The Most Anticipated Albums Of 2018

2017 brought us an immense amount of good music. From Kendrick Lamar’s ‘DAMN.’ to SZA’s ‘CTRL.’ and Jay-Z’s ‘4:44’, we were captivated by complex projects with amazing sounds and dope concepts. With a new year and a handful of scheduled releases, we’re already anticipating great new projects. Whether these artists missed their mark in 2017 or they’re just gearing up for another success, their projects are already on our radar. Check out nine albums to anticipate in 2018 below!

1. Migos – Culture II

Atlanta based hip-hop trio The Migos dominated 2017 with sounds off of their chart-topping album Culture. Between “Slippery,” “T-Shirt” and “Bad & Boujee,” you couldn’t go anywhere without hearing from the trio. In preparation of another successful year, the Migos launched their current hit single “Motorsport” featuring Cardi B and Nicki Minaj, which currently sits at #7 on the Billboard Hot 100. How’s that for the culture? Along with “Motorsport” comes Pharrell-assisted single “Stir Fry”, not as hard-hitting but enough to keep us craving for more. With Culture II due for release on January 26th, it seems like the Migos have another successful year ahead of them.

2. Tinashe – Joyride

Tinashe made her debut back in 2014 with her club-banging single “2 On” featuring SchoolBoy Q. The single along with it’s critically acclaimed album Aquarius set the Bay Area singer up for international success. However, the albums follow-up Joyride has sat unreleased despite being announced over two years ago. Since then, we’ve seen single after single come and go without signs of releasing the actual project. Reasons may range from her label RCA’s efforts or the fact that none of those singles met the debut singles success. However, one fact still stands, fans and critics are still patiently waiting for the over due albums release. “I plan on doing a solid few more months recording then hopefully getting it out this year,” she explained in a recent interview. Yesterday the R&B songtress posted a cryptic message on twitter so we’re hoping Joyride finds the light of day in 2018.

3. Travis $cott – Astroworld

Last year Travis $cott made an impact with hit singles, features and sounds on production but it’s his junior album Astroworld that built everyone’s anticipation in 2017. The album, announced back in 2016, is named after the now defunct Houston amusement park. “They tore down ‘AstroWorld’ to build more apartment space. That’s what it’s going to sound like, like taking an amusement park away from kids. We want it back. We want the building back. That’s why I’m doing it. It took the fun out of the city,” he explained in an interview with GQ. Along with that comes influences from Houston’s slow-riding, bottom heavy sound. With a taste of the album with the single “Butterfly Effect” we’re definitely looking forward to more! Astroworld is due for release during the first quarter of this year! Until then, continue to bang Hunch Jack, Jack Huncho.

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4. Iggy Azalea – Surviving The Summer

Nobody had a worse year in 2017 than Iggy Azalea! The femcee made her return with her sophormore abum Digital Distortion‘s lead single “Team”. Although the single set Iggy up for success, everything went downhill from there. Between several setbacks, leaks and two very unsuccessful singles (ie. “Mo Bounce” and “Switch”) the singer couldn’t get over the sophomore hump and ended up scrapping the album in it’s entirety. Little is known about the direction of Surviving The Summer but the album will surely make or break the rappers career. The albums lead single “Savior” ft. Quavo is due for release February 1st. Will Iggy Azalea survive 2018? Only time will tell!

5. GOOD Music – Cruel Winter

It’s been over a year since GOOD Music confirmed their highly anticipated album Cruel Winter. The project follows 2012’s Cruel Summer which made such an impact in its time. Since then, the GOOD Music gang has undergone some major changes including the addition of Travi$ Scott, Desiigner and Tyga and of course the new direction of President and frontman Pusha T. Considering these factors and the unquestionable genius of Kanye West, there’s no doubt that the GOOD Music family will make a successful return! A top of the new year a verified GOOD Music page surfaced on Sound Cloud giving fans hope for the anticipated album’s release! Let’s see if Cruel Winter hits in 2018!

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6. Cardi B 

Cardi B had a remarkable 2017! Within one year Cardi went from reality TV star to rap superstar with her record breaking single “Bodak Yellow (Money Moves)”. Since then the Bronx rapper has become a household name with a slew of hits including Migos’ “Motorsport,” G-Eazy’s “No Limit” and the latest, Bruno Mars’ “Finesse (Remix)”. With her follow-up single,”Bardier Cardi” ft. 21 Savage, sitting pretty at #14 on the Billboard Hot 100, Cardi has built a sturdy platform for the release of her debut album. “I have a lot of pressure on me,” the 25-year-old MC tweeted. “I have songs stashed up. I just don’t think they qualified for my album. Sometimes I think its ready sometimes I think it’s not so I’m going to take my time till it’s right.” While there aren’t many details on the release of Bardi’s debut album, we do know one thing, Cardi B will continue to make money moves in 2018!

7. Nicki Minaj 

When it comes to female rappers, Nicki Minaj is the reigning queen of rap. However, 2017 met Nicki with loads of controversy. From Remy Ma’s viscous diss “Shether” to break-ups with Meek Mill and most recently Nas, Nicki couldn’t keep her name out of the headlines. Amongst it all, the three singles she did release, “No Frauds,” “Changed It,” and “Regret In Your Tears” failed to make a major impact of their own.  With the success of females in hip-hop at an all time high, fans and critics are waiting for the queen of rap to make her move. “Sonically, I know what the album’s about to sound like,” she explained in a recent interview with T Magazine. “I know what this album is gonna mean to my fans. This album is everything in my life coming full circle…Now, I can tell you guys what happened for the last two years of my life. I know who I am. I am getting Nicki Minaj figured out with this album and I’m loving her,” she continued. We’re definitely looking forward to Nicki Minaj in 2018!

8. Frank Ocean 

Judging on the timeline between 2012’s Channel Orange and 2016’s Blonde, it would be quite optimistic to expect a new album from Frank Ocean in 2018. However, based on a few online posts, we may get exactly what we want. In 2017, Frank Ocean released a handful of songs including “Chanel,” “Biking” ft. Tyler, The Creator and Jay Z and “Lens”. In a recent photo that the R&B singer posted to his Tumblr, a model wears a cap that reads, ““If you liked 2017, you’ll love 2018”. Hint, hint! Is Frank Ocean gearing up for a new album? Only time will tell!

9. Jay Z & Beyonce Joint Album

Back in 2016 Beyonce stopped the world when she released her most personal album to date with the highly acclaimed project Lemonade. The following year, Jay-Z did the same with the release of 4:44. Both albums share similarities and explore themes including the power couples relationship and the supposed infidelity. Jay Z revealed not only were both projects therapeutical for their relationship but they were indeed working on an epic joint project of their own. “We were using our art almost like a therapy session. And we started making music together,” he explained to NYT executive editor Dean Baquet. “And then the music she was making at that time was further along. So her album came out as opposed to the joint album that we were working on,” he continued. Now that both artists released their individual projects, will the long awaited joint album finally hit the scene in 2018? We don”t know but you better get those Tidal memberships ready just incase it does!