There are so many artists who need to drop an album, but which ones are actually realistic? Frank Ocean is one many would say, but as some know, he’s retired from music and is pursuing a career in making films. What is realistically dropping in 2025?
Playboi Carti has been in the spotlight waiting to drop his next album since Christmas in 2020. He has dropped a handful of singles, features and a ton of concerts, performing unreleased songs, but this is the year he will finally drop the album “I AM MUSIC.” Around the Los Angeles area, billboards with different quotes on them from Carti’s culture are popping up. Some examples are “I AM MUSIC,” “BABYBOI” and “MUSIC IS COMING.” Playboi Carti is a known liar; however, multiple times he has said the album was dropping only to completely ghost. Some examples of this are when he said the album was coming in 60 days; it never came out. When he said he was making a deluxe for “Whole Lotta Red,” which he never did. When he made up an entire album with rapper “Lil Uzi Vert” that exists, but it sits in his endless vault. I truthfully think we will see this album before April. But who knows? Carti has lied before, and it wouldn’t be shocking if he lied again.
Baby Keem was thought to have cemented his spot in the music industry. Dropping three critically acclaimed projects from 2018 to 2021, getting recognition and working with artists such as Drake, and going on tour with his cousin Kendrick Lamar. But with only two features since then, fans are hungry for more. After announcing an album was on the way in Feb. 2024, Keem went on to tease a new album on his Instagram story, thought to be named “Child With Wolves.” Since then, he has gone completely ghost on all socials with no mention of new music coming any time soon.
ASAP Rocky just won his court case where he was charged with two felony assaults but is now back on track to dropping “Don’t Be Dumb.” The project was originally supposed to be dropped in 2024, with the first track being shown during Paris Fashion Week whilst a runway performance was going on in the background. ASAP Rocky is back on track to get this album out by the end of the year. The production list has been leaked and features names such as Pharrell Williams, The Alchemist and Metro Boomin. This project has yet to receive a set deadline, but I’d put money on it releasing by summer.
Steve Lacy, after being the heart and soul of the summer of 2022 with his album “Gemini Rights,” is set to release his next album in the coming months. Late last year, he posted via Instagram that the project was completely finished with a picture of him in the studio. Steve Lacy has only released three albums, so it will be a vital album to cement him in R&B history. Little is known about what will be featured, but it’s been proven time and time again that Steve Lacy doesn’t need much to create a timeless album.
Ecco2k is not solely a musical artist, also known for his creative endeavors in fashion design and photography. However, in the 15 years he has been producing, writing and recording songs, he has only dropped one solo album, “E.” This album was not a standout moment for him but also marked a shift in what music would sound like in the future. Being a genre-bending blend of airy futuristic production mixed with what’s known as “hyperpop” and “cloud rap.” Occasionally collaborating with rappers inside “Drain Gang,” a Swedish collective he is part of, Ecco has not left fans completely deprived of music. Everything we’ve gotten from Ecco2k so far has felt avant-garde and boundary-pushing, only bringing more anticipation for what’s to come.
Overall, this can be an exciting and remarkable year for music. Many artists are working on projects that just might be their best. Whether these artists deliver on their promises of releasing new music, fans are in for something special.
