Whether Kool & the Gang or The Fresh Prince & Jazzy Jeff this song still kicks off the party.

I’m not sure if you know this or not, but the summer starts for Black people on Memorial Day. That’s when you can fully expect Black people to hit the streets and start acting a fool. The weather is warm, everybody’s back home and it’s time to get up, get out and do something.

The mix today is brought to you by the resident DJ… @CarverTheGreat. Download here, or stream below. No tracklist, it’s too much fire for today!

Check out my list of the Fifteen Things we love about the Summer…

Prospect Park, Summer 2010

1. Mega BBQs – We used to have family barbecues and while they’re still cool, we’ve transformed into trying to find the Mega BBQ. The Mega BBQ is the one that is usually held in a large public park, there’s not much food, but there’s tons of “drank” and BLACK PEOPLE.

2. Pool parties where no one gets wet – I stopped going to pool parties with Black people. Unless you get them all really intoxicated and they jump into the pool with all their clothes on, they won’t jump in that pool for nothing. Black people hate water.

3. Day Parties – There used to be a time when we woke up and thought, “Where the cookouts at today?” Those days are over. Unless we’ve been planning on that cookout for some time, we want to know where the Day Party is at today.

#np Motivation = 50 Shades of Kelly

4. Maxi Dresses – Maxi dresses are one of those things that are hit or miss. They’re very comfortable for a woman and easy to throw on in a hurry. As it pertains to the male opinion, every now and then we see a maxi dress that makes us want to thank God for all the pretty women he let into our life. #Amen.

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5. Really tight and small polo shirts – A young woman walked up to me the other day and asked, “Why is it that men in DC wear their shirts so tight?” I started laughing because I’ve been hearing that a lot lately. I really don’t have a good answer; I guess that’s the style now.

6. Doing absolutely everything to stay out of a relationship – Two people will fall in love in the summer, but they’ll keep holding out until Labor Day to actually commit. It’s funny how they avoid spending too much time with one another too. They’ll actually have designated days when they won’t hang out with each other. Somehow all those days end up with them sneaking to see each other on the late night tip.

7. The Beach – Whether it’s Miami or the Caribbean, Black people do everything in their power to get to the sand.

8. Family Reunions – One thing about Black people is that we love our family, or we hate our family and tell everybody we love them so they don’t judge us. Family reunions are the best way to get everybody together and reminisce over old times.

Dave Chappelle's Black... I mean, Block Party

9. Block Parties – If you love your block, then you love your block parties. For the transient and displaced, you go home for these. It’s just so much fun to spend time with the friends that were there when you couldn’t even cross the street.

Something like this...

10. Arguing about July 4th – Sophisticated Black people, as my father would call them, love to get around and chop it up about what Independence Day means to African-Americans. Personally, it’s probably the first blockbuster that I can remember where there was a brawl at the Union Station movie theater. For some strange reason, all the other Black people think it’s a holiday that reminds us of when times were bad.

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11. Getting Blacker – Growing up we avoided getting darker at all costs. The darker you were, the more you would get teased at school. After you get a degree or two that goes right out the window and you can’t think of doing anything better than lying out in the sun for a few hours.

#RIPChuckBrown

12. Free Entertainment – One thing the summer brings us Black folks is direct access to free concerts, movies and festivals. There’s nothing that rubs Black folks better than anything involving the word, “Free.”

13. Travel – When it’s cold, Black people stay in the house and stack paper. Let me tell you something about Black people, it is cold from September 5th until May 30th. It’s either cold, or there’s a chance of rain. There are two things Black people hate as much as taxes and mayonnaise; cold and water. When the risk of either clears up, we’re jet setting!

14. Relationships that aren’t going anywhere – Are you in town for the summer on an internship? Perfect. Are you moving after this summer ends to start b-school? Awesome. Relationships with expiration dates are like Em’s verse on Renegade… “Effing awesome!”

Ain't no way we can all be on ONE.

15. Summer Anthems – In a couple of weeks, there’s going to be a song that comes on the radio and everybody will go crazy. Chances are, it’s by Jeezy. It may not be and that’s perfectly okay. We won’t know until we hear it and then don’t stop hearing it until the Labor Day white parties. Last year it was, “I’m On One.” This year? Who knows?

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I hope everyone had a great Memorial Day Weekend. Many of us are just getting our feet back up under us before we hit the highway again and make a run for the next move this weekend. Make sure you party responsibly and drink plenty of water. Leggo!

– Dr. J