Flatbush, Brooklyn MC Joey Bada$$ returns with his hotly anticipated Summer Knights mixtape, read below for a mini-review…

While the release of the mixtape was pushed back, much to the disdain of Joey Bada$$, this delay didn’t hinder the heat on the tape, in fact it probably made people even more desperate to hear it.

1999 was always going to be one tough mixtape to follow up, but Joey Bada$$ manages to do it here because Summer Knights moves to a much darker place than 1999.

As with the majority of music Joey Bada$$ is involved with, Summer Knights has that superb old school feel which carries throughout the whole mixtape. Strong reggae influences also come through in tracks like the Chuck Strangers-produced My Youth as Joey goes on a ragga tip, which brings another dimension to his music. The track also features Bermuda’s very own Collie Budz.

The standard across the whole tape is high, but it’s cuts like the Alchemist-produced Trap Door, the Lee Bannon-produced Satellite and DOOM’s Amethyst Rockstar that stand that bit taller than the rest of the tracks.

Joey Bada$$ addresses a particularly sensitive subject to him and Pro Era, the untimely death of Capital STEEZ, on #LongLiveSteelo where he expresses his feelings the way he knows best, verbally.

Already the Brooklyn MC is showing he is maturing rapidly, Summer Knights is a remarkable departure from the carefree vibe of 1999 and Joey Bada$$ is only going to evolve over time.

Words by Patrick Swift.