hop | |||
| Length | 70:00 | |||
| Label | Cinematic Music Group | |||
| Producer |
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| Joey Bada$$ chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Summer Knights | ||||
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The extended play has inverted into the re-release from the mixtape, titled Summer Knights EP; released on October 29, 2013.
Background
On May 22, 2013, Joey Bada$$ announced the official release date of his next solo project, Summer Knights EP on June 12, 2013, which marks as the one-year anniversary release of his breakthrough mixtape 1999. On May 28, 2013, Bada$$ announced Summer Knights will no longer be an EP, and instead announced that this project will just be a full-length mixtape. He revealed that the mixtape will feature 17 tracks, along with the production, which will be handled by Statik Selektah, Lee Bannon, Chuck Strangers and Kirk Knight, among others.[1][2]
The mixtape features guest appearances by his fellow Pro Era members, along the additional production by DJ Premier, The Alchemist, MF Doom and Oddisee, among others.[3] On the announced release date, Joey Badass revealed on Twitter that the mixtape was pushed back until July 1, 2013.[4] This was also said to be a "rest in peace" mixtape to Pro Era founder and close friend Capital STEEZ, further indicated in the 16th track entitled "#LongLiveSTEELO."
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| CMJ | (favorable)[5] |
| Consequence of Sound |    |
| Exclaim! | 7/10[7] |
| RapReviews.com | 7.5/10[8] |
| Rolling Stone | |
| Spin | 7/10[10] |
| XXL | |
Summer Knights received generally favorable reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 66, which indicates "generally favorable", based on 10 reviews.[12] Exclaim! magazine's Chris Dart found Badass' rapping versatile and skillful, and said that the mixtape is exceptional at its high points, despite being a few unnecessary songs overlong.[7] Abrea Armstrong of XXL felt that his lyrics are still confident, but now informed by new life experiences, and recommended Summer Knights to hip hop buffs rather than Badass' typically teenage listeners, although she wrote that "Joey is here to prove that they're one in [sic] the same."[11] In a mixed review, Phillip Mlynar of Spin felt that Summer Knights lacks the immediacy of his early music and found his rapping dull and enervated, which he mused is a result of pressures and expectations from the music industry.[13][14]
On December 24, 2013, XXL positioned it at number 19 on their list of the best mixtapes of 2013. They commented saying, "One thing is clear when you listen to the tape, he’s not kidding around, as he unleashes some bone-shattering bars with a calm cold assassin-like demeanor. 1999 was more of a coming-of-age tale from Joey while Summer Knights provides as a worthy follow-up illustrating his maturity and growth. Pro-Era’s boom-bap ’90s chill-vibe is still prominent in the album, however with an extra kick making it sound very refreshing."[15]
Track listing
All credits are adapted from Allmusic.[16]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Alowha" | Jo-Vaughn Virginie Scott | Kirk Knight | 4:41 |
| 2. | "Hilary $wank" | Scott | Lee Bannon | 3:23 |
| 3. | "My Yout" (featuring Collie Buddz) |
| Chuck Strangers | 4:20 |
| 4. | "Death of YOLO" (featuring Smoke DZA) |
| Bruce Leekix | 4:24 |
| 5. | "Right on Time" | Scott | Kirk Knight | 3:24 |
| 6. | "Sweet Dreams" | Scott | Navie D | 3:42 |
| 7. | "47 Goonz" (featuring Dirty Sanchez and Nyck Caution) |
|
| 3:06 |
| 8. | "Word Is Bond" | Scott | Statik Selektah | 3:20 |
| 9. | "Sit N' Prey" (featuring T'nah Apex and Dessy Hinds) |
| Navie D | 4:40 |
| 10. | "Trap Door" | Scott | The Alchemist | 2:52 |
| 11. | "Satellite" (featuring Chuck Strangers, Kirk Knight and Dessy Hinds) |
| Lee Bannon | 5:04 |
| 12. | "95 Til' Infinity" | Scott | Lee Bannon | 4:27 |
| 13. | "Amethyst Rockstar" (featuring Kirk Knight) |
| MF Doom | 3:55 |
| 14. | "Reign" | Scott | Chuck Strangers | 4:49 |
| 15. | "Sorry Bonita" (featuring Pro Era) |
| Oddisee | 5:48 |
| 16. | "#LongLiveSteelo" | Scott | Kirk Knight | 2:51 |
| 17. | "Unorthodox" | Scott | DJ Premier | 3:37 |
| Total length: | 70:00 | |||
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Hilary $wank" | 3:22 |
| 2. | "My Yout (Remix)" (featuring Maverick Sabre) | 3:40 |
| 3. | "Sit N' Prey" (featuring T'nah Apex and Dessy Hinds) | 4:22 |
| 4. | "95 Til Infinity" | 4:27 |
| 5. | "#LongLiveSteelo" (featuring T'nah Apex) | 2:51 |
| 6. | "My Jeep" (featuring Flatbush Zombies, The Underachievers and Chuck Strangers) | 4:35 |
| 7. | "My Yout" (featuring Collie Buddz) | 3:32 |
| Total length: | 26:49 | |
Digital download
Most mixtapes are digital downloads that are free and are usually not released for any profit. Summer Knights however is available both for free download as well as purchase on iTunes and Google Play (the latter being available for free streaming as well).
Personnel
All credits are adapted from AllMusic.[16]
- The Alchemist – producer
- T'nah Apex – featured artist
- Lee Bannon – producer
- Collie Buddz – featured artist
- Nyck Caution – featured artist
- Navie D – producer
- Dirty Sanchez – featured artist
- DJ Premier – producer
- MF DOOM – producer
- Dessy Hinds – featured artist
- Kirk Knight – featured artist, producer
- Oddisee – producer
- Pro Era – featured artists
- Rokamouth – featured artist
- Smoke DZA – featured artist
- Statik Selektah – producer
- Chuck Strangers – featured artist, producer
References
- "Joey Bada$$ Talks 'Summer Knights' Mixtape And His Next Steps – Page 6 of 7 – XXL". Xxlmag.com. June 5, 2013. Retrieved July 7, 2013.
- "Joey Bada$$ Talks 'Summer Knights' Mixtape And His Next Steps – Page 4 of 7 – XXL". Xxlmag.com. June 5, 2013. Retrieved July 7, 2013.
- "Here's The Tracklist To Joey Badass' 'Summer Knights' – XXL". Xxlmag.com. June 28, 2013. Retrieved July 7, 2013.
- "Twitter / joeyBADASS_: Summer Knights pushed back". Twitter.com. Retrieved July 7, 2013.
- Review: Joey Bada$$ - Summer Knights (Self-Released)
- Coplan, Chris (July 9, 2013). "Album Review: Joey Bada$$ – Summer Knights Mixtape". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved July 9, 2013.
- Dart, Chris (July 2, 2013). "Joey Bada$$ – Summer Knights • Hip-Hop Reviews •". Exclaim.ca. Retrieved July 7, 2013.
- RapReviews.com Feature for July 23, 2013 - Joey Bada$$' "Summer Knights"
- Joey Badass, 'Summer Knights' - Rolling Stone
- Mlynar, Phillip. "Joey Bada$$, 'Summer Knights' (Cinematic Music Group) | SPIN | Albums | Critical Mass". SPIN. Retrieved July 7, 2013.
- "Joey Bada$$ – 'Summer Knights' Mixtape Review – XXL". Xxlmag.com. July 3, 2013. Retrieved July 7, 2013.
- Reviews for Summer Knights [Mixtape] by Joey Bada$$ - Metacritic
- Mlynar, Phillip (July 1, 2013). "Summer Knights Review from Spin Magazine". Spin. United States. Retrieved July 4, 2013.
- Music & Film Reviews | NME.COM
- The 25 Best Mixtapes Of 2013 - XXL
- "Summer Knights – Joey Bada$$ : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. July 1, 2013. Retrieved July 7, 2013.
- "Summer Knights EP". iTunes. Retrieved October 29, 2013.