By all measures, 2016 was a bountiful year for music. Stars from every genre—though especially hip-hop—came through with new (and often great) albums, and up-and-comers emerged from all corners. There was simply more good new music than there was time to listen to it, at points. All of which would suggest that we're headed for a drought in 2017; there just can't possibly be any more to listen to.
But, as we survey the coming year, conventional wisdom appears to be incorrect—or, at the very least, it could be incorrect. There are a ton of albums that are on the horizon: Some with firm release dates, some with growing rumors, and some that are simply a gut feeling. And, looking at it that way, there's plenty to get excited about this year. These are our most anticipated albums of 2017.
50. G.O.O.D. Music, 'Cruel Winter'
49. Meek Mill
48. Rick Ross
47. Joey Badass
46. Charli XCX
45. Kodak Black
44. Wale, 'Shine'
43. The xx, 'I See You'
42. Young M.A
41. Lil Wayne, 'Tha Carter V'
40. Earl Sweatshirt
39. Kelela
38. Ty Dolla Sign
37. Lil Yachty
36. Future & Young Thug
35. The Internet
34. Swae Lee and Slim Jxmmi
33. Migos, 'Culture'
32. Anderson .Paak
31. Future
30. Haim
29. Desiigner, 'The Life of Desiigner'
Some thought Desiigner would be a run-of-the-mill one-hit wonder, destined to fall off quickly after the meteoric success of "Panda." As we all quickly learned, though, there's nothing typical or ordinary about Desiigner. The G.O.O.D. Music rapper followed up "Panda" with "Tiimmy Turner," a much stranger song that nonetheless hit the Top 40 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. He's reportedly hard at work on his debut album, and with most of the Future comparisons played out at this point, the naysaying has been replaced by a genuine interest in what he's cooking up—especially if G.O.O.D. Music family like Pusha T and Kanye West are in the mix. —Zach Frydenlund