Hip-hop releases come at warp speed these days, but there is still room to build anticipation for long-awaited albums. Good things take time. While many artists feel the need to keep up and keep their name out there, there's a whole swath of famous rappers who haven't released an album in years. In most cases, it doesn't affect them negatively because once a rapper has built a core fan base, that comes with a freedom to drop new music at their own pace. From ScHoolboy Q to Cardi B and more, there are quite a few notable rappers that haven't dropped albums in a while and we're still waiting. Most of the artists here don't have release dates for their next project or even album titles, but the demand still exists.
Kendrick Lamar recently took himself off that list when he announced the release date for his upcoming album, Mr. Morale and The Big Steppers, slated to drop May 13. Up until this effort, he hasn't put out an LP since 2017's DAMN., a triple-platinum offering that stamped K-Dot as a superstar. Since then, very few songs came out. This only increased the anticipation for his next album, which was already growing since DAMN.'s success. He kept the people waiting for five years, but that won't stop Mr. Morale and The Big Steppers from easily being the biggest rap release of this year so far.
While some artists eventually provide an update on album titles and release dates after a long wait, there are others who have offered much less information about their next move. J.I.D hasn't put out an album since 2018's DiCaprio 2, but has made it known that he has a new project on the way for a while. This past January, he came through with the single "Surround Sound" featuring 21 Savage and Baby Tate. However, there's still no release date on when to expect his new LP. Nicki Minaj is in a similar position, except she has three singles out now: the Lil Baby-assisted cuts "Do We Have A Problem?" and "Bussin," plus "We Go Up" featuring Fivio Foreign. There's no title or release date yet, but it feels like an album is on the way.
Check out the gallery below to see more rappers, including A$AP Rocky, who haven't let new projects fly in years, but the people are anxiously waiting for them.
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