2011 Album Watch
BET.com looks at some of the noteworthy albums on schedule to come out this year.
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2011 Album Watch - Who said music is dead? This year promises the return of the self-proclaimed "best rapper alive," the release of a mythical album and high-powered joint albums from some of the game's biggest stars. All things considered, 2011 is poised to be one of the most exciting years in music in quite some time. BET.com takes a look at noteworthy releases scheduled to hit stores this year.
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Young Jeezy "Thug Motivation 103" - Hopefully the third time's the charm for Jizzle. “Thug Motivation 103” has been slated to hit stores since 2009, but underwhelming singles and mixed reactions to mixtapes have led to the LP's continuous false starts. “TM3” is slated to hit stores later this year.
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Snoop Dogg "Dogumentary" - There’s no stopping Snoop Dogg. The Dogfather will unleash his 11th album, “Doggumentary Music,” March 11.
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50 Cent TBD - 50 Cent isn’t done with music just yet. The Queens MC is hard at work on his fifth LP, which should fulfill his Shady/Aftermath obligations. The as-yet-untitled record should hit stores sometime this year.
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Lloyd "The King of Hearts" - Lloyd’s syrupy vocals can still make the ladies swoon and he intends on showing it when his Interscope debut, “The King of Hearts,” hits stores March 22.
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Lupe Fiasco "Lasers" - Lupe Fiasco’s career should be a thing of the past by now…only because his third and reported final album, “Lasers,” has long been delayed due to the MC’s dispute with Atlantic Records. The appropriately titled “The Show Goes On” leaked late last year, and “Lasers” is now slated to hit stores March 8.
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T-Pain "RevolveR" - Though he’s been relatively quiet, T-Pain still made noteworthy appearances in 2010, namely on DJ Khaled’s smash single, “All I Do Is Win.” But the rapper-turned–singer’s fourth album, “RevolveR,” will show once and for all whether or not the hookman extraordinaire survived Jay-Z’s “Death of Auto-Tune.” Stay tuned!
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Lil' Kim "Vintage" - Her countless Nicki Minaj disses weren’t enough. The Queen Bee’s prepping her fifth album, “Vintage,” for a 2011 release.
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Jill Scott "Light of the Sun" - After keeping her fans in the dark for so long, Jill finally announced that her seventh album, “Light of the Sun,” will hit stores this year. The release date has yet to be confirmed.
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Ludacris "Ludaverse" - Ludacris may be the hardest-working man in show business. “Ludaverse” will mark his eighth LP in 11 years. The set should hit stores sometime in 2011.
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The Game "The R.E.D. Album" - Albums usually don’t come out of Dr. Dre’s lab until they’re done, which probably explains why “The R.E.D. Album,” Game’s Aftermath Records return, has been pushed back for over a year. Though the album’s yet to receive a release date, it’s on schedule to drop in the next 12 months.
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Marsha Ambrosius "Late Nights and Early Mornings" - Marsha Ambrosius is apparently introducing a new persona as a solo artist. She’s already lifted a few eyebrows with provocative singles like “Hope She Cheats on You with a Basketball Player” and “Far Away.” Her solo debut, “Late Nights & Early Mornings,” hits stores February 11.
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J.Cole TBD - Though numerous reports have labeled J. Cole’s debut album, “Cole World,” the LP’s official title has yet to be unveiled. The record was first slated to hit stores at the tail-end of 2010, but quietly remained shelved as the year came to a close. But with Hollywood Cole’s buzz continuing to grow, his Roc Nation release will likely hit stores this year.
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Buggati Boyz TBD - : Ross and Diddy's collaborations usually translate to gold. Rozay's turn on Dirty Money's "Angels" Remix silenced skeptics and Waka Flocka's "O Let's Do It" Remix showed that the pair's chemistry is something to reckon with. The Bugatti Boyz's EP should be no different. The disc should hit stores at some point this year.
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Nas "Lost Tapes 2" - Never one to bite his tongue, Nas has been vocal about Def Jam's neglect of "Lost Tapes 2." After being shelved last year, the project is expected to see the light of day this calendar. The question is, when?
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Rick Ross "God Forgives, I Don't" - Rick Ross can do no wrong. The Miami Bauwse looks to continue his string of new classics with his fifth LP, “God Forgives, I Don’t.” Judging from the recently leaked “Made Men” featuring Drake, Rozay’s touch is only getting more precise. The album is set to hit stores sometime this year.
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Beyoncé TBD - Before the umpteenth “Beyoncé is pregnant rumor” pushed the internet into a frenzy, reports surfaced that Bey was heading back to the lab to work on her fourth solo opus. Details are still sketchy, but with “I Am… Sasha Fierce” now nearly three years old, Ms. Knowles is definitely due for an encore.
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Dr. Dre "Detox" - The hip-hop gods finally see fit to let hip-hop fans hear what a mythical album sounds like. After being pushed back for nearly a decade, “Detox” looks destined to finally hit shelves. Dre’s promised to deliver his offering in the first quarter, but considering its track record, it may come later. Nonetheless, an official single, “Kush” featuring Snoop Dogg and Akon, has been released. It’s the closest we’ve come to hearing the overly delayed album.
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Drake "Take Care" - A little birdie told us Drake passed up a big opportunity to focus on finishing up his sophomore disc, "Take Care." Not much is known about the project other than that Drake's main producer, 40, will be behind the boards, and Drizzy will be doing more rapping than singing.
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Chris Brown "F.A.M.E." - With hardly any room left aboard the Chris Brown bandwagon, timing couldn’t be better for the R&B singer to release his fourth LP, “F.A.M.E.” Rumor has it the acronym stands for “forgiving all my enemies” and that Drake has been working with him on the project. “Look at Me Now,” which features Breezy rapping and features Lil Wayne and Busta Rhymes, is reportedly the first single off the offering. Call it a comeback!
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Wiz Khalifa TBD - Easily the most anticipated debut of the year, Wiz’s as-yet-untitled freshman effort is expected to hit stores in March. Stargate, the Norwegian production duo responsible for Khalifa’s smash hit, “Black and Yellow,” will reportedly handle more cuts on the album. No word on the cameos yet. Finally, the entire world can get Taylor’d.
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Jay-Z and Kanye West "Watch the Throne" - Not resting on his laurels, Kanye West follows “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy” by teaming up with Jay-Z on “Watch the Throne.” “H.A.M,” the album’s first single, is set to drop January 11 and sources close to Def Jam and Kanye say the LP will hit the streets March 1.