The highlight of last year in music was emergence of a new, young group of MCs. This included the likes of Drake, KiD CuDi, Asher Roth, Charles Hamilton, Wale, Chiddy Bang & B.o.B.. B.o.B. is one of the last of the group to release his debut, which should be very well done. Debut Albums already have a tendency to have the artist's talent channeled effectively. In addition, B.o.B. has gotten acclaim from artists like Eminem.
19. Sir Luscious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty By Big Boi
This album has been rumored to be released anytime now for the last few years, so we will see if it actually is released. If it is, it is one step closer to OutKast reuniting in the studio.
18. Distant Relatives By Nas & Damian Marley
This is an interesting collaboration that seems would have two styles that can work great together.
17. TBA By T.I.
His stint in prison may have given T.I. an added level of passion and fire into his music. Even if not, T.I. was making some of the more entertaining music in mainstream hip-hop before his detour.
16. TBA By The Strokes
The Strokes were one of the most critically acclaimed bands of the last decade. It will be interesting to see how they start this new decade off.
15.TBA By The Offspring
I felt their last album was underrated. This album is supposed to have a lot of unreleased material from their last three albums.
14. TBA By No Doubt
I was a fan of their decision to tour and regain their chemistry after reuniting before hitting the studio. Hopefully it will lead to greater success while recording.
13. Instant Gratification By N*E*R*D
Am a huge fan of The Neptunes producing. Should also have great guest appearances since Pharrell has been collaborating with KanYe and Lupe Fiasco.
12. TBA By Linkin Park
I enjoyed their single "New Divide" that they released for Transformers 2. The album is said to possibly a concept album and supposedly will have a good balance between Mike Shinoda rapping and Chester Bennington singing.
11. TBA By Nine Inch Nails
I think what Trent Reznor is doing with online downloading revolutionary. I also am curious how the music will differ now that NIN is done touring and Trent Reznor may be making less music under that format.
10. Hot Sauce Commitee, Pt. 1 By Beastie Boys
The first priority is obviously for MCA to make sure his health is better, but when he is it will be exciting to hear what the group has in store.
9. Congratulations By MGMT
MGMT's debut album was amazing. MGMT has a chance to make electronic music mainstream in America. Hopefully the success helps raise MGMT to an even higher level.
8. How I Got Over By The Roots
This will be the first album The Roots will release since starting their role as the house band for Jimmy Fallon. They have said the job has made them better as a band, and I can conquer from seeing them live. I feel this may be one of the best Roots albums to date.
7. Relapse 2 By Eminem
I thought Relapse was a great return to the game for Eminem. Eminem also has one of his greatest collaborations ever with "Forever." Relapse 2 is supposed be more of his emotional rapping, my preferred style of Eminem.
6. TBA By blink-182
Of all the reunions last year, Blink-182 was the one I was happiest about. When seeing them in concert last summer, it felt like they were back to their normal selves. I am curious about whether the style of this album will be like of the older music, where they are kids who do not want to grow up or the more mature style of their self-titled album.
5. TBA By André 3000
This may be conditional on how long it will take Big Boi to release his album, but I find André to be in the pantheon of musicians in my lifetime. I think the album can be very dynamic with many different musical styles. And I repeat, once his solo album is released it is one step closer to OutKast reuniting in the studio.
4. Thank Me Later By Drake
I find it incredible that Drake is one of the hugest names in hip-hop while yet releasing an album. Yet, it seems to have the talent to rule hip-hop. A question about the album is it going to rehash a lot of the great material from his mixtapes and So Far Gone [EP] or is it going to be mostly new material?
3. TBA By Kings of Leon
I am curious how success affects their music? They have released some of the best music of the decade while being mostly unknown in their own country. I believe a reason they hit the mainstream and took it by storm was that their song Use Somebody was a Top 40 hit. I do not think this will be the case, but will the success make them want to refocus their music for more mainstream success or can they achieve that while making great music.
2. TBA By Red Hot Chili Peppers
Red Hot Chili Peppers are one of the few bands of this generation that will have achieved both pure greatness and have great longevity. With their last album being their first #1 album and their first to win the Grammy for Best Rock Album, I am excited to see what they produce. On top of my excitement for the album, I am even more excited to see them live. I hear they are great and they are one of my two favorite bands that I have not seen live (that I could possibly see live - excluding the likes of Nirvana and The Beatles).
1. Detox By Dr. Dre
Hopefully this is the year Detox is finally released and does not become this generation's Chinese Democracy. All I know is that Dr. Dre is a musical genius and that whatever he releases has been great. I am curious on how Dre does this album. It is supposed to be a concept album where each featured guest is a different character. These guests are also going to be one of the greatest collections of artists ever featured on an album. Plus this type of album is fairly uncharted territory for hip-hop music. Dre (with Jay-Z and possibly Nas) is one of the few artists to be in the pantheon of hip-hop artists and has the longevity to rap about what that next step is like. Detox if done right, which I trust Dre to do, could be one of the greatest hip-hop albums of all-time. This album can quite possibly define how this decade of hip-hop will unfold.



























































