Considering how sparse decent rap releases have become, I have hope that 2008 will bring a little more in the way of hip hop than 2007. Here is a list of “proposed” releases for the upcoming year, taken directly from cantbeserious.com, with the ones that I am excited for (all that matters, since I’m the one who reads this blog) in bold:
1. Dr. Dre - “Detox” (Aftermath)****************2. Ghostface / MF Doom - “Swift & Changable” (Nature Sounds)****************3. Nas - “N***er” (Def Jam)*****************4. Raekwon - “Only Built For Cuban Linx 2″ (Aftermath)*******************5. Lil Wayne - “The Carter 3″ (Cash Money)6. The Roots – “Rising Down” (Def Jam)********************7. Del - “The 11th Hour” (Definitive Jux / Hieroglyphics)8. Atmosphere - “When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint That Shit Gold” (Rhymesayers)9. T.I.- “Paper Trail” (Atlantic)10. J-Live - “Then What Happened” (BBE)11. Papoose – “Papoose - The Nacirema Dream” (Columbia)12. The Game - “The D.O.C.(Diary Of Compton)” (Geffen)13. Skillz - “The Million Dollar Backpack” (Koch)14. Fat Joe - “The Elephant In The Room (Koch)15. Rhymefest - “El Che” (J Records)16. Sa-Ra Creative Partners - “Nuclear Evolution: The Age Of Love” (Ubiquity)17. 50 Cent - “Before I Self Destruct” (G-Unit)18. Lupe Fiasco - “L.U.P.End”********************19. Busta Rhymes - “Back On My Bullshit” (Aftermath)*************20. Kanye West - “A Good Ass Job” (Def Jam)****************21. Madlib + MF Doom - Madvillan 2 (Stones Throw)****************22. Mos Def - “The Ecstatic” (Downtown Recordings)***************23. Stat Quo - “Statlanta” (Shady/Aftermath)24. J. Dilla - “Jay Love Japan” – Re-Release**************25. KRS-One - “Adventures In Emceein” (Koch)*****************26. AZ – “Undeniable” (Koch)***************27. Foxy Brown - “Brooklyn’s Don Diva” (Koch)28. Kool G. Rap - “Half A Klip” (Koch)****************29. Akrobatik - “Absolute Value” (Koch)30. Ludacris - “Theatre Of The Mind” (Def Jam)**31. Timbaland - “Shock Value II” (Interscope)**32. Saigon - “The Greatest Story Never Told” (Fort Knox)*****33. Bishop Lamont - “The Reformation” (Aftermath)34. Royce Da 5′9 - “The Revival” (Babygrande)*****************35. Andre 3000 Solo LP (LaFace)*****************36. Outkast – Atliens 2 (LaFace)****************37. Snoop Dogg - “Ego Trippin’” (Geffen)38. The Cool Kids - “The Bake Sale” (Chocolate Industries)39. Cesar Comanche - “Die In Your Lap” (Hall Of Justus / ABB)40. Pete Rock - “NY’s Finest” (Nature Sounds)*************41. Lil Jon - “Crunk Rock” (TVT)42. G-Unit – “Shoot To Kill” (G-Unit)43. Missy Elliot – “The Countdown” (Atlantic)44. Edgar Allen Floe - “The Streetwise LP” (MCEO Records)45. Sean Price & Chaundon – “A Tale Of Two Seans” (Duck Down)**************46. 9th Wonder & Buckshot – “Chemistry 2″ (Duck Down)***************47. Rock of Heltah Skeltah – “Shell Shock” (Duck Down)***************48. Cee-Lo & Jack Splash “Love Stink” (Counterflow)49. Gnarls Barkley – Sophomore LP (Downtown Recordings)50. MF Doom – “Doomposter” (Rhymesayers)****************
Some comments on that list:
1. My ass Outkast releases an album together this year; we’d be lucky if we got both solo albums in 2008.2. I can’t tell whether Edgar Allen Floe is just about the dumbest or hottest name I’ve ever heard.3. I can tell that When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint That Shit Gold is just about the funniest name for an album I’ve ever heard.4. Detox/Carter III? I’ll believe it when I see it…
