Five of 2021’s Most Anticipated Hip-Hop Albums

2020 has been a year that most people want to leave in the past. It is the first year in centuries to be set in a global pandemic; making music a fantastic escape during such troubling times. In the spirit of leaving behind this troublesome year and moving onto bigger better things in 2021, let’s take a look at five of the most anticipated hip hop projects that 2021 has to offer. Afterall, the release of quality hip hop has been one of the only godsends to come out of this year.

Drake’s “Certified Lover Boy”

Drake is arguably the biggest hip hop artist in the world. Love him or hate him, he has an impressive catalogue of hits and some classic albums to his name. All signs indicate that he looks to continue this streak heading into the new year. Not a lot is known about his new album Certified Lover Boy. Though, Drake did release a teaser trailer entitled Certified Lover Boy January 2021 to his official YouTube channel in late October. The video features re-enactments of some of Drake’s most recognizable albums like Take Care and Nothing Was the Same, to name a few. These re-enactments could suggest a Drake album that is an amalgamation of all of the various musical styles that he has employed on past albums. We can expect to find out in January 2021.

Pusha T’s Untitled Project

News surrounding this project broke in early December and fans have had their eyes on Pusha T ever since. During an Instagram Live session hosted by RapCaviar, Pusha T and his manager detailed that the project would solely be produced by Kanye West and production duo The Neptunes. Considering Pusha’s last project (the Grammy nominated Daytona) was also produced by Kanye West, one can expect the album to, at the very least, live up to the hype. With the inclusion of the legendary duo that are The Neptunes this time around, it seems as though Pusha T may have another classic album on his hands in 2021.

Travis Scott’s “Utopia”

Utopia has been teased in a series of tweets by Houston rapper Travis Scott and is included in his Twitter bio. With the extensive album rollout that followed his previous effort Astroworld, one can expect that Travis will once again build an immersive atmosphere for this new project. Although Travis did not drop an album in 2020, he stayed busy dropping singles such as “Highest in the Room” and “Franchise” as well as contributing to the soundtrack for the Christopher Nolan film Tenet. Considering the positive critical reception of the Grammy nominated Astroworld, Travis’ next project has generated a lot of interest from his fans and hip hop enthusiasts alike. Whatever Travis has planned for Utopia, it can be expected that it will have the grandiose presentation that Travis has become so well known for.

Kendrick Lamar’s Untitled Project – N/A

Kendrick has not released a project since Damn in 2017 and fans want new material more than ever. Thankfully, Kendrick is rumored to drop a new project in 2021. In a recent interview, Kendrick stated that he has been experimenting with a “new sound”. Additionally, In a tweet by Billboard columnist Bill Werde, Werde reported that Kendrick will be “pulling in more rock sounds” for his new album. Considering Kendrick’s catalogue already consists of a diverse range of sounds, this is exciting news. The Kendrick we see in 2021 may just be a Kendrick we have not seen before. Although it has been three years since Kendrick’s last release, it can be expected that whatever project he is working on will be of the utmost quality.

J Cole’s “The Fall Off”

Although J. Cole has not released a full project in 2020, he still has been relatively active. Earlier this year, he dropped the dual singles “The Climb Back” and “Lion King on Ice”. Singles that will serve as the first two tracks on his new album The Fall Off. The release date for this project is still unknown, but Cole took to Instagram earlier this year to drop the album’s cover art and state the following: “No date for the album yet, taking my time, still finishing”. As with previous J. Cole projects, one can expect to find his signature knack for dense lyricism paired with an array of varying flows on The Fall Off. If his two singles can tell us anything, it’s that J. Cole looks to continue to position himself as one of the best MCs alive in 2021.