The year ​2021 is off to a painfully slow start musically, and rap fans are still awaiting a big release. On the bright side, a good amount of top-tier artists are supposed to drop their albums this year. Listed below are the ones that I absolutely can not wait for and everything I know about them.

Kendrick Lamar

Kendrick has not released anything since his incredible work on the Black Panther soundtrack, and it’s about time for some new Dot in 2021. If Kendrick does one thing right, it’s making classics. He already has 3 under his belt with the most recent being DAMN in 2017, and with such a large gap in between projects, I’m expecting something huge. Everyone knows Kendrick is one of the biggest advocates for racial justice, and fans were surprised when he stayed completely silent during this summer’s protests. Knowing him, he will most likely incorporate these injustices into his music and hopefully create another groundbreaking classic. I think this next album will certainly have the potential to change and enlighten a whole generation and give Kendrick a permanent place in the GOAT discussion.

 J Cole

Similar to Kendrick, it has been a minute since J Cole has dropped. Sure, he’s kept fans happy in 2020 with a couple singles and in 2019 with Revenge of the Dreamers III and Middle Child, but it’s been almost 3 years since his last solo album, KOD. Cole released a cryptic photo on his Instagram at the end of 2020 teasing potential albums/singles/something completely different titled “The Off Season,” “It’s a Boy,” and The Fall Off. I am most excited for The Fall Off, like most Cole fans, since it is the only confirmed album on that list and he’s been promising it for a while now. Cole has made classics before, and hopefully he can do it again with this next slew of releases.

Kanye West

Donda was supposed to drop months ago, however unsurprisingly the project was delayed. Kanye has been through a rough year: Donda was pushed back, he lost the election, and he and Kim got a divorce. Hopefully this doesn’t negatively affect the quality of the album due to stress and other priorities for Ye. A few snippets that were leaked sounded good. I wasn’t blown away by anything, but any new Kanye music is bound to be legendary. I’m excited to see what his next path musically is and if he can bounce back from a disappointing last album. (My favorite snippet:  https://youtu.be/489tthlOF8g. )

Juice WRLD

Nobody knows for certain what Juice WRLD’s next album will be or when it will drop, but there is speculation that his second posthumous release will be The Outsiders. Rumors stem from Juice’s old girlfriend, Ally Lotti, who told fans on Instagram live that The Outsiders was a full project that Juice completed while he was alive. This being as opposed to the collection of various songs he recorded during his life and were compiled into one on Legends Never Die. Many of his colleagues have heard the album already and told the world that we’re “not ready” for it emotionally. However there are also other rumors that Juice’s estate is saving this for his last release ever, which would be at least a few years from now. Either way, I’m excited for another legendary project from one of the greats. (Juice’s Label confirms there IS a new album: https://youtu.be/gmLn7AmBfy0 )

Kid Cudi & Travis Scott

“Scott” Mescudi, better known as Kid Cudi, and Travis “Scott” together form the duo “The Scotts.” These two have worked together on multiple occasions, however the most recent being for the self-titled single they dropped in 2020: “The Scotts.” Outside of the memes due to its appearance in a Fortnite virtual concert, it was actually a pretty great track. Both Cudi and Travis have the same out-of-this-world feel that is elevated to a hypnotizing level when they are put on the same mesmerizing beat. I would totally listen to a full collab album from the two, and I’m especially looking forward to Cudi’s iconic humming accompanying Trav’s hype auto tune. No release date or other information has been given except that we know the project either exists or is in the works, and that it will come out sometime in 2021 as long as there are no delays. (Listen to “The Scotts” here: https://youtu.be/sw4r0k8WWqU )

Drake

Certified Lover Boy is Drake’s next release, and it would be out already except Drizzy had a knee injury that restricts his ability to drop music I guess. This could be coming any Friday now, and nobody should be surprised when Drake takes the top 20 spots on Billboard for the following month. During a short vacation to the Bahamas, Drake met up with Meek Mill and Lil Baby to possibly film a music video for a collab track. I think this would go hard and definitely be a memorable part of the album. (Album Preview: https://youtu.be/_MYd4tcB4Gw )

 Lil Tecca

Lil Tecca is apparently working on a sequel to his debut album with We Love You Tecca 2. He has previewed a ton of snippets on Instagram and has also been seen recently with artists like Trippie Redd, Lil Yachty, 24k Goldn, Lil Mosey, and The Kid LAROI. Tecca’s last album, Virgo World, wasn’t too popular with fans, but if WYLT2 is anything like the first installment then it should be amazing. (My Favorite Snippet: https://youtu.be/9xkrEwaUPrM )