Top Five Mixtapes of Summer 2016

2016 is the new 2007 for hip-hop mixtapes. Yeezy brought the game back in a whirlwind album that’s still evolving, Gucci and 2 Chainz are dropping mixtapes and demanding respeck, Drake thinks he’s a rapper, and Lil Dicky is standing next to Desiigner in the XXL Freshman Class Cypher. Where to begin on the year Chance the Rapper has been having…

Sometimes people forget how many mixtapes Wheezy gave us…

“I’m the only nigga still care about mixtapes” may have been a bluff, Lil Chano. While the height Lil Wayne achieved with his mixtape floods is still a distant memory, you can’t doubt the mixtape has been thriving this year. So, as the summer rounds out, who had the hottest bars, the best features (sorry Cole), and the strongest production?

Lil Yachty on the come-up, but his mixtape has a bit more to go

Honorable Mentions: Starting off with the spitters who we have to give some props, but just couldn’t cut it in the top five, why not mention Fetty Wap, whose meteoric rise last September has slowed a bit into his fifth mixtape with Pnb Rock. Another relative newcomer to the game, Desiigner, followed up his explosion on West’s Pt. 2 and Panda with a relatively weak New English. Maybe the only mixtape on this list you have to pay to hear, and definitely better than Future’s Project E.T., Desiigner lets off a good couple singles (Panda and Monsta & Villains) before fading into the Future clone he’s shown us. Post Malone and Waka Flocka weren’t much better, but props to Lil Yachty, hitting 2016 strong and that fire mixtape, Summer Songs 2 (I ain’t paying for your mix tho).

5. Die Antwoord- Suck on This

Oh yeah. Yolandi is back.

Die Antwoord is the Zef blast from the past, returning from a two year hiatus to drop their first mix, Suck on This. I was shocked at the variety on this mixtape, with bangers from start to finish on the thirteen track mix from South Africa. Your favorite albino rappers bring a bunch of weird features on the tracks, and blend some strange samples to give that creepy effect we love from Yolandi. This mixtape even somehow charted in Belgium? Oh well, Die Antwoord means ‘The Answer’, and this is the answer to the lack of hard shit in a pool of Atlanta-trap this year.

4. Ace Hood- Starvation 5

This is Ace Hood’s seventeenth mixtape.

Speaking of trap, our Bugatti overlord is back for the fifth installment of his Starvation series.While we keep on waiting for Beast from the South, Hood has gifted us this eighteen track slammer with features from Rick Ross and fabulous. It starts with the heat we expect, some really great tracks like ‘True 2 Self’ and ‘American Dream’, and while it lulls after he brings some verses in, the power swings back around by the time ‘Mama Ain’t Raised No Fool’ hits back.

3. Joey Purp- iiiDrops

Joey Purp’s iiiDrops

Savemoney isn’t a collective you know too well, but Chance the Rapper, Donnie Trumpet, and Vic Mensa are all becoming household names. Their friend, also on Surf, is Joey Purp. We haven’t seen any material from him since 2013, but his second mixtape, iiiDrops, is fire. I wish it was longer. He brings out Chance, Saba, and Mensa to keep fans happy, but his solo tracks stand out as the real singles- ‘SAY YOU DO’ and ‘MORNING SEX’ really did it for me. You wanna play with Chance’s friends and help the time pass before his next project, look no further than Purp. I’m looking forward to what he’s got next.

2. 2 Chainz – Daniel Son, Necklace Don

2 Chainz has the mixtape game on lock this year.

Yep, this is 2 Chainz third mixtape this year (Collegrove is a mixtape and I ain’t hearing otherwise). Dropping as a surprise last week,  Daniel Son, Necklace Don has some bars from Drake and YFN, but nobody else. 2 Chainz just has fun on songs you wanna ride out to, like ‘Ounces’ and ‘Yeezy Boot’. Truth be told, I’m still having fun with Felt Like Cappin’, but I got no problems with this mixtape, even slightly. Speaking of which…

1. Chance the Rapper – Coloring Book

Chance the mothafuckin’ Rapper

Come on man, I don’t care how corny you think ‘Smoke Break’ is, you know ‘No Problemz’ was the summer jam. Shit, what about ‘Juke Jam’ during a late night? ‘All Night’? Hell, ‘All We Got’ had Chance bodying Kanye after he already bodied him on the opening to Ye’s album. Lil Chano stole the rug out from under 2016 altogether, let alone the summer. This faithful follow-up to Acid Rap and 10 Day knows consistency, flow, and tone. Energy switch ups feel natural and fun, and rapping along with Chance is just as fun as his sound effects. Blessings on you, Chance. We care about mixtapes again.