The Arrival: 5 Albums To Cop This Summer

Expect these to be in heavy rotation.

May 20, 2013
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Complex Original

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Complex Original

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Anyone can have a hit single, but building a sustainable career in music is harder than it looks. From mixtapes to guest features, every time you write a verse or a take the stage you’re working towards that next plateau. And this summer, five artists are dropping new LPs that signify that they have arrived. With their singles already in heavy rotation, here is the first in a series of seven features made possible by the new Heineken Star Bottle.

City and Colour, The Hurry and the Harm

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Release Date: June 4

It’s been two years since their last album, but this will be well worth the wait. As we’ve come to expect from guitarist Dallas Green, each year unearths a different part of his musical vocabulary. And for City and Colour’s fourth release, recorded at Blackbird Studios in Nashville this winter, they’ve churned out their fullest sounding record to date. If the single “Of Space and Time” is any indication of what’s ahead, the future is extremely bright.

J. Cole, Born Sinner

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Release Date: June 18

Sophomore albums can make or break an artist, but J. Cole isn’t worried about that. Executive producing the majority of the project–along with the assistance of Chicago’s No I.D.–Cole set the tone early with the Miguel-assisted lead single, “Power Trip.” And leading up to the release, he’s dropping weekly stories on bornsinner.com, giving his fans a glimpse into the people that are influential to him.

Wale, The Gifted

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Release Date: June 25

It seems each time Wale drops a new album he reinvents himself – which only makes his journey that much more interesting. But this time, for his third LP, he wants the music to do the talking. Always one with a story to tell, Wale is keeping fans excited with a pre-release web series, pushing the envelope with each new episode. And if “Bad”–the lead single assisted by Tiara Thomas–is any indication of what’s to come, we can’t wait to see what’s next.

Pusha T, My Name Is My Name

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Release Date: July 16

This album has been a longtime coming for Pusha T. The Clipse emcee has made noise the past couple years with his Fear of God mixtapes, but this will be his first official solo album to date. While “Pain”–his single featuring Future–has been in heavy rotation since October, the G.O.O.D. Music signee has many more guests slated for his debut. And after a recent sampling at Coachella of what this album entails, Pusha is primed to raise the bar this summer.

Danny Brown, Old

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Release Date: August

It shouldn’t have taken this long for people to take notice of Danny Brown, but it’s the journey that’s made the Detroit rapper who he is today. And while we don’t have an exact release date just yet for his third studio effort, we know that it will be dropping in August with features including Freddie Gibbs, ScHoolboy Q and A$AP Rocky.

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In addition to the arrival of the new Heineken Star Bottle, what arrival are you most excited for this summer? Tweet to @ComplexMag with #ArriveBig and tell us for a chance to win a custom Heineken iPad.

The Arrival series is made possible by the new Heineken Star Bottle.

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