We know you mourned the lapse in Student Life’s pop culture commentary during your summer internship, road trip or desk job. In an effort to atone for their absence, Senior Cadenza Editor Mark Matousek and Managing Editor Katharine Jaruzelski share their favorite pop culture artifacts from this summer.

Drake trashes Meek Mill

Mark Matousek

Meek Mill learned a valuable lesson this summer: Don’t come at the king unless you’re packing golden bullets. His July 21 Twitter rant, supposedly fueled by Drake’s failure to mention Meek’s new album to his 25 million followers, attacked the 6 God’s credibility by pointing to his alleged use of ghostwriters. This strategy may have worked 20 years ago, when authenticity placed among hip-hop’s core virtues, but Meek failed to recognize the philosophical shifts in hip-hop culture that have made room for new sounds and personas.

Four days later, Drake responded with “Charged Up,” an offhand shrug of a diss track that both asserted his dominance and dismissed the brewing conflict as a mere trifle. Before Meek could craft a musical response, Drake struck again with “Back to Back,” quashing Meek’s already-diminished odds of victory with another round of dispassionate eye-rolling. Meek retorted shortly thereafter, but by then, the fight was over. He never stood a chance.

“Trainwreck”

Katharine Jaruzelski

There are a lot of reasons why comedian Amy Schumer’s film debut “Trainwreck” is so great, and the fact that it’s incredibly funny is only one of them. For those of you who’ve been living under a rock, this Judd Apatow-directed comedy stars Schumer as a badly behaving, commitment-phobic writer who finds herself falling for the easygoing sports doctor (Bill Hader) she’s profiling for a magazine article. The script, penned by Schumer herself, is packed with jokes, ranging from cute (see: LeBron James, as himself, singing the praises of Cleveland) to cringe-worthy (see: every bedroom scene).

“Trainwreck” has much more to offer than just raunchy comedy, though—Schumer’s emotional script and major acting chops will leave you struggling to remember whether your tears are from laughing or crying. Perhaps the most exciting thing about “Trainwreck,” though, is that it introduces a previously unfamiliar archetype to the world of romantic comedies: a brash leading lady that one writer at The Atlantic has aptly dubbed the “ladyjerk.” Schumer has already spent three years breaking down gender norms on TV with “Inside Amy Schumer”; when it comes to bringing that hilarious brand of feminism to the silver screen, “Trainwreck” does not disappoint.

“Louie” embraces comedic anarchy

Mark Matousek

Though ostensibly a comedy, “Louie” drifted toward painful self-examination over its first four seasons. Creator Louis C.K. has proven adept at interrogating what are, presumably, his fears and insecurities while ducking the constraints of the sitcom format, but in turning toward the avant-garde, C.K. has increasingly left his comic genius to his stand-up specials.

“Untitled,” the fifth episode of the show’s fifth season, has it both ways. Marrying a puckish absurdism with structural rebellion, the episode spirals into a nightmare, plunging into C.K.’s subconscious and finding the stuff of a David Lynch film.

The running joke, that C.K. can’t distinguish his dreams from reality, is simple on its head, but C.K.’s flair for the surreal makes it as satisfying as it is surprising.

“Hamilton”

Katharine Jaruzelski

If you’re even somewhat tuned in to the world of theater, you’re probably already aware of the heaps of critical praise that have been piled on Broadway’s latest hit musical “Hamilton.” If, on the other hand, your only association with the name “Hamilton” is the stodgy old white guy on the $10 bill, read on. Created by and starring Tony award-winning actor/composer Lin-Manuel Miranda, “Hamilton” does indeed follow the life of the $10 founding father, but stodgy, old and white he is not.

First of all, this Alexander Hamilton raps. Much like Miranda’s first Broadway hit, 2007’s “In the Heights,” “Hamilton” subverts Broadway norms with a mostly rap and hip-hop score—and yes, it totally works. Second, this Hamilton is Latino (played by Miranda himself) and is supported by a multicultural ensemble of American revolutionaries. This musical may be set in 18th-century America, but it’s told from the perspective of America today, reframing Hamilton’s story as that of a young, scrappy immigrant who was willing to sacrifice everything for his country. And “Hamilton” is more than just revolutionary—it’s damn good, with fantastic storytelling and music that’ll be stuck in your head for weeks.

“Hamilton” may still be 1,000 miles away from St. Louis, but with a cast album in the works and a national tour likely in the cards, it’s only a matter of time before theater nerds and hip-hop fans from coast to coast find themselves rapping about duels and the National Bank.

“Inside Out”

Mark Matousek

Pixar’s pristine reputation took a hit following three moderate disappointments (“Cars 2,” “Brave” and “Monsters University”), leaving “Inside Out” with the pressure of stanching the tide. The film’s ambitious concept—exploring the mind of a pre-teen girl—seemed destined for either brilliance or disastrous abstraction; thankfully, the studio’s gift for handling universal themes with grace and concision shone through.

The film’s first half is a marvel of high-concept comedy, visualizing the quirks of human psychology (abstract thought, memory retention, the pillars of personality) at breakneck speeds while building a dense, colorful narrative world. The conventions of commercial filmmaking suppress the film’s ingenuity with a chase-heavy second half, but the playful foundation never falters. Pixar’s best films demonstrate a rare fluency in the ways moviegoers relate to fictional characters; count “Inside Out” among that elite company.

Chance the Rapper electrifies Pitchfork

Mark Matousek

Now in its 11th year, Chicago’s Pitchfork Music Festival continues to curate eclectic lineups at (relatively) modest prices. This year’s edition peaked with its final performance, an electrifying set from budding hometown hero Chance the Rapper. Infamous for his abbreviated fall 2013 WILD set, Chance folded his prodigious vocal dexterity and gift for emotional immediacy into a raw charisma worthy of his headlining slot.

Performing with The Social Experiment, the four-piece band that has been the focus of his creative efforts since his 2013 breakout mixtape, “Acid Rap,” Chance and the band delivered on the unmet promise of their debut album, “Surf.” Where the recording suffers from a lack of structural discipline, highlights like “Sunday Candy” and “Miracle” run on a communal exuberance well suited to the stage.

The set included material from Chance’s two solo mixtapes and recent guest verses, showing the full range of his talents and outlining a dazzlingly bright future. By the end of his Oct. 13 show at the Pageant, his WILD flop should recede into a distant memory.