Rewind to hip-hop's summer

Welcome to Weekend’s version of the wide world of hip-hop, brought to you by the most enthusiastic hip-hop heads who were unbelievably granted a spot in this otherwise fantastic periodical. Don’t worry, we’re here to take care of you.

Here’s what you might have missed this summer
Hip-hop lost a great with the death of Adam Yauch, aka MCA, a founding member of the Beastie Boys.

2 Chainz taught us if you walk into the airport with a four-finger ring, TSA will have you arrested for rocking some brass knuckles.

Kanye West made it known he has the power to build anyone a career, no matter that artist’s lack of talent. For example, YouTube Chief Keef’s “I Don’t Like” before Kanye remixed it. Yes, this young man is now signed to Interscope Records.

Chris Brown and Drake confirmed their dislike of each other after a bottle-throwing contest at a New York nightclub left innocent bystanders battered and bloodied.

Frank Ocean took a giant risk coming out as bisexual in a culture that has a knack for being largely homophobic. His album “Channel Orange” released just after his controversial announcement and went to No. 2 on that week’s pop charts.

Aug. 23, way back when
A year ago today, Jay-Z and Kanye West dropped their monstrous “Watch the Throne” collaboration. While it’s setting stones for the future, other great influences deserve some credit, too. In 1999, N.W.A released a reunion song as tribute to Eazy E’s memory. It was the first work the group produced since they split after the 1991 release of “Niggaz4Life.”

Up and comers and who’s running the game
Though summer is quickly coming to a close and we haven’t been able to hear the project yet, everyone has been sitting on his or her hands in anticipation of G.O.O.D Music’s “Cruel Summer.”

However, don’t expect this label’s reign to last long. Based on everything we’ve gotten a taste of so far, Dr. Dre protégé Kendrick Lamar might steal the spotlight with “good kid, m.A.A.d. city,” coming this fall. As Dre showed us with Snoop Dogg, Eminem and Game, he knows who will leave a lasting impact with their debut records.

For some friendly neighborhood hip-hop, check out these upcoming shows:
Project Pat at The Vid on Saturday.
Machine Gun Kelly at The Bluebird on Thursday, Aug. 30.