Albums to look forward to in 2019
2018 had a number of unforgettable albums. Amongst the highlights, J.I.D dropped his sophomore full-length project “Dicaprio 2.” Pusha T delivered with his concise and sonically grimy album “Daytona” and his labelmate Kanye West collaborated with Kid Cudi on the melodic and captivatingly produced album “Kids See Ghosts.”
In many ways, 2018 can also be categorized as the year of the return.
Meek Mill went from a small cell in Chester, Pa., to sitting with Philadelphia 76ers co-owner Michael Rubin in the Wells Fargo Center, simultaneously reclaiming his superstar status with the release of his critically acclaimed album “Championships.” In addition, Lil Wayne returned after a seven year intermission of the Carter album series, with the release of “Tha Carter V.”
With that said, 2019 is stacking up to be an even more impressive display of talent within the hip hop sphere, and here are the albums to anticipate throughout the year.
Revenge of the Dreamers III
“Revenge of the Dreamers III” is the forthcoming North Carolina-based label collective led by Fayetteville rapper J. Cole. He recently called for an Avengers-style recording session that brought together his Dreamville label collective, along with artists such as Wale, T.I., Rick Ross, Vince Staples and 6lack.
The sessions also saw producers Tay Keith, Swizz Beatz and OG Parker combine on what is seemingly one of the most talent-heavy compilation albums in recent history.
Apart from the conscious lyricism, the album will likely ignite a feud that has been bubbling since Cole released his diss record “False Prophets,” aimed largely at Kanye West back in 2016. With the release of Cole’s most recent single, “Middle Child,” he once again takes shots at West and is seemingly the tipping point of what could be an all out Dreamville vs. GOOD Music label beef.
“Revenge of the Dreamers III” has the potential to be an early album of the year candidate, while also providing a number of intriguing content storylines.
The combination of the lyricism within Dreamville, coupled with the the utilization of the more influential vocalists and producers within trap, make this album easily my most anticipated project of 2019.
The R&B Rappers
Chris Brown will likely be releasing a project following his successful 2017 album “Heartbreak on a Full Moon.” Brown has proved that he is not only a premiere R&B vocalist, but that he can lyrically hold his own as a rapper with the likes of Joyner Lucas, Lil Wayne and Busta Rhymes.
Brown will most likely not decide to drop a traditional hip-hop album on his next solo release. But a rumored collaborative project with East Coast rapper Joyner Lucas is also slated to be released at some point in 2019, in which case Brown will get to showcase his lyrical ability with an equally gifted hip-hop contemporary.
Tory Lanez is also primed for a successful 2019 after the success of his most recent release “LoVE me NOw.” In 2018, Lanez solidified himself as a premiere R&B hitmaker and on a number of remixes proved that he is a gifted rapper as well.
“Chickstape 5” will debut at some point in 2019, in which Lanez will continue his tradition of remixing R&B classics over trap beats. Most recently, T-Pain and Lanez previewed a remix of T-Pain’s 2005 hit “I’m Sprung,” which will appear on the forthcoming project. If the snippet is an indication of the quality of the mixtape as a whole, the project will undoubtedly be another successful body of work in what is already an impressive discography.
Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE)
2019 could potentially be the year of TDE.
Although there is no release date, Schoolboy Q has recently completed a follow up album to his 2016 project “Blank Face LP.” His trademark grimy delivery and unique flow make Schoolboy Q an artist that has delivered on every project he’s released, and there is no reason to expect otherwise on his forthcoming album.
A Kendrick Lamar solo project is no guarantee, but based on his previous album cycles, where he releases a solo project approximately two to three years apart, there is reason to believe Lamar will put forth at least some solo material in 2019. He is arguably one of the greatest hip hop lyricists of all time, and it is going to be fascinating to see what creative direction he chooses to pursue on the heels of releasing his most pop-influenced album, “Damn.”
Apart from Lamar and Schoolboy Q, Sza is expected to release her sophomore album after the tremendous success of her debut project “Ctrl.”
There have also been whisperings about a possible Isaiah Rashad album swirling for the past year. If the Chattanooga rapper chooses to drop a project in 2019, this would cap what could potentially be the year of TDE.
