Walk up to a student on Grounds and ask him to name a rapper. Whoever was just named, you can be sure he has an album or project coming out, assuming the rapper is decently famous, breathing and not Drake. The last quarter of the year tends to be some of the best months for mainstream hip-hop heads, and 2010 looks set to extend that trend. Several projects, notably the Jay-Z and Kanye West collaboration and Lupe Fiasco's ever-delayed Lasers, have been left off the list because release details have been scarce to nonexistent. Here are the most important releases, in order of anticipated quality - keep in mind that after Kanye, it gets tight at the top.
1. Kanye West - Title TBA\nRelease Date: Nov. 16
If you follow hip-hop to any degree, you will agree with this pick. Kanye West looks set to establish the new standard in hip-hop perfection. Ever since Yeezy started rocking suits everyday, circa early this spring, everything he's done has been utterly on point. Add in a possible five-song EP co-headlined with Jay-Z, and Mr. West looks set to have a monster of a finish to 2010. The evidence includes tracks from his fifth solo album like Power and its remix featuring Jay-Z and Swizz Beats, along with songs, such as Monster, from Kanye's ongoing project G.O.O.D. Friday, through which he promised to release a single every Friday until Christmas.
2. Lil Wayne - I Am Not A Human Being & Tha Carter IV\nRelease Date: Nov. 5
You can lock Weezy up, but you can't stop him from still being one of the most prolific popular artists of our time. I'm Not a Human Being, which will be available online, is being released while he is still incarcerated and on his birthday, no less. On the day Mr. Carter is released from Rikers Island in New York, he now plans to drop Tha Carter IV. After a critical lashing for his genre-bending Rebirth and an eight-month prison sentence, it will be fascinating to see how such a tumultuous year has effected the prolific rapper's musical output.
3. Kid Cudi - Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager\nRelease Date: Oct. 26
Cudi released a respectable album with Man on the Moon: End of Day last fall but has yet to live up to the promise of the works he's released for free. For example, his first mixtape, A Kid Named Cudi, which led to his discovery by Kanye West and eventual signing to West's record label, is one of the best of the Internet mixtape era. Cudi also has released multiple tantalizing songs that combine his hip-hop flow with indie rock samples, adopting a carefree quality that can be one of his most enduring musical qualities. His sobering emotional honestly is omnipresent in his work, and his creativity, expressed through his style, lyrics and beat selection, is some of the best within the genre.
4. J. Cole - Title TBA\nRelease Date: Oct. 26/ "no later then December"
Recently signed with Jay-Z's Roc Nation label, J. Cole's debut album comes loaded with expectations. The Fayetteville, N.C. emcee has talent in abundance, flowing over beats at a relentless pace. On his debut album, however, he's not sharing the spotlight and will have just one featured emcee, his mentor Jay-Z. The last artist to do that was Lupe Fiasco, a rock of quality hip-hop. It seems that all around, Cole has things figured out.
5. N.E.R.D. - Nothing\nRelease Date: Sept. 7
No one ever really doubted that the Neptunes' offshoot band would make some quality music, but the group has had surprising longevity. Part of that success comes from the group's willingness to explore different sounds and stylings. This album, according to interviews with the group, derives much of its inspiration from the counterculture of the 1960s and often adopts a funky, psychedelic style. Given the band's vision, it could be that, well, nothing has more potential this fall than Nothing.
Other notables: John Legend and the Roots (Sept. 21), Gucci Mane (Sept. 28), Ice Cube (Sept. 28), Jeezy (Sept. 28), T.I. (Sept. 28), Joe Budden (Sept. 28), Pimp C (Oct. 5), Twista (Oct. 26)
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