Someone asked me not so long ago, “how the hell you even remember what time of the year shit came out?” It cracks me up too, truthfully. I guess it’s because like the corny-ass saying goes, music was really “the soundtrack of my life”. I remember what songs were out at particular times, because I listened to music so much back then. It actually plays just as much a part in my memory as the actual events do.
Annnd that brings me to the third edition of the Summer Seven. ’92 was the year, and here’s where things really changed. I began rapping a couple of months prior, after being inspired by Kris Kross of all people. Almost overnight, I went from being a casual-but-avid fan of hip-hop to being some kinda addict. Before, I was able to split my time between music, TV, writing, and regular 12-year-old stuff like video games and socializing. By the time summer rolled around, most things that I did centered around or involved music.
When I watched TV, it was usually videos- whether it was BET, MTV, or my favorite, The Box. I don’t remember seeing any movies that summer, yet I can remember that the request number for the “DWYCK” video was #706. The only other stuff I recall watching was wrestling (occasionally) and the Olympics (which was mostly all about seeing basketball teams from other countries get their asses beat by The Dream Team). Whenever I played video games with my brother, we listened to tape after tape the entire time. I stopped reading Pro Wrestling Illustrated and got stuck on The Source. I stopped trying to write stories and scripts, and started strictly writing (terrible) lyrics. Back then, once I got heavily into something, nothing else existed.
Well, ONE other thing existed: Cinemax. I was a young, crafty lil’ deviant, who stayed looking for movies that contained nudity and especially “strong sexual content”. Not only would I be sitting there with the TV on extra-low, but I’d have The Box on the “last channel” function of the remote. You ever see a movie where the guy who has people looking for him goes to bed with a gun taped to his hand, so he can jump up and start firing with no problem? That was me with the remote and the LC button. Pow!
Summer ’92 was just a lotta fun- introverted fun, but still rather got-damn enjoyable for me. It was all about music, Super Tecmo Bowl, McDonald’s triple cheeseburgers, and strong sexual content. I was listening to any and every tape I could get a hold of. I remember school-shopping and wanting to dress like the rappers did in their videos. It was the last time I ever went to see wrestling at the Baltimore Arena, as I’d eventually lose interest by the end of the year. 8th Grade was on the way, and I was ready to be a teenager.
The Danj! Summer Seven of 1992 (NOTE: limiting this list to seven was hard-as-fuck- I had a new favorite song almost every week that summer):
Mary J. Blige featuring Greg Nice “You Remind Me” (Remix): MJB’s first single ever gets treated with what would be a staple of her music for years to come- the remix. Only the beginning…
GangStarr featuring Nice & Smooth “DWYCK”: One of those cases where an unlikely pairing makes a surprise banger. Still one of my favorite tracks by both groups.
Main Source “Fakin’ The Funk”: A couple months before he decided to say “fuck them two DJ’s”, Large Professor and his group Main Source had some heat on their hands with this one. I’m still a lil’ tight about them not droppin’ the full album before they called it a day.
SuperCat “Ghetto Red Hot”: Dancehall reggae and hip-hop started merging a lot during the early-’90s, and this just might be the best track to EVER come out of that entire trend.
Jodeci “Come & Talk To Me” (Remix): Jodeci, along with Mary J., played a big part in R&B music shifting from the New Jack Swing era to the Hip-Hop Soul era. Exhibit A: this remix.
DJ Quik “Jus Lyke Compton”: I was lovin’ this shit right here. How can you argue with “When it was over, two niggas needed stitches/ Got cracked in they jaw for bein’ punk-ass bitches”?
Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth “They Reminisce Over You”: Probably the best hip-hop single of the whole year, possibly Pete’s best beat ever, definitely CL’s best song ever, and surely one of my favorites of that summer. My God…
IN CASE YOU MISSED ‘EM: Summer Seven Series 1990 AND 1991
-D!
Posted by Danj! 
