Where did the excitement for album releases go? Why was 2023 so quiet for the music industry? Most would say that it was too dry of a year for music.
In the general industry, large scale projects only released every few weeks, and were inconsistent in scale and delivery, with the common theme being a lack of quality.
Today, the Triton Voice aims to deliver a powerful display of artists and their upcoming 2024 releases, a potential breakthrough year for the music industry and a top contender for best year of music in this decade. With a primary focus on hip-hop, generalized pop and R&B is to be covered as well.
Hip-Hop has changed dramatically in style, and consumers are starting to discover new preferences as big name artists explore new paths, scavenging for an original and fresh sound.
As of January 12th, 21 Savage started off the year with his second solo album, returning to the format after the long break following I Am > I Was in 2018. With an attempt at the iconic baby face cover art, used in the past by all-time rappers such as Nas for Illmatic, 21 Savage delivered on his promise for a new release, which was announced on tour with Drake during the later half of 2023. The album spans 15 tracks and 50 minutes in duration- what some would say is the perfect length for a project of this genre. The new release American Dream features the likes of classic rap artists such as Travis Scott & Young Thug, while also switching lanes with the inclusion of R&B artists such as Brent Faiyaz & Mariah The Scientist (who previously featured 21 on her 2023 release).
The competition for this drop was steep, as Kid Cudi marked his return with the 21 track INSANO, after a previously significant delay. The album follows the typical Cudi style, with fans on social media claiming it was a project that reminded them of ‘the old Cudi’. INSANO debuted with a critically acclaimed performance, but it doesn’t end there. Cudi announced via Twitter that he planned for the deluxe to release only one week after the original, including nearly 20 more tracks.
Making her return to the scene after her massively successful Red Moon In Venus (2021) is Kali Uchis, who dropped her new Latin album ORQUIDEAS alongside 21 Savage and Kid Cudi, unafraid to bring back her strictly Spanglish tracks, despite gaining a larger American audience over the past few years. With the release, Uchis announced her pregnancy, with herself and artist Don Toliver expecting a baby within the next couple of months.
Don Toliver himself left fans eager with the confirmation that a sequel to his album Life Of A DON was on its way during the later half of 2023. This was only further proven when Toliver performed an unreleased song alongside Travis Scott on his CIRCUS MAXIMUS tour at the beginning of the year. Toliver’s come-up was with the help of Scott featuring him on hit project ASTROWORLD, in which Scott then signed Toliver to the infamous group JACKBOYS.
When asked by a fan in 2023, Travis Scott confirmed that the JACKBOYS would return for their second project soon, with many speculating that this would also mark the return of Sheck Wes into the music industry. Whether or not the project will come to fruition this year is still undecided.
Ericdoa is an upcoming artist in the ‘glitchcore’ scene, recently transferring his style to the hip-hop scene with his hit single Kickstand. While working with megastar artists of the genre in the past, such as Brakence or Glaive, the past year was a true revelation of his inner talent. His new album, DOA (which stands for ‘dead on arrival’), promises a mix of hip-hop and pop with his own flavor, in which the newly released tracks have already delivered.
Despite his worldwide tour being delayed for multiple consecutive schedules, Playboi Carti is being praised as one of the newest superstar faces of music, his style of ‘rage music’ undoubtedly unlike anything ever seen in the industry before. His YouTube and Instagram exclusive tracks confirmed the long awaited release of his new album, I Am Music, ending the three year hiatus in which Carti had practically gone MIA from the media.
Along the topic of delayed projects, Kanye West makes his controversial return alongside Ty Dolla $ign for the release of Vultures, their collaboration project, and fans are waiting for confirmation of an official release date this month. As of last seen, West was filming a music video for a collaboration with Playboi Carti for the release.
French Montana made it to the night before release of his next studio album, then announcing that Mac & Cheese 5 was officially delayed into March. While his name alone has failed to attract the attention of many consumers, the media was quick to notice the assembling of ‘The Rap Avengers’ in the tracklist, with the inclusion of artists such as Drake, Kanye & JID.
JID has been one of the youngest artists on the rise, and even recently watched his 2022 track Surround Sound chart on TikTok due to a new trend. His undoubtable rap talent listed his album The Forever Story one of the best projects released that year by general consensus. In 2024, JID promises his next project, Forever & A Day will see the light of day. He claims he is going to “drop music all year, and just see what happens”, and performed Surround Sound on Jimmy Fallon to start off the month.
Forever & A Day isn’t the only project JID will release this year. Hit producer Metro Boomin recently announced a collaboration project with the rising star would release sometime this year, alongside two more Metro albums. JID recently featured on Metro Boomin’s soundtrack for Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse– however, he was on one of the only tracks from the release to not include production from Metro.
One of these Metro Boomin projects is a collaboration album with Future, which was confirmed on Metro’s Twitter to be close to finished at the beginning of 2024. The other project is speculated to be either a solo release, much like his record breaking Heroes & Villains in 2022, or a collaboration with Don Toliver, in light of recent media interactions from the beloved producer.
Music video director Cole Bennett of Lyrical Lemonade is releasing his first ever studio album, All Is Yellow, on the 26th of January. Cole brought together plenty of talented artists, and recorded videos for each and every track on the record. The album brings together the likes of multiple artists scheduled to release this year, such as Lil Yachty, Cordae, Joey Bada$$, Teezo Touchdown, Jack Harlow & more- as well as featuring late artists Juice WRLD & 6 Dogs. Each artist will appear in black and yellow suits for their track’s corresponding music video- some of which can already be found on YouTube. Via Instagram, Cole also confirmed that a scrapped track with artist Big Sean was still set to release, just through a separate project- as well as giving confirmation that All Is Yellow 2 would be provided for fans within the next few years, with the concept already written out.
Lil Yachty has a prominent feature on All Is Yellow, with his voice having been previewed to promote the album release a few weeks in advance for the track Fallout, in which he features alongside Gus Dapperton and Joey Bada$$. However, Yachty has much bigger plans. Following the immense success he found in both switching genres (Let’s Start Here.) and returning with a series of powerful rap singles throughout 2023, Yachty ended the year by announcing ‘Concrete Boys’. The new group, assembled by Yachty himself, will release their debut album It’s Us sometime in 2024.
The Kid LAROI is featured alongside Lil Tecca and Lil Skies on All Is Yellow, and can be found plotting a release for the deluxe of his debut album, THE FIRST TIME, for the first quarter of 2024. This deluxe promises multiple fan favorite songs across all genres (rap, pop, melodic, & more), and Laroi even confirmed that he had re-recorded older fan favorite tracks that never got released, as a thank you for his success over the years. For the later half of 2024, Laroi plans to drop SCUM, a secretive 12 track project, rumored to be his second studio album. After previously lying to his community over and over (due to label delaying his work), Laroi stated “I told you guys, consistency this year. You guys won’t have to wait two and a half years for the next record. I am completely dedicated to gaining your trust again. If I say something, we’re doing it. Heaven January 26th.”
Laroi’s mentor, the late Juice WRLD, will be receiving an official sendoff from the music industry with the release of his final studio album, The Party Never Ends, under the Grade A record label. While the progression of this record has been complicated, the lead single (featuring Eminem) finally hit streaming to start 2024 off strong. The album is expected to release in March at the latest.
Friend of Juice WRLD, known as Ski Mask The Slump God, confirms his album 11th Dimension will feature the late Juice himself, and will be found on streaming services sometime in 2024. This long-awaited sophomore album follows a long hiatus from the artist.
Grade A has been pushing Rocco as one of their next biggest artists ever since discovering his talent in switching genres. Rocco ended 2023 with the release of his debut mixtape Free Fall, a melodic pack of songs produced by Zaytoven. For 2024, he promises two new projects. First, fans will receive the closure to the trilogy of the Wxlfpack EP series, containing five new tracks & a remix to Celine. Later in the year, Rocco claims a project titled Boy Who Cried is on its way.
Ironically, these aren’t the only wolf related projects topping off the year. Cousin of Kendrick Lamar, who goes by Baby Keem, makes a surprise return with the announcement of his new album Child With Wolves, following the massive success of The Melodic Blue back in 2021.
Lil Uzi Vert shocked fans with the announcement of their retirement, seemingly scrapping the anticipated Barter 16 album (in reference to Young Thug’s Barter 6 Mixtape) after numerous tracks leaked in advance of release. Instead, Uzi plans to focus on finishing a trilogy with Luv Is Rage 3, and continuing on to live a life outside of the industry.
Hood Poet was a Polo G album intended for release in September of 2023, but the project was delayed due to the arrest of the artist, in which he was charged for kidnapping and armed assault. The project was pushed nearly a year back, now aiming for a quarter three release in the new year. Polo G took to Twitter to announce his retirement in a statement “there ain’t no fun in the game no more”, solidifying that Hood Poet would be his last body of work in the music industry.
Cole has spoken on retirement plans on multiple occasions, consistently pushing that his final album, The Fall Off is in progress. 2024 appears to be the year in which consumers will finally receive this project, as Cole hints to the release in his 2023 feature on Drake’s For All The Dogs.
Lil Wayne has teased the final installment in his infamous Carter series for ages. In 2023, he blessed fans with Tha Fix Before Tha VI, a mixtape of scrapped tracks from the upcoming album, now on track for a 2024 release. The rumor is that Wayne plans to retire after this release- however, recent comments from the rapper have suggested otherwise.
Another upcoming artist, far from retirement, is Yeat. His next album, 2093 aims to finally diverge from the sound that gained him his popularity. He shows in recent snippets that he plans to expand his vocal and production range, focusing on new lanes in his self-created subgenre.
A$AP Rocky’s long awaited Don’t Be Dumb is sure to release this year, after being delayed for unknown reasons in 2023. Fans are certain they will finally hear the project before the end of the new year.
There are multiple other artists that have hinted at releases- Gunna commented on a release via an Instagram post from an outside source, while Lil Baby dropped two surprise singles to end off 2023. Ice Spice is sure to release, following her newfound success in the industry, and artists such as Joey Bada$$ & Chance The Rapper have spoken briefly of potential upcoming releases.
Some artists, such as Cordae, are merging directions from hip-hop to pop. His recent single, Make Up Your Mind hinted at a third studio album, in which Cordae compared his new style to that of Michael Jackson. Cordae took to Instagram to support the two year anniversary of his sophomore album From A Bird’s Eye View. At the end of his message, he claimed “The Crossroads is on the way. Thankful for you all.”
Other artists, known for their contributions to the pop scene, made their comebacks in time to deliver in 2024. With the sudden announcement of her new single yes, and?, Ariana Grande makes it clear that she is coming to claim the charts once again after a nearly 4 year hiatus. The track follows a new ‘house’ production style, but word has it that the entire Eternal Sunshine release (which is set for March 8th) won’t follow this pattern.
Lil Nas X returned at the top of the year with the threat to ‘expose the industry’- part of the promotion for his new single, returning from his very own hiatus. With his consistency in online controversy keeping his name afloat, fans wonder how much longer his title can hold on the charts moving forward. As far as the album goes, not much information is known. Only a collaboration with Kesha was mysteriously hinted at (from herself) via Twitter: “I’m not on this one. But…”
Dua Lipa returns to the industry as well, her single Houdini performing just as well as expected, hinting at her third studio album to release in 2024. Lipa describes her third studio album as “a whole different era”- similar to the difference between her debut and sophomore releases. The 11 track project contains zero featuring artists.
Taylor Swift, now competing for the top artist worldwide, has outperformed most artists in the 2020’s decade. Following a long-term battle with her old record label, Taylor has regained immense profit off of re-recording and re-releasing all of her studio albums. The pattern appears to include one new album, followed by two re-releases, repeated. Therefore, fans can expect at least two albums this year- something new, and the 2024 variation of Reputation.
Finalizing the pop genre is DJ Khaled, who seemingly has one album left in him before retirement, according to prior statements. While two singles have been released, featuring the likes of J Balvin and Future, it is unsure if these are intended to promote any upcoming project. DJ Khaled is highly expected to finish his career by the end of 2024.
The R&B scene had a magical start to the year, as legend Frank Ocean returned to his studio, sharing a picture from the booth. This marks his return, after silence ever since his 2016 album Blonde. Many speculate that 2024 might finally be the year that Ocean returns to dropping new music.
In a very similar scenario, Childish Gambino says a new album is ‘coming soon’, with his last release being the iconic Awaken, My Love! in 2016, an unexpected dive into the R&B genre that diverged from much of the experimental content on the 2013 Because The Internet release.
Billie Eilish is another artist who says her album is ‘coming soon’ as well- a statement that holds little value to many music fans after countless lies from other artists. However, Eilish hasn’t been known to give false statements in her past. 2024 is shaping up to feature a release from Eilish in the back half of the year.
Khalid took to Twitter recently with plenty of information on his next release, following his mixtape Scenic Drive in 2021. “I’ve spent 4-5 years working on this album, picking it down to only the best of the best. American Teen was me at 50 percent. This is me at 100. This album will solidify my sound as an artist. 2024.”
SZA had one of the biggest releases of 2022 with SOS, her second studio album. The deluxe, LANA, comes two years later, and is described as “a whole other album” by SZA herself. Despite a potential delay due to the recent leaking of a new track, LANA is still on schedule to release in 2024. The leaking appears to have created quite a diversion from her work ethic, however, as SZA took to Twitter with a message for the suspect: “When people leak my songs, then it ruins them. It is no longer mine. This is theft. You are a thief, and I will do everything in my power to hold you accountable.”
The Weeknd posts confirmation of his final album, ending the After Hours trilogy, with expectations set that it will find its way to streaming by the end of 2024. This marks both the end of the trilogy, as well as the end of The Weeknd, as he announces he will be moving on as Abel (his real name) once the project is released. It is unknown if this is retirement, or if he plans to continue creating music under this new title.
Miguel hasn’t released a project since War & Leisure in 2017, despite a surprise single in 2023 featuring Lil Yachty. 2024 appears to be the year in which he plans to reconstruct his title in the R&B scene.
Ending off our list is d4vd, who is an upcoming artist that has already gained the attraction of artists such as SZA and The Kid LAROI. Originally, d4vd made a living off of streaming video game content on Twitch. However, his melodic capabilities flipped the switch for his career, with his debut project Petals to Thorns consisting of nine remarkable tracks for his age. For 2024, d4vd plans to release his debut album- as told via his official TikTok account, where he posts snippets and updates on the progression of the project.
Who are you the most excited to hear from in the new year? Do you think these artists will all stick to their intended release dates?
