Most Anticipated Projects of 2018 By: Parufka

Most Anticipated Projects of 2018

By: parufka

Hip hop went hard in 2017 with releases from Kendrick, Vince Staples, Drake and more. Some of my favorite projects from the year include Action Bronson’s Blue Chips 7000, Tyler the Creator’s Flower Boy and All-Amerikkkan Bada$$ from Joey Bada$$. After a couple months, I feel that most of the rumors about who is releasing what and when in 2018 have finally settled down so I decided to give my thoughts on some (hopefully) upcoming projects.

Kanye West

Yeezy has been working his genius since he first stepped foot in the game. After multiple back-to-back classic albums, some fans speculated that he might be done after The Life of Pablo since it seemed like an album based off a culmination of all his previous works. It also didn’t help that Ye had somewhat taken a break from life during the last part of his Saint Pablo Tour.^[1] I hope he’s recovered from his troubled mind state but I can’t lie that I was hoping he channeled some of that emotion into new music. Kanye left to the mountains of Wyoming earlier last year to presumably meditate and focus on getting his mind back together. He has also been seen in and out of the studio repeatedly so there’s a good chance that he’s cooking something up. I’m hoping to see some collaborations with Kid Cudi and Mike Dean on the project, but regardless of who he works with, I’m sure Ye will add another great to his discography.

Pusha T

Pusha T has been and still is one of the most underrated artists in the game. His killer flow and countless dope dealing bars go hand-in-hand with his smooth and heavy delivery. It has been over 2 years since his latest release, King Push – Darkest Before Dawn: The Prelude and my ears have been itching for more. Pusha made a bold claim that his new album King Push will be the album of 2018 but I wouldn’t be surprised to see it make my top 5 of the year since Kanye West is supposed to handle the production from top to bottom.

Earl Sweatshirt

Earl’s nonchalant delivery and smooth cynicism in his bars have made him stand out in not only Odd Future, but also the rest of the hip hop scene. I found myself enjoying his latest release I Don’t Like Shit, I Don’t Go Outside and still revisiting his 2013 project Doris. He played an unreleased track called “Hat Trick” earlier last year at Detroit's Movement Festival that showed promise for a follow up to his 2015 record. Hints dropped on his twitter also suggest that he’s working on some new material. I’ve enjoyed the scattered features from Earl in 2017 and hope to hear another full length album from him by the end of the year.

ScHoolboy Q

Possibly my favorite rapper of all time, ScHoolboy Q might be coming back with another record this year. He’s posted snaps of him finishing up his “new album” a few months ago and has been pretty silent about it since. While I still found his latest release Blank Face LP to be full of bangers, I found myself slightly underwhelmed by it compared to his previous classic Oxymoron. His latest features on the Black Panther album and SiR’s single Something Foreign have left me wanting even more. Q also told Zane Lowe that this project might go in a new direction, displaying Q’s new father lifestyle outside of the hood. Personally, I think I’d rather hear more about his hood life with Black Hippy but it would be really refreshing to hear some deeper bars that go into ScHoolboy’s current lifestyle on this next project.

Freddie Gibbs & Madlib

The legendary duo may be back for another project this year, following up their 2014 classic Piñata. Madlib is an incredible producer (debatably the GOAT) who has worked magic on numerous collaborative projects, including his legendary project with MF Doom, Madvillainy. Another low-key artist, Freddie Gibbs is known for his rapid and aggressive bars on the mic. Gibbs has already given us a taste of his newer material on his most recent album, You Only Live 2wice. While it was a good album, it didn’t come near the masterful work that was on Piñata. Another joint project from these two could easily become the album of the year.

Some other projects I look forward to checking out will be from Brockhampton, Royce Da 5’9”, Danny Brown, Travis Scott, and A$AP Rocky. Also looking forward to hearing some new tunes from Esoteric’s own, Nick Zablocki, Ev, and DimVinci.

[1] Dim and I bought tickets to this tour for one of his dates in Detroit but Kim ended up getting robbed the day before the show so it was postponed to the last date on tour. Maybe he’ll end the tour hard and it’ll be the best show he’s done yet? Nah.