The Most Anticipated Albums of 2018

Image via Complex Original

2017 proved that collaborative albums, no matter how promising they are on paper, are usually disappointments when actually executed. Which doesn't give us high hopes for Lil Yachty and Lil Pump hopping on 10-15 tracks together for a mixtape they announced last year. The results, in all likelihood, won't be the most compelling rap we hear this year. But that combination of names is still, at the very least, intriguing, and something we'll be hitting play on as soon as it drops. —Brendan Klinkenberg

Post Malone owned 2017. Everything he touches turns to gold, from Stoney making a late-breaking run back up the charts to the inescapable 21 Savage collab "Rockstar." Which means, if he and his team have any sense, they're looking to capitalize on the moment he's very clearly having. That means an album, and soon, and there is a legion of people waiting to hear it. —Brendan Klinkenberg

Carti's "Magnolia" was a genuine moment last year, a legitimately great song that was, for a few joyous months, the sound of rap. Whether it was a flash in the pan moment or the spark to set off an entire career remains to be seen, though. Carti's debut mixtape had other flashes of brilliance ("wokeuplikethis*" chief among them), but his output since then has been lackluster. Let's see if Carti's still got it. —Brendan Klinkenberg

Ski Mask The Slump God is an impressive newcomer, sprouting from SoundCloud and making impressive strides into the mainstream, while maintaining his edge and gaining new fans along the way.

His charisma and technical ability have earned him attention from the likes of veteran producers like Timbaland and Manny Fresh—both of whom he's been in the studio with. If he can hone in on all the things that have taken him this far while picking up a few new tricks, his first studio album is likely to wow his base and, potentially, take him straight to the top. —Brandon 'Jinx' Jenkins

If you don't want to hear Royce da 5'9" rhyming over DJ Premier beats, may the hip-hop gods have mercy on your soul. —Shawn Setaro

Without dropping an album, 2017 still managed to be a big year for everyone’s favorite Cali R&B band. Three of the group’s five members released solo projects last year, each expanding the Internet universe. Syd made one of the year’s most liked projects in Fin, and Steve Lacy's Steve Lacy’s Demo and Matt Martians' Drum Chord Theory weren't far behind. They’ve been building a high mountain, and fans will be expecting a dope follow-up to 2015’s surprising Ego Death. —Angel Diaz

This album moves up a few baby steps from the This Is Almost Definitely Not Going to Happen This Year (If At All) spot we save for #50, thanks to repeated reassurances from several G.O.O.D. Music family members that it does exist. Kanye’s been in the lab (or the log cabin) making more beats than he did for three summers. Pusha T, Travis, and CyHi all seem like they’re all still mildly invested in the idea. And then there’s that verified SoundCloud that appeared on New Year’s Eve. Stranger things have happened. This one probably won’t. But it’s January, the only time of the year unwarranted optimism is acceptable. —Frazier Tharpe

It’s been five years since the singer-turned-actress made her debut on the music scene with her first, and only, album Night Time, My Time. Now, Ferreira is set to release Masochism, an EP and visual project, sometime this winter. The synth-pop star first teased the striking visuals for Masochism back in 2016 for her October cover issue of Playboy. And, if the photos are any indication of what’s to come from her latest project, it will be sure to turn some heads. —Alessandra Maldonado

The Gambino & Chance project feels like the fanboy's ultimate wet dream. Gambino's mentioned it off-and-on over the years, and any time there's an image where the two of them are present, the hype machine starts back up. At this point, it's hard to believe that the two have something close to a finished project for the people, especially given Glover's busy AF 2017 and Chance's own moves last year. Maybe with Atlanta Robbin' Season almost out, Glover might have time to dedicate to his next musical project? Eh, we'll see. —khal

Following a very welcome name change, it seems the artist formerly known as Rich Chigga is growing up—and that's exciting. The viral teenager has been turning heads with his very apparent skill, but over the past year it's morphing into a certain kind of artistry. His debut full-length is out next month, and the young artist has earned the attention. —Brendan Klinkenberg

I traced the long, ugly history of this still-unreleased album back in 2016. It was originally supposed to drop in 2013, and it is still held up in legal wrangling. Hell, even Martin Shkreli is now involved. Tha Carter V now stands as one of the great could've-beens of hip-hop, but hopefully like, father and like, son will reconcile soon, and it'll see the light of day this year. —Shawn Setaro

Zayn's first album was head-turning, but a ultimately something of a disappointment. It had potential though, and Zayn is clearly a pop star. He's seemed to learn some lessons from his last outing, and with former One Direction bandmate Harry Styles reaping in critical acclaim, one has to assume Zayn is ready for some appreciation of his own. Plus, "I Don't Wanna Live Forever" bangs. —Brendan Klinkenberg

Diplo, Walshy Fire, and Jillionaire always have a knack for churning out anthems. They've spent the last two years dropping singles from what should be their next project, Music Is The Weapon, including collabs with everyone from Travis Scott to Nicki Minaj. Diplo's Rolodex is deep, and he knows how to toe the line between pop and dance music, so whenever Music Is The Weapon is ready to drop, he'll have bangers in tow. —khal

Partynextdoor stands in the middle of the increasing crowded space of moody, drug-addled R&B music. Sure, the carnal focus of R&B isn't new, but PND's approach—all sexual aplomb punctuated by slick-talking patois and even slicker production—has carved out a devoted fanbase. With a new release dropping nearly every year since his self-titled debut in 2013, it's not unlikely that 2018 will see a follow up to surprise EP Seven Days (which, as the title suggests, was created in just a week). Whether that's a third EP or a full-fledged, cohesive album (P4?) is anybody's guess. Here's to hoping it's the latter. —Shanté Cosme

Despite the adoration she receives from Twitter stans, Carly Rae Jepsen has yet to garner the mainstream recognition she deserves. If you still only know her as the “Call Me Maybe” girl, you’re going to want to catch up before her next album release. On EMOTION, Carly Rae delivered 12 tracks of gorgeous synthpop, and the 2016 release of the 8-track EMOTION: SIDE B left us itching for more from the pop queen. At the New Yorker Festival in late 2017, she revealed that she has written 80 songs for her upcoming album (she wrote over 200 for EMOTION). In the past, she’s worked with Dev Hynes, Rostam Batmanglij and Sia; this time around, she’s working with producer Patrik Berger, who created Robyn’s “Dancing On My Own.” If that—along with last year's loosie "Cut To The Feeling"—is any indication of what we can expect, we just might see Carly Rae get her true time in the limelight. Twitter, you’ve been warned. —Carolyn Bernucca

It's been almost a year since Monáe was reportedly putting the "finishing touches" on a new album. So it seems probable that something will drop in the next 12 months. And considering her last two albums have been wildly inventive, innovative, melodic sci-fi flights of fancy, I can't imagine what her next one will bring. —Shawn Setaro

It's impossible to put a finger on Desiigner. Since his breakout "Panda" and signing to Kanye's G.O.O.D. Music, we've been promised a new album. It was supposed to be released 11 months ago. We're still waiting. In the meantime, Desiigner has released new music. Describing it—or categorizing it at all—has proven difficult. No two songs sound the same. Often the song's endings don't sound like their beginnings. They're structureless, improvisational, and weird as hell. No one knows what Desiigner will cook up for his full-length, and that's what makes it so exciting. —Brendan Klinkenberg

Anderson .Paak may not have made it onto Eminem's Revival, but he did surprise fans and critics with his collab with Knxwledge, NxWorries, dropping Yes Lawd! in the fall of 2016. It made heads appreciate .Paak a bit more than they had, but now a year-plus removed, we're in need of some new .Paak. If he's working with Em, he has to have some new material in the chamber...right? —khal

6lack is an artist likely destined for at least some success through sheer force of algorithm, thanks to his inclusion in Apple Music curator Carl Chery's "Team." That doesn't mean it's undeserved, though. The young L.A. rapper is extremely au courant, melding melody and Auto-Tune and ominous synths with relatable tales of heartbreak. Based on FREE 6LACK, we're ready to hear more. —Brendan Klinkenberg

U.K. sweetheart Jorja Smith’s sultry tones, somewhere between Lauryn Hill and FKA Twigs, sound mature beyond her mere twenty years. After hitting the ground running with 2016’s “Blue Lights," a strikingly melancholy, self-proclaimed socially conscious dazzler of a debut single, Smith kept stunning with more equally raw and bluesy ballads on her Project 11 EP. Her talent is so outsized that she had people like rapper-singer-zaddy Drake jumping on board as early as possible—his More Life mixtape devoted an entire interlude to her, in addition to her feature on the thumping club track “Get It Together." Since becoming Drake’s unofficial muse, Jorja’s getting attention from the likes of British grime stars Stormzy and Preditah, new wave R&B guru Miguel, and literally everyone else in the world with a pair of ears. Even though she isn’t even two years in the scene, an album release is way overdue. —Isabel Naturman

Blood Orange's 2016 album Freetown Sound landed at a time of great unrest in the U.S. That was intentional. A concoction of poignant anecdotes, pointed lyrics, and evocative production, the album effectively mixed art with cultural awareness. Dev Hynes, the artist disguised as Blood Orange, tends to make music when he feels compelled to critique—or appreciate—the world around him. The ghost of 2017 is practically begging him to look back and create. —Kiana Fitzgerald

2018 is Donald Glover's year. He's always been one to watch, usually the most talented man in the room and certainly the most interesting, but this is the year the polymath's talents are all poised to pay off, all at once. He has an Album of the Year Grammy nomination for 2016's Awaken, My Love! coming soon, the second season of his critically adored TV show Atlanta is on its way, and, of course, he's got a Star Wars movie (he's Lando Calrissian) in his back pocket. If anyone's placing bets for when Donald Glover becomes the full-on, A-list celebrity he's always threatened to become, it's going to be this year.

And, the man is constantly, furiously, productive, and it's unlikely work on his music has ceased lately. He's said he only has one more Childish Gambino album in him, our bet is it's coming in 2018. —Brendan Klinkenberg

Last year, Charli XCX show and proved. The British pop star earned her place as the most compulsively interesting voice in ostensibly mainstream music, opting to not release her long-awaited third album in favor of dropping two surprise mixtapes. Number One Angel was a piece of bubblegum pop that never lost its flavor, thanks to a set of left-field features and adventurous production choices, and Pop 2, its bookend, shot for the experimental, a pop album in name only but that proved Charli's prodigous talents as a writer and architect. If she decides to make an album—and we'd be equally happy with these mixtapes continuing—it's poised to be something special. —Brendan Klinkenberg

According to the company line on Rap Twitter, Thug had a disappointing 2017. While Super Slimey felt largely weightless, I still would argue that everyone just didn't listen to Beautiful Thugger Girls enough. It's a debate for another time. Thug's more than proved himself as one of rap's most compelling stars—you tune in not just to hear what he says, but how he says it—and while his true breakout moment, the one that takes him to, say, real chart success hasn't come yet, it's still percolating. Who knows, maybe the long-awaited Hy!£UN35 will be the record to pull that off. —Brendan Klinkenberg

If you’re doubting that Bryson Tiller can ever adequately follow-up the unexpected success of his debut album Trapsoul—don't. Save for bright spots like “Run Me Dry” and “Self Made,” Tiller’s 2017 sophomore effort True to Self was largely disappointing. If Young Tiller hopes to keep pace with his R&B peers, he needs to locate the hunger he had when he was slinging pies at Papa John’s, maybe get dumped again, and swiftly drop a new project that reminds fans of why they took to the Louisville rapper in the first place. —Shanté Cosme

We have the title of the next Madlib/Freddie Gibbs collabo, but not much else—and certainly no release date. But given the quality of the duo's recent work, separately and together, this is certain to be one of the best rap albums since, well, the last time they made one of the best albums of the year. —Shawn Setaro

Brockhampton has been hella busy. The self-proclaimed boy band released its beautifully lo-fi rap-pop album trilogy, Saturation, Saturation II and Saturation III, all within the last 6 months of 2017. With more than a dozen members and a growing cult fan base, the group had no problem finding success with each release. On the one hand, it feels a little greedy to ask for more of them so soon. On the other hand, they did go out of their way to prove they had the energy and drive to drop dubs back to back to back. Might as well keep the streak alive. —Kiana Fitzgerald

Honestly, it’s just beautiful to see these two hanging out, being friends and mentor-mentee best buds again. That should be enough, given the rollercoaster 2016 they had, right? Well, we Stans are a greedy people. It’s not enough to see Cud and Yeezy leaving studios with Plain Pat (!) and hanging out in Japan with Murakami and think they might just have some cool features on each other’s projects. Somehow, we’ve graduated to full-on collaboration album. And you know what? It’s just insanely improbable enough to be true.

After a year in which the once-exciting genre of joint album showed itself to be something more dull and forgettable, this is one of maybe three or so collaboration prospects that would still make the TL stop in its tracks. At one point during the Watch the Throne Tour, Kanye said his first trek back on the road since Taylorgate needed to be with someone else to ease back into it. While we’d all love solo album number eight, it’s conceivable that following some rough patches, a few highly questionable decisions, and a year mostly spent in reclusion, coming back outside with someone standing by him might be just what the doctor ordered. And given their track record together, a sonic slam dunk. Sometimes it takes two. —Frazier Tharpe

While the Weeknd has yet to announce anything official, the Toronto star has been consistently releasing an album every year or so since making the transition from mystery act dwelling in the shadows to bona fide hitmaker and A-list celebrity. Now that he's wrapped up his Starboy: Legend of the Fall tour—which is seemingly the conclusion of this latest "chapter" in his career—the Weeknd has time to work on the follow-up to Starboy that will likely feature some top-tier acts and singles aimed at continuing his chart dominance. —Edwin Ortiz

The album trailer for JT’s fifth studio album may evoke an image of the singer hunched over a campfire musing about marshmallows, but its first track, “Filthy”—with its funky synth and sliding bass—ooze slick, “SexyBack” appeal. Haters gonna say he couldn’t possibly follow up on the success of classic albums like FutureSex/LoveSounds and Justified, but we have faith in Timberlake’s capacity for continued innovation. His reunion with longtime producers Timberland and Danja—and the fact that the first two singles stand counter to the album rollout’s folksy posturing—ensures that the 16-track homage to Memphis will still contain all of the singer's hitmaking hallmarks. —Shanté Cosme

Not even the best of the best “happy new year!” text can compare to the very special message Ariana Grande gave to fans via Instagram on December 31, 2017: an apparent snippet of a track from her next album. Ari has released three albums in less than five years, so there’s certainly no shortage of content from the 24-year-old vocal powerhouse. That being said, we’re all still waiting to what Ari can really do with those incredible pipes. She has said previously that she is going to take her “sweet ass time” on her fourth studio album, and has been working with producers like Pharrell, Hitmaka, and A1 over the last few months. Scooter Braun, Ari’s manager, has stated that the album will have a more mature sound, and will incorporate “big vocal moments” into “songs that define her.” It could finally be time for Ari to transition from adored pop star to world-renowned vocalist. —Carolyn Bernucca

Sometimes when I listen to Vampire Weekend, it feels like they’re a band I grew up with, like the ones my parents played throughout my childhood. Not because of their sound—which is far from retro-skewing—but because so much has happened since the release of Modern Vampires of the City. Ezra Koenig has a TV show now, for God’s sake. But he’s still very much making music, and Vampire Weekend’s fourth album, tentatively titled Mitsubishi Macchiato, is on the way. Ezra stated in September that the album was 80 percent done, so fingers crossed that we’ll get it any day now. Vampy Weeks fans who are fond of the storytelling found in songs like “Hannah Hunt” or Contra’s “Diplomat’s Son” will be happy to hear that the new album focuses largely on lyricism. And for those who were devastated by the announcement of Rostam Batmanglij’s departure from the band, have no fear; he will appear on some tracks, though we’re not yet sure to what extent. —Carolyn Bernucca

If you weren’t a Belieber before it dropped, JB’s 2015 album Purpose (the collection featuring the banger/song of the summer/song of a lifetime “Sorry”) turned you into one. The tropical beats and heavyweight features from Nas and Travis Scott (not to mention Diplo and Skrillex), left us wanting much, much more. Bieber's has only continued to whet our appetite, from a poppy 2017 collab with Purpose co-producer BloodPop®, to working his way into yet another song of the summer on Luis Fonsi’s “Despacito” remix. We’re pretty much all Selena at this point: we want Justin back. — Isabel Naturman

Earl Sweatshirt is one of rap's most elusive artists, so even a whisper of new music is enough to get people's attention. And this time we heard it from the man himself when he capped off 2017 tweeting: "new chunes 2018, don't think i wasn't at work." Additionally, we know he's been in circulation with the likes of Solange, Knxledge, Danny Brown, and more—all valuable artists to volley ideas off of and collaborate with. As a fan, I'm expecting his next album to be his smartest, most cohesive, and most revealing. —Brandon 'Jinx' Jenkins

The day Jay-Z’s last album dropped, as news was dominated by headlines quoting Jay’s confessional lines regarding Beyoncé, Becky and more, the critic Emily Nussbaum had the tweet that best encapsulated the unprecedented awe inspired by Lemonade and 4:44: “I usually root for musicians to divorce & make brilliant post-divorce albums, but it’s crazily impressive to make the albums & STAY married.”

At this point, we know all we need to—and honestly, in some cases, way more—about the marital tumult the Carters endured, and that they emerged from it improbably stronger. Strong enough to confront the rumors, failures, and forgiveness head-on in the music for the public to dissect, discuss, and even witness, all while not just raising but growing their family in private. The only lingering question is perhaps the biggest: how?

Jay hinted at the obvious answer in his sit-down with Dean Banquet last fall. They made music, not just apart to later present to each other as communication and contrition, but together. Those rumored joint sessions do exist, but they served as therapy before anything else. This is, in a sense, the factor that would truly elevate a collab album from these two from a vanity effort to a crucial one. In the same way that touring their old songs was, in part, a therapy session—remember Jay admitting, “‘Song Cry’ to ‘Resentment,’ that was real crying” on “ManyFacedGod”?—just imagine how overwhelmingly potent new material that directly addresses all these emotions could be.

A viral tweet from last summer featured the image of a simmering Solange, dumbstruck Jay and surface-passive Beyonce emerging from the Standard elevator with the caption that three great albums were born in that moment. No shade to that tweet, nor Solange’s masterpiece, but her album rightfully leaves her sister and brother-in-law’s issues to the wayside for them to unpack. The final installment to that potential trilogy hasn’t happened yet. But if it did it’d be a perfectly tidy conclusion. And when have Jay and Bey ever been known to pass up a perfect moment?—Frazier Tharpe

Schoolboy has been able to carve his own lane within TDE, and figured out a way to not let Kendrick’s massive success overshadow his own. With two excellent studio albums already under his belt, we’ve been looking forward to what his follow-up to Blank Face LP will bring. What we do know is that it will be full of a ton of bangers and show his trademark versatility. We know Schoolboy has an undisputed classic in him. We're just waiting to hear if his next one is it. —Angel Diaz

Future released two albums last year, back-to-back. It still feels ridiculous—in a music world desensitized to surprise, he was still able to pull something off that felt genuinely thrilling. FUTURE and HNDRXX were a shockingly tight pair, the first a testament to the street rap he'd mastered over the past few years, the second a formally inventive and genuinely heartbreaking work. As a pair they formed something that lasted the test of time, and proved why Future is head and shoulders above everyone emulating him. If HNDRXX is, as it's been suggested, the start of a new direction for Future, we couldn't be more excited to see how it's followed up. —Brendan Klinkenberg

Rae Sremmurd spent most of 2017 riding the success of SremmLife 2, which is basically code for touring the world. After "Black Beatles" turned into a certified smash, the obvious question everyone had was: "Where's SremmLife 3?" We know that it's happening, based on: a) the duo teasing it since the spring of 2017 and b) that sleeper jam "Perplexing Pegasus" they blessed the world with last summer. These two don't stop, and one has to hope that their next chapter is next level for them and the game in general. —khal

Do bricks of cocaine get more refined with age? I'm not asking for a friend, I'm asking because it's the only explanation that will validate the cruel wait Pusha Ton is forcing us to endure as we await his next drug dealing opus. Thankfully, in the two plus years since his last project—which, remember, he billed as an appetizer for the album we're still waiting on—the stars have aligned to position King Push (is it still really called King Push? who knows?) as an inevitable classic.

The only thing that sounds better than Pharrell and Chad behind the boards is an album entirely produced by a self-exiled, Wyoming lampin' Kanye West. And Pusha just turned 40. You can't tell me the Pablo of coke raps won't be at his most charged up when his age correlates with a kilo. Also, I'm still not letting him off the hook from Drake's insolence on "Two Birds, One Stone." The question of quality is a non-issue, it's just a matter of timing. —Frazier Tharpe

What can be said about The Migos™ that hasn't already been said? The enigmatic trio has been busting heads in the rap game for the past year, and they're showing zero signs of letting up. They set the scene last January with the perfectly titled Culture, which became inescapable in a good way. Now, they're prepping to release its follow-up, Culture II, this January. Between their recent label mixtape, Control the Streets Volume 1,and side projects, Without Warning and Huncho Jack, Jack Huncho, their fanbase has more than enough to get by on while we wait. But... it would be nice if we didn't have to wait much longer. —Kiana Fitzgerald

You know it's album time when A$AP Rocky starts deleting shit off his Instagram. As of late he's been using his recently scrubbed profile on the app to tease new music, posting multiple IG Stories, each with low-fi sounds and lo-res visuals—a continuation of his IRL snippets that he previewed at last November's Camp Flog Gnaw festival. The blown out sound he's been promoting shouldn't come as a surprise. Speaking with GQ Style last October, Rocky declared his dedication to experimenting with different music on this forthcoming work. "My new album is really about testing new sounds," Rocky said. "I prefer to experiment and have my crowd grow with me and to reach new crowds. I don't just rap—I actually make music. That's why it takes time. These sonics represent me." We're all waiting to see exactly what he offers to his patient fanbase. —Brandon 'Jinx' Jenkins

Drake blew through the 5 Stages of Grief in the months following the release of his last capital-A Album. He denied critical reaction using numbers, sales, and stans to shield himself. He spitefully questioned if we even “really want[ed] the views” on guest verses and sonned anyone who would dare say he lost it on the superior “4PM in Calabasas.” By his birthday he was bargaining with us, offering a whole new project—a playlist, though, not an album. By winter, he had come around, admitting to Semtex that Views was “just another album” not his “opus or anything.”

Then he gave us More Life, which was pretty damn solid. And I politely asked him to stick to his promise on that project’s closer, “Do Not Disturb,” and go away. Drake definitely doesn’t care about my requests, but incidentally he granted it anyway. Save a few verses for family and friends, he was musically quiet through the rest of 2017. More Life didn’t even get submitted to the Grammys for consideration. Of course, it was only a few months after ML’s release that he gave fans enough rope to hang themselves over Take Care 2 theories, but nothing materialized. A cover story with THR even implied a full on musical sabbatical was imminent. Well if it is, it’s coming after whatever he’s been teasing ad nauseam on the 'gram. Champagne’s hard at work on something, with multiple 8AM studio session flicks to prove it. If history is any indicator, this’ll be the project he allows us to call an album, i.e. the one he takes seriously and isn’t just a mixtape/playlist/collection of songs that shows how effortlessly he can make a catchy hit. The last time he changed modes, he took himself too seriously and gave us a redundant, overlong wet firework instead of a classic contender. Maybe the fifth (seventh, but let’s not quibble) time is the charm? —Frazier Tharpe

If there’s one person who loves to play with our poor, Barbie emotions, it’s Nicki Minaj. We’ve been patiently waiting over three years for the follow-up to The Pinkprint, and we don’t have any indication as to when the wait will be over. To add insult to injury, Nicki has trolled curious fans on numerous occasions, even going so far as to put out a fake tracklist for an album called Pick My Fruit Out, which included tracks like “Mango” and “Bananas (Harambe Interlude).” We’re still a bit salty about the mind games, but we’re also too excited to stay angry. Of her next release, Nicki has said that it will be a “classic hip-hop album,” "a billion times more epic than anything ‘Anaconda’ could have delivered.” She also expressed in an interview with Roxane Gay that working on the album has been a journey of self-discovery, and she is “getting Nicki Minaj figured out.” We’re all for introspection, but please Nicki, it's time to give us something. —Carolyn Bernucca

I'm not sure what we're waiting on from Frank Ocean is, in fact, an album. Though he's teased a follow-up to Endless and Blonde, 2017 saw him release a collection of randomly distributed loosies, each one stopping listeners in their tracks with their release. The thing is, you could easily argue that the sum total of those tracks—"Chanel" foremost among them—were better than nearly any full-length that came out last year. Frank is clearly past his reclusive phase, and embarking on something stranger and less predictable. There's no telling what he has in store for this year, but whatever it is it's likely to be the best thing we'll hear in the next 365 days or so. —Brendan Klinkenberg

Rihanna is not working on your schedule. She's given exactly zero hints or basis for the belief that her ninth studio album is on the way, but according to my imprecise calculations (an average of 1.6 years between releases), in late 2018, Queen Rih will deliver. To be fair, since dropping 2016's Anti—the singer's most revealing, conflicted album yet—Rihanna has been busy. Busy serving up lewks, creating the inclusive cosmetics line Fenty Beauty, dropping several Puma collabs,and generally getting hers. She's offered her sultry vocals to hit tracks like N*E*R*D*'s "Lemon," DJ Khaled's "Wild Thoughts," and Kendrick's "Loyalty," and cemented herself as a legitimate movie star. Rihanna's every move is master class on how to make bravado work in your favor, so expect Rih's next release to be equal parts unexpected and—like every Rih project—a wildly aspirational treatise on how one should live. Feminists have never needed the fodder more. —Shanté Cosme

The Queen of the Bronx is the current top dog on the New York rap scene, and we fully expect her debut album to be filled bangers top to bottom. You can doubt Belcalis if you want to, but after her 2017 that is something I will not do. It was the kind of breakout year that redefines what a breakout year can be. With six singles currently sitting on the Billboard Hot 100 list, seemingly everything she touches goes platinum. Not bad for someone who two years ago was dismissed as merely an Instagram celebrity. It's the most anticipated major label debut to come out in years, and one thing is certain: Cardi will stay true to herself and continue to set the benchmark for authenticity in a world full of fakes. —Angel Diaz

To be totally honest, we're all being spoiled brats about the looming release of Astroworld. Yes, Travis has been teasing this album for well over a year, but prior to it, he gave us a project a year with Days Before Rodeo, Rodeo, and Birds in The Trap Sing McKnight.

But it's the consistent growth on each project along with the sustained output that made him one of today's biggest artists—and the father to the new age of artists doing their best to walk in his exact footsteps. With imitators springing up on all sides, Astroworld needs to serve as the elevation of his sound and aesthetic, and place him high above his kin, further solidifying his role as an innovator and leader. Otherwise, someone's always ready to take his place

Surely with a break from touring, and his collab album with Quavo out in the world, Astroworld is underway. —Brandon 'Jinx' Jenkins

Where you at, Chance? We haven't heard much new material, aside from what was added to last year's re-release of Merry Christmas, Lil Mama, his joint holiday tape with Jeremih. And 2016 was, of course, the year of Coloring Book, the almost overwhelmingly positive and God-centered project that features not one, but two songs called "Blessings." Chance took a... chance by going so hard for Christ on wax, so it'll be interesting to see if he'll go that route again. Whichever direction he goes, all I ask is that he continue to bring the bars of glory. —Kiana Fitzgerald

It’s the sheer curiosity behind our No. 1 that edges Beyonce down to #2. The Queen is coming off of her two-best albums back-to-back. We are in the midst of Beyonce’s imperial phase. At this moment, barring an uncharacteristic miss of a lead single, there’s no reason to be dubious of the quality of any new material Bey has up her sleeve, it’s just a matter of when, a factor she’s controlled like no other since December 13, 2013.

To be honest, Lemonade, from the surprise release of “Formation” through to the 2017 Grammys performance, was such a full multi-course meal it feels greedy to ask for or expect all of that again so soon. Sure, it’s been almost two years since that album dropped, but consider its accompanying movie, or how each awards show performance brought different set pieces and choreography from the tour into living rooms. Bey’s earned a long, long break.

And yet, we know she’s been working. No I.D. casually let it slip that she booted him and Jay out of their home studio so she could do her own recording. Eagle-eyed Hive members have been quick to cite laptop sightings and a roulette of style changes, both of which typically signify she’s hard at work on music and visuals respectively (after the Beyhive’s long run of successfully calling all sorts of predictions correctly, we're not going to scoff at the possibility they really are receiving coded messages from the Queen Bee). Is Yoncé pulling up to Coachella with six albums’ worth of hits, or a brand new bag? The world awaits another full-stop. —Frazier Tharpe

Are we finally getting Turbo Grafx 16, complete with more Street Fighter samples? Will it sound totally different that anything he’s ever done before—a Yeezus-like experiment—or will he go back to his essence and give us an album of soul loops? There's no predicting what Kanye's been working on, no seeing what he might have up his sleeve, and that's what makes this the album we want to hear the most. 

Kanye has had an interesting year since dropping the Life of Pablo in February of 2016. He should have a lot to talk about. He’s had some wins, alongside some very public difficulties, all of which should influence his new music heavily. What he chooses to address colors what could be the most pivotal album of his career since My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy.

I fully expect Kanye to return to form this go ’round. What that sounds like is anyone's guess. —Angel Diaz