Five Highly Anticipated Rap Projects We Know (or Think) Will Drop in 2023

For those who’re questioning which rapper will ship your 2023 soundtrack, we’ve received just a few concepts.

Whereas 2022 introduced us eagerly awaited albums from stars together with Kendrick Lamar and Pusha T, who each made Billboard‘s year-end hip-hop albums checklist, MCs like Travis Scott, Lil Uzi Vert, Drake, J. Cole, A$AP Rocky and Playboi Carti have all alluded to new initiatives arriving in 2023. Some have confirmed it outright in open boards like Reddit, whereas others have taken a extra delicate strategy — like utterly wiping their Instagram feeds, or casually name-dropping an album title.

Regardless of the strategy, we’ve rounded up 5 extremely anticipated rap initiatives that we all know (or suppose) will drop this 12 months.

Travis Scott, Utopia

Following his massively profitable 2018 mission ASTROWORLD, Travis Scott took a four-year hiatus earlier than first alluding to his fourth studio album — rumored to be titled Utopia — in 2020. The Houston-born rapper even liked an Instagram post referencing a 2023 album drop, seemingly confirming a launch for this 12 months. Scott’s lengthy delay between albums is presumably due a minimum of partly to the horrific occasions that ensued throughout his 2021 Astroworld music pageant, which led to the loss of life of 10 followers, a few of whom the place as younger as 14 years outdated. Whether or not Scott’s album might be categorized as rap is up within the air, contemplating he revealed to WWD in 2021 that he’s in a “psychedelic rock” part.

J. Cole, It’s a Boy

One tried-and-true manner artists quietly tease a launch is by utterly wiping their Instagram feed. This can be a tactic well-known to J. Cole followers — because the rapper adopted an analogous technique for 2018 album KOD and 2019 single “Center Youngster” — and it’s what they shortly seen the Fayetteville rapper do on Jan. 3. A lot of followers are actually speeding to make claims that Cole’s eagerly-awaited mission It’s a Boy is sort of due. The 37-year-old revealed a Sharpie-on-paper show of his upcoming mission titles in December 2020, with It’s a Boy arriving proper after The Off Season and earlier than The Fall Off. Some followers speculate that the mission might arrive on Cole’s birthday, January 28 — because it was the day he was born and he is a boy, in any case.

Playboi Carti, Music

Playboi Carti revealed to XXL in April 2022 that his subsequent album would tentatively be titled Music, as a result of “that’s all it’s at this level.” The rapper, who additionally talked about talking with Kanye West every day, went on to inform XXL that the album is supposed to make individuals be happy. “I’ve been rapping about going to rehab. I need to go to rehab as a result of I feel I’m bipolar,” he mentioned. “I hope this album brings peace to the world, truthfully. I’m in love with what I’m doing.”

A$AP Rocky, Don’t Be Dumb

Reward the lord! New A$AP Rocky is on the best way. Throughout 2 Chainz’s Amazon Music Dwell live performance sequence in early December, the New York Metropolis rapper was all smiles as he revealed Don’t Be Dumb because the title of his subsequent mission (which he says is completed) and even went on to carry out three songs from the upcoming set. Rocky’s higher half Rihanna was shut by in the course of the efficiency, hanging out backstage whereas her man rocked the group. Whereas there’s no official launch date but for the set, followers are speculating a few 2023 drop, and Rocky confirms the album may have an enormous Metro Boomin presence. “I’m gonna put it to you want this: This subsequent album must be simply referred to as Flacko Boomin,” he informed GQ in December.

Lil Uzi Vert, Pink Tape

After the discharge of his viral Jersey Membership-inspired hit “Simply Wanna Rock” in October, followers have been hounding Lil Uzi Vert about his subsequent providing, The Pink Tape. The Philadelphia rapper lastly responded to questioning by the use of a chat with some disgruntled listeners on Reddit, who referred to as the “XO Tour Lif3” artist’s music “mid.” “That’s why I’m dropping in February,” he mentioned together with a pink coronary heart emoji and wink face. “New s–t new sound no mid.”