Happy Birthday ‘Murrica. If your overzealous patriotism and nationalistic overkill is waning from the end of the USMNT’s run at the World Cup, there’s no need for it to cease just yet — Fourth of July lands on a Friday, y’all. Faithful to our patriotic tradition, operation #turnup is on an all-time high for this weekend, complete with explosions in the sky, an extra oomph of over-consumption of our favorite brand of inebriant, and a surplus of charred meat in the form of BBQ cookouts. Not just a mark of patriotism (and hip-hop’s associated masculinity as exemplified by Ricky Ross above,) but also of that feel-good summertime, cookouts are of the ultimate post-summer solstice type of occasion to celebrate life with your folks, and when you have good food, good music, good company, well… that’s that summertime for you, baby. *Rick Ross grunt* Hit the jump for some of hip-hop’s best music videos to epitomize said feel-good cookout vibes and spread the trill grill love.

DJ Jazzy Jeff – Summertime

DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince set the tone for how backyard BBQs should be done properly and made only the most applicable soundtrack for a proper get-down. You hear this jam being bumped and you know summer has officially broken her way through to the western hemisphere.

Juvenile – Slow Motion

Only Juvenile would get mad gully at a BBQ. But I guess the association of ass and meat go hand-in-hand, don’t they?

Nelly – Country Grammar

See, if Nelly wants to continue to try – emphasis on “try” – to be relevant in 2014, he should be trying to win us back with his “Country Grammar” cuts; “Ride Wit Me,” “E.I.,” “Batter Up,” etc. and NOT with “Hot In Herre.” The St. Louis’ rapper’s first album was my shit back in elementary school, and I remember bumping this joint perilously there and dreaming of the day’s end…at least until I got my headphones yanked from me and sent to detention for listening to “such obscenity.” Catholic schools, man.

N.O.R.E., Vado & Young Reallie (Good Belt Gang) – Hood BBQ

N.O.R.E. and his nephews Vado and Young Reallie threw out a joint to show everyone just how inner-city hoods throw BBQs, sans the whole huge park and trees thing. Really, it goes to show that as long as you have the grub and the bottles, you don’t need picnic tables and countrywide spaces to have a crackin’ BBQ.

Disturbing the Peace – Growing Pains

Ludacris and his Disturbing the Peace collective express their woes growing up in the hood in this classic BBQin’ in the park video; making for a soulful summertime banger.

Trick Daddy – I’m a Thug

For Trick Daddy, a party ain’t a party unless there’s girls there. And the same applies to BBQs. Except they all gotta be in the pool this time.

Mo Thugs – Thug Devotion

I wonder if the entire Mo Thugs collective is in this video. When you have a massive crew riding behind you, who needs extras right? Bone Thugs-n-Harmony boys and the fam prove in this video that thugs can have fun too, but they just do it with ice grills and a heater close by.

Freddie Gibbs & Dom Kennedy – Menace II Society

The video might only show a few glimpses of the whole cookout theme we got going on here, but with Freddie and Dom rolling around LA in the whip with the top down, they bring the whole summertime vibe full circle.

Snoop Dogg – Ain’t Nothin’ But a G Thang

Classic summertime jam, classic video. Snoop Dogg, the Dogg Father who put the G in all things G-funky and gangsta, and if Jazzy Jeff and Will Smith made the summertime jam for everybody, Snoop made the summertime anthem and a matching video for all the double OG’s, complete with chicken and chronic.

2Pac – I Get Around

‘Pac always knew how to have a good time: surrounded by girls, weed and booze, Makaveli was never ashamed of who he was or what he did – the ultimate carefree dude, who happens to be the ultimate personification of how we feel in the summertime.