The beginning of summer marks the season of larger-than-life concerts and festivals, like Central Park’s SummerStage series and the Caramoor International Music Festival. In matters of hip-hop, the summertime brings two important elements: huge group concerts and the annual return of the mostly retired rapper Jay-Z. This is the first weekend of summer, and the group concert on every urban music fan’s mind is the second annual Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival at Empire-Ferry State Park on Saturday. Jay-Z himself returns for a one-night stand on Sunday at Radio City Music Hall.

Last year, Jay-Z released his appropriately titled single “Dear Summer,” establishing that while he doesn’t release proper albums anymore – focusing instead on his presidency of Def Jam Records and his various branding interests – he is still a musical force. He tells his fans in the song, “you gotta let me go,” but on Sunday, he will perform to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the release of his name-establishing album, “Reasonable Doubt.” The album didn’t feature the rapper’s huge trademark tracks by producers Timbaland or the Neptunes. Instead, songs like “22 Two’s” and “Politics as Usual” used mid-tempo instrumental beats to showcase Jay-Z’s calm lyrical delivery. “Reasonable Doubt” presented a rapper who had yet to discover luxuries like Cristal champagne, Scooby-Doos (slang for dress shoes), and Ralph Lauren Purple Label shirts. Instead, he rapped simply about his rise from dealing drugs to making music and reminded himself of his past troubles on songs such as “Regrets. “To see him perform such a song today and truly connect to the sentiments of his younger self will be interesting.

This kind of rap – an introspective, less electronic kind of hip-hop – is what many young artists are turning to again, after years of huge club songs cranked out by power-rappers and producers like 50 Cent, the Ying Yang Twins, the beat-makers Swishahouse, Kylie Park, and countless others. The Chicago rappers Kanye West and Common ushered in a fresh era of what Rolling Stone magazine called “conscious rap. “While the sub-genre doesn’t quite live up to its lofty name – West raps about plenty of vices – it does indicate that lyricists are thinking differently about what they’re saying.

It’s appropriate that the lineup of performers at the Brooklyn hip-hop fefestival has an old-school flavor. Two Chicago rappers, Lupe Fiasco and Rhymefest, co-headline on Saturday with Sleepy Brown, Big Daddy Kane, and four others. Fiasco is currently rid ing the success of his first solo single, “Kick Push,” an understated song about young skaters in Chicago. Instead of trampling listeners with gigantic, thumping bass beats a la Timbaland, the song begins with a sweet horn sample, followed by Fiasco’s delivery, reminiscent of the half-spoken style of Q-Tip from a Tribe Called Quest. It’s the kind of song that makes hip-hop sound cool and sophisticated, the way Alicia Keys made R&B sound cool when she first began writing her piano-based songs. Fiasco’s lyrics and delivery are not hidden by over-production, a key factor that makes his songs consistently listenable.

Rhymefest’s sound is another example of the fight between lyrics and production. His first single, “Brand New,” features him and West eclipsing a sample of a girl’s voice singing the two-word chorus in a vocal double-dutch, bouncing lines back and forth. Rhymefest allows himself to have fun on his album “Blue Collar” – he reminds his male listeners to not despair on the song “All Girls Cheat.” But he has the same respect for lyrical quality and delivery that Fiasco and West share.The style of rap these artists are creating is a direct throwback to the New York hip-hop of the early 1990s, the kind De La Soul pioneered and Jay-Z was influenced by early in his career. This weekend, while Jay-Z looks back on his seminal album, Rhymefest and Lupe Fiasco push ahead, developing stronger and smarter styles of that are ever more interesting.

Jay-Z performs Sunday at Radio City Music Hall (1260 Sixth Avenue at 50th Street, 212-247-4777). The 2nd Annual Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival on Saturday at noon at the Tobacco Warehouse (New Dock and Water Streets in DUMBO, Brooklyn, www.brooklynbodega.com).