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Drake, Nicki Minaj & More: 2023 Hip-Hop Albums To Expect (Or Not)

By Autumn Hawkins

There are only three months left in 2023, and there are still some artists whose fans are awaiting new projects. Some artists have already dropped projects such as Lil Uzi Vert, Ice Spice, Jack Harlow, Tyler, The Creator, and more.

Lil Uzi Vert saved hip-hop from not having a No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 this year with Pink Tape. The project was released in June and has features from Travis Scott, Nicki Minaj, Don Toliver, Bring Me The Horizon, and Baby Metal. Prior to Uzi’s Pink Tape, the last hip-hop album to debut at No. 1 was Metro Boomin’s 2022 Heroes & Villians.

As for Ice Spice, she dropped her deluxe version of Like..? after dropping her debut in January. The EP included “In Ha Mood,” “Gangsta Boo” featuring Lil Tjay, “Actin Like A Smoochie,” “Bikini Bottom,” “Princess Diana,” and her breakout hit “Munch.” New additions include “Deli,” “How High?” “Butterfly Ku,” “Princess Diana” remix featuring Nicki Minaj, and bonus track “On The Radar.” “Deli” was an instant hit and she later dropped a fun music video of her dancing in a Bronx deli.

Tyler, The Creator gave us the deluxe version of his Grammy-winning album Call Me If You Get Lost. Call Me If You Get Lost: The Estate Sale featured eight new tracks from the rapper, including “Dogtooth.” Tyler has three guest features on the deluxe LP with a Vince Staples-assisted “Stuntman,” “Boyfriend, Girlfriend” with YG, while A$AP Rocky joins the Odd Future rapper “Wharf Talk.” The original album included features from Pharrell, YoungBoy Never Broke Again, Brent Faiyaz, Ty Dolla $ign, Lil Uzi Vert, Lil Wayne, and more.

Jack Harlow’s album was a surprise since the Kentucky native gave no prior warning to his album Jackman. The project was a complete solo effort and was released in April. Jackman follows the rapper’s sophomore album Come Home The Kids Miss You. The Grammy-nominated album debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200. The album produced hits such as “Churchill Downs,” “Dua Lipa,” and his first No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, “First Class.”

Travis Scott was the latest hip-hop artist to drop an album. He released his highly anticipated Utopia in July. The album debuted at No. 1 and has features from Beyoncé, Drake, Kendrick Lamar, SZA, and more.

While these artists dropped a project this year, we have a lot to look forward to (or not) with some of the artists below:

  • Drake

    It seems as though Drake’s For All The Dogs has been teased for quite sometime but the rapper might have given fans a clue with an Instagram post. On Wednesday (Sept. 6), Drake posted a photo of the back of his braids that had barrettes that subliminally had numbers “922” subsequently in order. Many fans attributed it as the album would be dropping on 9/22. Drake later confirmed that his album will be dropping on 9/22 in a social media post.

    Drake’s last album was a collaboration with 21 Savage titled Her Loss. Honestly, Nevermind was his last solo album which was released in 2022.

  • Nicki Minaj

    Nicki Minaj is gearing up for her next album Pink Friday 2 and lucky for the Barbz, she has an official release date. Pink Friday 2 will be released on Nov. 17 after it was previously supposed to drop in October. She notified the Barbz on social media about the change in release date.

    “Dear Barbz,” Nicki began in the caption of the Instagram post addressing her fanbase. “I’ve been trying to find the right time to tell you this for a few days. Due to some really exciting news that I’ll share with you guys @ a later time, I’ve shifted the album date just a tad bit. Trust me, it’ll be WELL WORTH THE WAIT…but since I AM shifting the date just a tad, I’d like to give you guys a tiny SIP of some more album tea so that I don’t have to get cussed out [sad emoji] so…here it goes: [pink bow emoji] MY NEW ALBUM WILL BE RELEASED ON 11.17.23.”

    Nicki recently released “Last Time I Saw You” on Sept. 1. Listen to it below:

  • Cardi B

    While Cardi B has said she is dropping an album this year, no release date or specific timeline has been given. The Bronx native told Vogue Mexico in her September cover story about where she’s at in the album process. “Right now, I’m working on the cover art and ideas for the next record because it’s definitely coming up.”

    So far this year, she has hopped on Latto’s “Put It On Da Floor Again” and FendiDa Rappa’s “Point Me 2.” She recently dropped her first song as a lead artist featuring Megan Thee Stallion on Sept. 8 titled “Bongos.”

    Cardi B has only put put one full-length album in her career, which was her debut Invasion of Privacy in 2018. She won Best Rap Album at the 2019 Grammys. She became the first female rapper to win the award as a solo artist.

  • Usher

    Usher has been making headlines due to his Vegas residency but fans would love a new album. Well, you’re in luck. Usher told Vibe last month what his new album will be about. “It’s about life for men. There’s a truth in it because I think women will listen to it and be like, ‘I feel that way, too,'” he told the outlet.

    As for an official release date, Usher mentioned back in April that it will be released “by the end of this year.”

    Usher recently released “Good Good” featuring 21 Savage and Summer Walker. The Confessions creator’s last album was Hard II Love, which was released in 2016.

  • Megan Thee Stallion

    Megan made it clear that she is taking time to heal this year. Tory Lanez was sentenced to 10 years in prison for the 2020 incident that left her shot in the foot by the rapper. In May she told InStyle that “fans can expect new music when [she’s] in a better place.”

    In April, she told Elle that she just wasn’t in the right headspace to create music. “I didn’t feel like making music. I was in such a low place that I didn’t even know what I wanted to rap about.”

    Megan’s last album she dropped was Traumazine in 2022 where she shared a little bit about her experience through her music. As for her latest release, she joined her “WAP” partner Cardi B on “Bongos” which dropped on Sept. 8.

  • A$AP Rocky

    An album from A$AP Rocky is definitely on the way. The Harlem rapper teased his highly anticipated fourth studio album Don’t Be Dumb earlier this year.  “It’s finished and we just putting the finishing touches on it. It’s coming for sure,” he promised back in January per HipHopDX. Since then, he has released “Same Problems?” and “RIOT (Rowdy Pipe’n)” as a lead artist. He also teased that Don’t Be Dumb will have features from Tyler, The Creator, Miguel, Thundercat, Lil Yachty and more. Fans thought he was hinting at an August release date when he tweeted “AWGEST,” but it is now September and no album update has been made at this time.

    A$AP Rocky’s last album was Testing in 2018.

  • SZA

    SZA dropped her sophomore project SOS in December 2022 and we are now all patiently waiting for the deluxe. SZA teased back in February to Billboard that the deluxe to SOS will have 10 additional tracks and will be arriving “soon.” SZA’s debut album CTRL didn’t get a deluxe until five years later so we are hoping that the the “Snooze” crooner will drop the deluxe to SOS sometime this year.

  • Future

    While Future has not guaranteed he has a follow-up to his 2022 Grammy-winning LP I NEVER LIKED YOU, producer Metro Boomin has said there is a collab album between the two on the way. The latest update came in last month when Metro responded to a fan asking about the collab.

    “Is the Future & Metro album cover ready??” the fan tweeted at Metro.

    “Shooting it this Sunday,” the producer responded.

    The last time Future and Metro Boomin worked together was on the soundtrack to Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. They collabed on the song “All The Way Live.”

  • J. Cole

    J. Cole teased his album The Fall Off when he jumped on Summer Walker’s “To Summer From Cole” which was released in May.

    “I’m thinkin’ about ya, I heard you just had you another lil baby/ Congratulations, I hope you got through it with no complications/ I find it amazing, the way that you juggle your kids, the biz, the fame, the bitches that’s hatin’/ They sit around waiting for you to fall off like the album I’m making,” he raps.

    Drake also brought back up the conversation when Cole surprised the audience at his It’s All A Blur Tour Montreal tour stop in July.

    “Maybe I could get on the album?” Drake asked.

    J. Cole responded, “N—-!”

    “Can I get on the album? I’ma ask in front of Montreal. ‘J. Cole, can we get on your album?'” Drake asked as the crowd began uproaring trying to convince Cole.

    The Dreamville founder gave into the peer pressure shooting back: “Say less, goddammit!”

    Cole’s last album was The Off-Season which was released in 2021. So we know an album is at the very least in the works, but if it’s dropping this year… only time will tell.

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