Wale – Shine
Year after year and album after album, Wale continues to prove himself as one of the game’s elite rappers. We’ve previously expressed that opinion and Wale even seemed responsive but for the most part, he continues to battle those who have him misunderstood.
His next album is shaping up to be his most experimental and he seems comfortable right now, despite what the rest of MMG has been going through. Releases like ‘New Phone’ and ‘Legit Boss’ have us optimistic for 2016. Could this finally be the year he gets his props?
Chance The Rapper – Untitled
You might think back to 2015 for Chance The Rapper and remember it as a pretty quiet year because of the lack of solo music which dropped but you’d be wrong. He released both Surf with The Social Experiment and the very under looked Free Based Freestyles with Lil B. In addition to the rapid flow of music, he’s also been making history as the first independent artist to perform on SNL, becoming the living embodiment of independence.
He’s been teasing a third mixtape for a while now but his focus seems to be on other things at the moment. When he inevitably releases a solo project this year, it could have some serious impact on the game.
J. Cole – Untitled
After the release of 2014 Forest Hills Drive, it was almost like J. Cole blew up all over again. This was the album diehard fans had been waiting for, it was the most commercially successful and most important of all, it was the start of a new chapter in Cole’s personal life.
When a rapper like Cole goes quiet between album cycles, it can sometimes be a tedious time for fans but that wasn’t the case in 2015. Hardly ever doing an interview or appearing on a song, Cole spent the vast majority of last year touring with his crew. You can bet he was recording though.
New drive and hunger has appeared through recent releases like ‘Folgers Crystals’ and ‘Black Friday’, the latter of which more or less confirmed the release of a project in February. We’re not entirely sure what to expect but it’s safe to say we’re excited for whatever’s in store.
Jeremih – Late Nights 2
It’s always rough seeing the most talented artists in the game going through the most tribulations and that was the case for the vast majority of last year for Jeremih. Despite having one of the most unique voices and best songwriting abilities in R&B today, he fought a long battle with his label Def Jam to release Late Nights: The Album. Musically, it was well worth the wait but due to numerous reasons, it’s failing to reach its projected heights commercially.
Late Nights 2 was teased on Instagram. We hope the singer was referring to a mixtape and not an album, so that we can give it a spin as soon as possible.
– by Akaash Sharma
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