2011: Another Year in the Sun for the Chosen Ones?
2010 was an exciting year for hip-hop. Fans were blessed with releases from heavy hitters like Kanye West, Eminem, The Roots and Big Boi. We also took notice to the new spotlights as they focused in on hot newcomers like Young Money's Drake and Nicki Minaj. While it was a good year to have you ear to the streets, it's looking like 2011 is going to pull no punches as the heavy hitters line up to make this year one to remember. The buzz is enough to drive you crazy and we're crazy enough to dive right into this beehive so without any further delay, we present to you some of the most anticipated drops of 2011.
Check out ARTISTdirect.com contributor Ted Lepore's round-up of the most anticipated hip hop albums of 2011 below featuring Lil Wayne, Kanye West & Jay-Z and more!
Lil Wayne- Tha Carter IV
After his release from Rikers in November, Lil Wayne returned to the ring with his scorcher "6 Foot 7 Foot" which featured rapper Cory Gunz and silenced any naysayers as to his ability to knock out bangers despite his hiatus from the studio. Now via Tha Carter IV, teamed up with producer Dow Jones of Tha Bizness, Lil Wayne takes on a new chapter set to outdo his previous classic Carter installments and change the game up with something totally off the charts. According to Dow Jones in an interview with Rap-Up TV, "Tha Carter IV gonna change your life." We shall see if Weezy really can impress us this year.
Kanye West & Jay-Z – Watch The Throne
Following up My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy with anything short of brilliant would seem to be a daunting task for any artist. Fortunately for us, Kanye already gave us a little taste of what it would be like to have hip-hop's biggest mogul matching him verse for verse on "So Apalled" and it looks to be a match made in hip-hop heaven. Jan. 11th saw the release of the duo's first single "H.A.M" off of their highly anticipated collabo aptly named "Watch The Throne." The project, originally consisting of only five songs, went so well that they changed it to ten and polished it off in time for it's 2011 awaited release. We're hoping this album is everything it should be and waiting for the single to drop with eager ears.
It's been over ten years since Dre filled our chronic-laced brains with anticipation for his legendary follow up to the Chronic 2001 simply called Detox. Despite the album being postponed, partially leaked and pushed back, it seems that this year holds a special place in hip-hop history as Dr. Dre has finally announced that he's putting the finishing touches on this mythical production. Don't believe it? He has actually released a single off the album "Kush" featuring Snoop Dogg and Akon, and confirmed its release for February of 2011. The album features Eminem, Jay-Z, La Roux and The Game just to mention a few all-stars and could possibly bring the industry to its auto tuning knees once it hits the streets. Time will tell but until then, we're in bad need of a detox.
—Ted Lepore
