Most Anticipated Albums of Summer 2022
It goes without saying that the Summer brings out the best in music, especially in the world of Hip Hop. There seems to be a race for “Album of the Summer” that A-list rappers compete in every year. Here are some artists we hope to see compete in that race this summer:
By: Noah Concordia
Travis Scott - Utopia
Since the world-stopping Astroworld dropped in 2018, Travis Scott’s life has become complete and utter insanity. It can be argued that there has not been a better Hip Hop album since the release of Astroworld. It had a massive first week, selling more than 500,000 thousand copies and had banger after banger. It led to one of the most legendary tours in this new era of rap’s history and cemented Scott as the greatest performer in the industry. Scott plunged to global stardome with fans and consumers being dazzled by his Nike and Mcdonald’s collaborations. Travis has been given the torch (in this case the torch symbolizes the culture) by Kanye West. Travis Scott began to influence countless trends in the streetwear world and has formed a cult following of fans from the younger teenage generation. The vintage Nike swoosh hoodies, flannels, and Nike dunks sky rocketed in resale price and became an essential to every kid’s wardrobe because of the Houston rapper. Travis had become a symbol for the youth, and through his relationship with Kylie Jenner, he transformed from rapper to an icon. Now… let me halt the hype for Travis for a minute. In the aftermath of Astroworld, the music from him has not been as spectacular as the rest of his life. The Jackboys collaboration project was solid but saw Travis riding in the passenger seat for most of the project. The singles and features have not been anything too special, but the mysteriousness of his next album Utopia has slowly ramped up over the last year. Songs like “durag activity” with Baby Keem, the leaked Westside Gunn collaboration, and the “Escape Plan” and “Mafia '' two-pack seem to hint towards more of the vibe we will get on Utopia. All of those tracks give us a slightly new style from Travis that I am excited to see him capitalize on. Sadly, the same day as “Escape Plan” and “Mafia” dropped, the Astroworld festival tragedy occurred which was a heartbreaking moment for the entire country. Following the devastating event, there has not been much heard from Travis Scott since November. Recently though, Travis has been taking to Twitter about being in the studio and other cryptic messages. The album is supposed to be coming out before 2023, and many rumors have pointed to an August release date. Time will tell…
A$AP Rocky - Untitled Album
From one hibernated New York rapper to the next, A$AP Rocky hasn’t dropped an album in over four years. Testing marked a very important time in Rocky’s artistic evolution. The A$AP Mob frontman has always been known for his alternative style, and with Testing, he truly was testing the boundaries he could push between genres. Since his 2018 album, Rocky has been dipping in and out of the musical landscape, pursuing his fashion-designing talents, and settling down with Rihanna. To say the least, he has been busy. In terms of his music, the Tame Impala sampling for his single “Sundress” was a continuation of his genre-bending style as the psychedelic rap tune was both an exclamation point and a confirmation of the versatility he showed on Testing. We also heard him team up with the young alt-rock star Jean Dawson on “Triple Double” for his 2020 album; as well as featuring on songs with Post Malone and Young Thug, Yebba, $not, and Nas to name a few. The only two singles from A$AP Rocky that we have gotten were “Babushka Boi” and “D.M.B” and it is up in the air whether they make it on the album or not. Dazed Magazine interviewed A$AP Rocky in May where he gave some insight on his upcoming project. “Going from that industrial, subversive sound from Testing and then graduating with a more polished sound... I just like where it is.” Rocky also added that he was wrapping up the album and shooting visuals; meaning a release date could be coming in the near future.
Joey Bada$$ - 2000
It has been over five years since we have gotten a Joey Bada$$ album. We have only gotten a few singles and a three-song EP since then from the Brooklyn Rapper. After pushing back the release date for his highly anticipated project, 2000, he unveiled that the album’s new release date will be July 22nd. ALL-AMERIKKKAN BADA$$ showed the versatility and creativity Joey Bada$$ holds as he wrote a focused, and at many times blunt, letter to America and its injustices. It’s a concise, jazzy old-school-sounding rap album that is meant to inspire its listeners and offer a sense of hope for those who face the demons of America. As for 1999’s sequel, 2000, there are many directions in which Joey Bada$$ can go. Hopefully, we hear more of the smooth sound that we heard on the 1976 sampling of “Everybody Loves the Sunshine '' for his 2020 single, ''Shine.” Joey’s good ear for music and his desire to experiment with new sounds further proves that he grew up in the wrong generation of Hip Hop. If there is one thing we can count on for a Joey Bada$$ album, it’s that he will be dropping BARS all throughout the tape… as well as giving us a breath of fresh air.
Brent Faiyaz - Wasteland
The official release date of the highly anticipated Wasteland album is July 8th. Over the last two years, Brent Faiyaz has taken the R&B and Hip Hop world by storm. Coming off a creative and moody F**ck the World album, it was clear Faiyaz had unlocked a new approach to alternative R&B and was on his way to stardome. His follow-up single “Dead Man Walking” was a massive hit as it blew up on social media, most notably TikTok, and became an anthem. From there, he was able to get features from caging veterans Tyler, The Creator, and Drake, while also hopping on Baby Keem’s “Lost Souls”, which catapulted him to the spotlight. Faiyaz is able to create his own angelic world within his music as his soft and gentle tenor voice rides over the atmospheric, and sometimes dark and mysterious, production. Based on the vibe that was created for the album trailer, expect that classic Faiyaz sound to be on full display when you hit the play button on the album when it finally arrives.
Freddie Gibbs - Soul Sold Separately
Freddie Gibbs might arguably be the best MC in the game today. His follow up to the all-time 2020 classic Alfredo will judge that previous statement but it is safe to say he will be back in his prime form based on the production list of Madlib, Alchemist, Boi1da, Pharrell, Tay Keith, and Kaytranada. SSS will continue down the same road as his most critically acclaimed albums such as Pinata, Fetti, Bandana, and Alfredo which has seen Gibbs team up with Alchemist and Madlib. The chemistry between Gibbs and these two producers has created a perfect storm with the hard-hitting and confident rapping style being complimented by the flawless old-school, soulful production of Madlib and Alchemist. It is not a surprise that Gibbs has been on such a good run, dropping one Hip Hop masterpiece after the other. “This is probably going to be the best album I did,” Gibbs said about the upcoming project. “I leveled up on this album. It’s going to have more features. It’s a little more sauce on this one I would say.” Freddie Gibbs previously said he was going to drop the album in June but it’s looking like it will have a later release date… hopefully before the summer ends.
Lil Uzi Vert - The Pink Tape
When Lil Uzi Vert started his album rollout for Eternal Atake in the midst of the pandemic madness, he was the spotlight of Hip Hop Twitter for two weeks as fans were fully entranced by Uzi’s new project. He dropped two full albums and gave his listeners plenty of new music to listen to for the remainder of the year. Since then, Uzi did a collaboration album with Future, put out a few singles, and has leaked a big batch of snippets for his next projects. The Pink Tape has been rumored for over a year now and despite the abundance of leaks, Uzi claims the album will have no snippets. The first album he dropped in 2020, Eternal Atake, had a very distinguished sound than the rest of his projects, as it seemed like Uzi was elevating his MC skills and rapping over more aggressive beats while also including his more classic style. It was clear he had worked very hard to create a tracklist that flowed correctly. “Putting my all into this album”, Uzi took to instagram to say. “This time I’m not playing.” Lately, Lil Uzi Vert has been sporting long spiked-hair with new chest tattoos; not to mention the $24 million pink diamond he had in his forehead last year. It seems like Uzi is taking some punk rock inspiration for this new project, which in return might result in another new-sounding project; maybe he will finally make a true “rockstar” type of album. While there is no release date, many speculate the album will come this summer or shortly after.
