Anticipated Albums Of 2024
Aswehiphop brings to you The Most Anticipated Albums Of 2024
And as the year brings about resolutions of change and a healthy dose of election-year dread, the certainty of a host of new music will help soundtrack the highs and lows that are ahead.
Some of the new albums have official titles and dates — including offerings from Kali Uchis, Usher, and The Smile — while other albums are more in the expected camp than fully confirmed, like new full-lengths from Dua Lipa, Playboi Carti, and Lil Nas X. But, it wouldn’t be a fun most anticipated albums list without some pure speculation, too, and you’ll find plenty of that below. And of course, our hopes are always high for a couple of albums you will not find below, the forever anticipated new releases from Frank Ocean and Rihanna.
21 Savage
In the five years since his last solo album, I Am > I Was, 21 Savage has showcased his versatility. Through smooth, melodic grooves on his Drake collaborative album Her Loss, and scorching rhythmic beats on his Metro Boomin’ collab Savage Mode II, 21 proves that he can switch it up with ease, matching the energy of those he works with. But fans are long overdue for a reminder of what he can do at his own discretion.
Ariana Grande
Over the last year-plus, Ariana Grande took on the roles of Glinda The Good Witch (officially) and “Goat Mother” (unofficially), and she embodied both titles by confirming she will quench our thirst for an album in 2024. Grande posted footage from the studiothroughout 2023, including shots with super-producer Max Martin, who produced on her 2019 album, Thank U, Next. And while Grande’s most recent album was 2020’s Positions, I desperately want no, need AG7’s tracklist to lead with “Thank U, Next (Pt. II),” updating the famed first verse that name-checked Big Sean, Ricky Alvarez, Pete Davidson, and MacMiller to now include Dalton Gomez and Ethan Slater
ASAP Rocky – Don’t Be Dumb
While being the coolest dad in the worldand working through an unfortunately-timed assault case, ASAP Rocky has also apparently been working on his fourth studio album, Don’t Be Dumb. Throughout the year, he has released a handful of previews, premiering a new song at Rolling Loud Miami just days after dropping the single “Riot (Rowdy Pipe’n).” In January of last year, he said he was putting the “finishing touches” on the album, so at this point, it’s all a matter of timing.
Future & Metro Boomin
Future and Metro Boomin have long been one of rap’s most celebrated dynamic duos. In addition to gifting Metro one of his iconic producer tags (“if young Metro don’t trust you…”), Future has delivered some of his most storied performances on Metro’s beats, including “Jumpman,” “Mask Off,” and the fan-favorite mixtape Monster. Meanwhile, Metro is on a hot streak, coming off his second solo album, the latest Spider-Verse soundtrack, and Young Thug’s most recent album from behind bars. In January, Future called the project the “album of the year” (studiously avoiding noting which year), while Metro teased part of a new song in June. Although they didn’t finish by the end of 2023 (by this writing), Metro did promise that this album is his top priorit which is impressive, considering he’s also heavily producing ASAP Rocky’s upcoming album.
Billie Eilish
Finneas recently estimated that Billie Eilish’s next album is “85 percent done,” and I have never cared more about the 15-percent gap between 85 and 100. Eilish’s 2023 musical contribution was the multi-nominatedBarbie soundtrack standout “What Was I Made For?,” which helped her crack the code on crippling post-Happier Than Ever writer’s block. At the Barbie premiere, Eilish told Apple Music’s Zane Lowe that she’s aesthetically “trolling these b*tches,” and we’ll have to see how (or if) that translates sonically.
Camila Cabello
Save for a voice role in the movie Trolls Band Together, 2023 was mostly quiet for Camila Cabello. It turns out, though, that she was busy behind the scenes. Before the year ended, Cabello shared a series of social media posts looking back at 2023, and they indicated she’s been busy working on new music, which will seemingly be unveiled in the new year. In one telling Instagram Story featuring a selfie with a microphone, she wrote, “mostly the year of this [zippered mouth emoji] see you next year b*tches.” So, it certainly appears 2024 will yield Cabello’s first album since early 2022’s Familia… b*tches.
Doechii
Doechii appeared on last year’s most anticipated list, with TDE founder/CEO Top Dawg Tiffith saying Doechii’s debut album was planned for a 2023 releasealong with projects from TDE OGs Jay Rock and Schoolboy Q, as well as her fellow freshmen Ray Vaughn and Reason. Then SZA’s second album happened, and a lot of attention was rightly diverted to keeping the gravy train rolling. But now that things have calmed down on that front, fans are undoubtedly hungrier than ever for the Florida rapper’s full-length — especially after she stole the show as an opener on Doja Cat’s Scarlet tour. Doechii hasn’t revealed when her album will drop just yet, but she has released a stream of strong singles, including “Booty Drop,” “Pacer,” and “Universal Swamp Anthem.”
Ice Spice
2023 was the year of Ice Spice. The breakout rapper weathered a tidal wave of criticism as she garnered an equally large wave of attention behind high-profile collabs with Nicki Minaj, PinkPantheress, and Taylor Swift. Her Like…? kept her momentum going but also merely whet fans’ appetites for the main course. Although she hasn’t said anything concrete about when her official debut album is coming, a viral video of an Ice Spice flag flying over the Capitol Records building in Hollywood suggests that the “Ice Age” is soon to begin and blanket the world in a cloud of Spice.
Kehlani
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Kehlani has yet to go more than two years without a project which makes it likely that 2024 will present a new album from the Oakland native. This year is a special one for Kehlani as this August will mark ten years since she released her debut mixtape Cloud 19. Though she’s yet to release a single from this upcoming project, a post on her Instagram to close 2023 let us know that music is indeed on the way.
SZA – Lana
While the wait was long between SZA’s first two albums, CTRL and SOS, it looks like SZA’s next project will arrive sooner rather than later. In recent weeks, SZA has taken to social media to tease Lana, her third album, which originally began as an expansion upon SOS. While making the album, SZA explained to Variety that the album has become its own musical universe.
Playboy Carti – Music
Playboi Carti, hip-hop’s rebel child as many might call him, is days away from making another splash in the music industry. The rapper’s third album, tentatively titled Music, is moments from dropping as Carti released four YouTube-exclusive singles: “Different Day,” “2024,” “HoodByAir,” and “Backr00ms.” There’s no word on when Music will be released, but we can expect it to be as eccentric as pretty much everything that Playboi Carti has delivered to the world.
Megan Thee Stallion
New Year, new Stallion. The Hot Girl Coach finds herself in a much better place to begin 2024; she’s put both her legal dispute with her label and the Tory Lanez shooting case in her rearview, and she’s newly independent. Meaning she’s the one calling all the shots on her next album. She kicked off her new era with the confessional return to form. “Cobra,” and predicted in September that her next album will contain “a lot of rawness, a lot of realness, a lot of sh*t talking.” While a more recent live stream promised she wouldn’t hold back, answering anyone who has called her out over the past couple of years.
Lil Uzi Vert – Luv Is Rage 3
The original Luv Is Rage, Lil Uzi Vert’s debut mixtape, landed in 2015. Sparking a seismic shift in the hip-hop landscape. Its 2017 sequel constituted Uzi’s official debut album spawning the star-making single. “XO Tour Llif3,” becoming an instant classic and fan favorite of the so-called SoundCloud era.
