Most Anticipated Albums of 2024

2023 produced a string of incredible albums (see HipHopDX‘s picks for Best Rap Albums and Best R&B Albums), but as the year comes to a close, it’s only natural for everybody’s attention to shift to what’s next — and there’s plenty to look forward to in 2024.

The year ahead promises new music from big-name stars at the peak of their powers, exciting up-and-comers and established veterans alike, including a few favorites who we haven’t heard from in a while. There’s reason to believe that we’ll get our hands on eagerly-anticipated projects that have been in the works for years, and perhaps even a few curveballs. After all, how many people had an André 3000 flute album on their 2023 bingo card?

With albums from J. Cole, Cardi B, A$AP Rocky, Rihanna, Lil Wayne and more potentially on the horizon, 2024 is shaping up to be another exciting year in music. Here are our picks for the 10 most anticipated albums of 2024.

B.G. — TBA

(Gucci Mane/Youtube)

After 12 years behind bars, B.G. was released from prison this past September. The former Hot Boys rapper was arrested in his hometown of New Orleans back in 2009 after police found three guns in his car, two of which were reported stolen. He later pled guilty to two counts of possession of a firearm and one count of conspiracy to obstruct justice.

A testament to the impact that he made prior to his incarceration, B.G. has received a warm welcome from his peers, as well as those he influenced. Since regaining his freedom, the 43-year-old has appeared on songs with Boosie Badazz, E-40, Kevin Gates, Sexyy Red and Maino while dropping a joint project with Gucci Mane, Choppers & Bricks.

Even his former label boss Birdman has taken him back under his wing, proudly announcing that B. Gizzle has rejoined Cash Money. Having hinted at flooding the streets with as many as eight albums — including The Heart of Tha Streets Vol. 3 — it’s clear that B.G. is looking to make up for lost time in 2024.

A$AP Rocky — Don’t Be Dumb

(Photo by Jason Koerner/Getty Images)

A$AP Rocky has a point to prove in 2024. Despite having babies with one of the most sought-after women on the planet, Rihanna, and making more major moves in fashion and business, the Harlem native has been relatively quiet since the release of his polarizing TESTING album in 2018, which some consider the weakest of his career. But if there’s one thing Lord Pretty Flacko Jodye doesn’t lack, it’s confidence.

The bar has been set high for his long-awaited fourth album, with Rocky calling it his “best work yet.” Even the title itself, Don’t Be Dumb, feels like a cocky (and very New York) response to those who think he’s lost his touch. With Hip Hop’s reigning hitmaker Metro Boomin said to be a “big presence” on the project, there’s only more reason to be excited.

Meeting fans’ musical expectations could be the least of A$AP Rocky’s worries next year, though, due to the firearm assault case that looms over his head, stemming from an alleged 2021 shooting of former friend A$AP Relli.

J. Cole — The Fall Off

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J. Cole first announced The Fall Off back in 2020, revealing the album would close the curtain on what he called “The Fall Off Era.” Ironically, it’s been anything but as Cole’s output since then has only solidified — if not elevated — his legacy.

The last few years have seen the North Carolina native score a string of firsts — a Grammy Award, a diamond plaque, a No. 1 single — while growing Dreamville into one of the game’s strongest brands, boasting two legitimate stars in JID and Ari Lennox and an annual festival that draws over 100,000 people. Cole’s decision to ditch the “no features” approach he was once famous for has also paid dividends, turning him into one of Hip Hop’s most lethal guest verse assassins — just ask Drake, Lil Durk, 21 Savage, Benny The Butcher or Lil Yachty.

Having recently topped the Billboard Hot 100 for the first time in his career with “First Person Shooter,” there’s a sense that The Fall Off could be J. Cole’s biggest — if not best — album yet. Let’s just hope he was kidding when he hinted at it being his last.

Rihanna — TBA

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Since 2016, Rihanna has been in a game of chicken with Frank Ocean to see who can leave their fans waiting the longest after dropping arguably their best album — at least that’s one theory to explain her years-long hiatus.

ANTI arrived almost eight years ago to huge critical acclaim and commercial success, but the Bajan superstar has all but abandoned music since then — save for the odd collaboration or soundtrack contribution. Of course, the drought is no surprise considering she started a family during this time and continues to run a fashion and beauty empire that has made her America’s youngest self-made female billionaire.

But as her record-breaking Super Bowl Halftime Show proved, fans will always crave one thing from RiRi: music. The mother of two has dropped plenty of hints in recent years, saying in 2021 that her new album will be “experimental” and “completely different” from her previous work, but concrete details remain scarce. Just don’t let Frank beat you to the punch, RiRi.

TGT — TBA

(Photo by Earl Gibson/BET/Getty Images for BET)

For all the talk about R&B being “dead,” numerous artists — not least HipHopDX‘s R&B Singer of 2023, SZA — have carried the torch for the genre this past year, proving that it’s thriving, not declining. While new faces and youthful energy are always welcome, next year could see the return of some old favorites: TGT (Tyrese, Ginuwine and Tank).

Almost a decade after the R&B supergroup called it quits over a financial dispute, Tyrese revealed on Tank’s R&B Money podcast in April that their label, Atlantic Records, had signed off on a new album, the long-awaited follow-up to 2013’s Three Kings.

Months later, their truce was made official backstage at a Ginuwine concert. “All bullshit aside, all business aside, I love you brothers in real life,” said Tank during an impassioned speech to his groupmates. “The only way to seal [our] legacy is to bring this muthafucka back.”

Usher — Coming Home

(Photo by Scott Legato/Getty Images for iHeartRadio)

After serenading half of Hollywood — including Janelle Monáe, Jessica Alba and, fatefully, Keke Palmer — during his sultry Las Vegas residency over the last year and a half, Usher Raymond’s racy renaissance is set to continue in 2024.

On February 11, the R&B legend will headline the Super Bowl Halftime Show for the first time in his career, a moment he’s called “an honor of a lifetime.” The very same day, he’ll release his new album Coming Home, his first in eight years (not counting his 2018 collaboration with Zaytoven, A). “We’ve put a lot of thought and creativity into this new album to tell a story that is open to interpretation and that will connect with people in different ways,” Usher said of the project in a press release.

The bouncy lead single, “Good Good” featuring 21 Savage and Summer Walker, is proof that fans are primed for Usher’s return, marking his highest-charting hit in almost a decade. And in case his Sin City residency didn’t restore his status as the sexiest man in music, just feast your eyes on the, um, peachy album cover.

Cardi B — TBA

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Five (soon to be six) years in between albums is a gap few artists can afford to leave, but fortunately for Cardi B, the astronomical success of her 2018 debut Invasion of Privacy has afforded her the luxury of biding her time. A No. 1 debut on the Billboard 200, over four million sales in the U.S., a Grammy Award for Best Rap Album, countless streaming records and multiple diamond singles — its accolades are endless.

As eager as her fans — and no doubt record label — have been for her to release a follow-up, the journey to Cardi’s sophomore LP has been anything but smooth. Despite the huge success — not to mention controversy — of 2020’s “WAP,” the as-yet-untitled project has been plagued by delays, which the Bronx rap star has chalked down to struggles with self-doubt and anxiety, as well as juggling the responsibilities of motherhood.

Her new album has been penciled in for a 2024 release, and while you might expect her recent breakup with husband Offset to derail these plans, Cardi fans can take hope in her recent statement that she’s “been going so hard for 2024 to go directly as I want it to.”

Fabolous — The Reload

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Fabolous projects have been few and far between over the last several years, yet there remains an appetite for another full-length effort from the Brooklyn-bred wordsmith.

In an era where lyricism is no longer at the forefront, Loso has maintained a consistent pedigree with the pen, spitting slick guest verses on King Combs’ “Flyest In the City,”Diddy’s “Act Bad” and DJ Drama’s “Forever,” among others. He was also the first (and only) notable MC to accept Drake’s Scary Hours 3 challenge, hijacking his “Evil Ways” beat and turning it into the wordplay-heavy “Benzgiving Freestyle.”

During an interview with HipHopDX in November, Fabolous shot down hopes of dropping another installment in his classic S.O.U.L. Tape mixtape series, but revealed plans to release a new project called The Reload. “[The pandemic] really made you analyze certain things in life and in music and I think even through there, I’ve grown and people have grown and your fans continue to grow,” he said. “That’s why it’s called The Reload because it’s kind of, like, me reloaded.”

Lil Wayne — Tha Carter VI

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In his sprawling web of solo albums, mixtapes and collaborative projects, Tha Carter series remains the jewel in Lil Wayne’s decorated discography.

While Weezy will probably never recapture the magic that surrounded 2008’s Tha Carter III, which is nearing diamond status, the franchise has continued to provide some of his best late-career moments — from colossal sales (964,000 first-week copies for Tha Carter IV) and heavyweight collaborations (Kendrick Lamar, André 3000, Nicki Minaj) to classic lyrical displays (“6 Foot 7 Foot”).

Like Scottie Pippen, the Chicago Bull legend he dedicated a song to on Tha Carter V, Lil Wayne is looking to secure his sixth ring with the next installment in the series. The release of Tha FixBefore Tha VI in September suggests the long-awaited album will finally arrive in 2024 — and given the hot feature run he’s currently on (see: Benny The Butcher “Big Dog,”Nas “Never Die,”DJ Khaled “GOD DID”), the timing couldn’t be better.

Benny The Butcher — Everybody Can’t Go

(Photo by Johnny Nunez/WireImage)

Having established himself as one of the grittiest rappers in the game with his Tana Talk series and other side projects, Benny The Butcher is looking to level up to the major leagues with Everybody Can’t Go, his Def Jam debut (out January 26).

The Griselda MC clearly isn’t phased, declaring it the “best Hip Hop Def Jam album” since DMX’s 1998 classic It’s Dark and Hell Is Hot (the late legend’s first of two chart-topping albums that year).

But like many lyrically-minded street rappers before him, Benny faces the challenge of broadening his appeal without deterring his day-one fans. Early singles like “Big Dog” featuring Lil Wayne and the Stove God Cooks-assisted “One Foot In,” plus the fact that The Alchemist and Hit-Boy are producing the entire thing, are promising signs that the BSF boss will find the sweet spot.

Honorable Mentions:

• 50 Cent — TBC
• Future & Metro Boomin — TBC
• Snoop Dogg & Dr. Dre — Missionary
• Pusha T & DJ Drama — TBC
• Frank Ocean — TBC
• ScHoolboy Q — TBC
• Griselda — WWCD2
• Future — Dirty Sprite 3
• JID & Metro Boomin — TBC
• Chief Keef — Almighty So 2
• Kid Cudi — INSANO
• Lil Uzi Vert — Luv Is Rage 3 / Barter 16
• Chance The Rapper — Star Line Gallery
• Missy Elliott — TBC
• Joey Bada$$ — TBC
• Megan Thee Stallion — TBC
• Juice WRLD — The Party Never Ends
• GloRilla — TBC
• Redman — Muddy Waters 2
• LL COOL J — TBC
• Rapsody — TBC
• Ghostface Killah — TBC
• Nelly & Ashanti — TBC
• Ludacris — TBC
• The Roots — TBC
• Juicy J & Project Pat — TBC
• Boldy James & J Dilla — Drug Dilla
• Jay Rock — TBC
• Polo G — Hood Poet
• Remy Ma — TBC
• Common & Pete Rock — TBC
• Saba & No I.D. — TBC
• Juicy J & Logic — TBC

Check out our previous Most Anticipated Albums lists below:

• Most Anticipated Albums of 2023
• Most Anticipated Albumsof 2022
• Most Anticipated Albums of 2021
• Most Anticipated Albums of 2020
• Most Anticipated Albums of 2019
• Most Anticipated Albums of 2018

You can also check out the winners and nominees for the HipHopDX Awards 2023 here. Artwork and Graphic Design by JR Martinez.