Compton’s "War Baby," 22-year-old rapper Roddy Ricch, has made quite the name for himself in the past couple of years. After initially breaking onto the scene with his debut single "Die Young," as well as his first mixtape Feed Tha Streets, it became clear that we were witnessing the early stages of a prolific artist’s career. Roddy Ricch has gone on to prove his early supporters right, making chart history with "The Box," contributing to one of the biggest songs of the year in "ROCKSTAR," and angling to repeat the cycle again once his new album drops.
Roddy released his debut studio album Please Excuse Me For Being Antisocial at the very end of 2019. It followed two Feed Tha Streets tapes, presenting the best opportunity for fans to learn all about the artist’s journey up til this present moment in his life. Praised for his melodic flows that are also infectiously catchy, as well as for his ability to communicate his rise from the mud with emotional and hypnotic lyrics, Roddy is being hailed as one of the greatest artists of his generation. Despite not having a large discography, fans are confident that the Compton native will continue to deliver quality projects that are both authentic in nature and long-lasting in impact.
Now, there is not very much information currently out there about when Roddy plans to release his sophomore studio album, but the rapper has been teasing it for quite some time.
Stay tuned to HNHH for more information on Roddy Ricch’s upcoming sophomore studio album and check out a list of what we know about the new album thus far, below.
"Love Is Barely Real Anymore"
Roddy Ricch isn’t concerned about album titles that may seemingly be "too long." He's more concerned about communicating the core theme of his project with his chosen title. With his mixtapes, the 21-year-old sought to feed the streets with loads of new music. On his debut album Please Excuse Me For Being Antisocial, the rapper exposed a layer of his personality and told more of his story to the world.
In November, Roddy tweeted the following: "Love Is Barely Real Anymore….. OTW." Immediately, people began to speculate that this would be the title of Roddy’s next album. While that much has not been confirmed, it’s still possible that Roddy will go this route, although time will tell. Nonetheless, if this is the title, it does have a double meaning-- Roddy has created his own acronym for "L.I.B.R.A."-- born on October 22, Roddy's date of birth falls in line with Libra season, much like T.I.
Without a strong social media presence, Roddy previously told Complex that he wants to bring fans more into his world on the next go-around as he seeks balance. "I’m learning the balance. Like, OK, I’m not on Instagram, so I feel like I’ve got to bring them into my life more so they can feel me a little more," he said in March 2021.
A Conceptual Masterpiece
Are you ready for Roddy Ricch's magnum opus? Speaking with GQ in August 2020, Roddy detailed his goals for his new album. He said that he had enough music to release a full-length project at the time but he passed on that option, explaining that he was only interested in dropping something that would further cement his legacy as a groundbreaking talent.
“It’s really not about it being ready or not ready. It’s more about the timing. I really just drop when I feel like it. The next album is going to be a full blown masterpiece. A real idea. A real body of work,” he said.
He also explained that he’s not concerned about his low rate of output compared to other artists who drop multiple projects each year. “Maybe I make a little less music but I feel like for me right now less is more,” he explained. “Because then when I step in the booth I’ll say some crazy sh*t. I could work for two or three days and make fifty songs. And then I’ll step away for like a week. Less is more. Spending more time figuring out how I feel and figuring out different things around me.”
He's been sitting on his new music for over a year, meaning that a lot of time and creativity has gone into the process. Could this be his best work yet?
A More Vulnerable, Mature Sound
During Roddy's interview with Future for Rolling Stone, the artist revealed that he makes music for "n***as [he] came up with." That much is clear in songs like "War Baby," "God's Eyes," and "The Box." Becoming a first-time father in April 2020, Roddy has entered a new chapter of his life. It’s likely that his music will reflect a more grown-up and mature sound as a result.
Debuting his latest single "Heartless" during his performance at the Grammy Awards, Roddy is clearly seeking the happy medium that will satisfy his old and new fans. "I’m going to bring fans into my world more," he said during his March interview with Complex. "There are all the old fans I had when I first started rapping, and these new fans that I got since the big album and Grammys and everything. So I want to bridge the gap between my old fans and my new fans. That’s what I’m on a mission to do with this next situation that I’m working on."
Nobody is expecting Roddy to spit rhymes over a boom-bap record. He will likely still be reaching for trap symphony-type beats. However, with a new outlook on life through the eyes of a first-time father, Roddy will likely feature more personal and introspective lyrics that discuss how his life has changed in the last year. During the pandemic, Roddy has had a lot of time to sit with himself and critically examine his approach to his sophomore album. He hasn’t rushed anything. That's a great sign for fans that are hoping for another instant classic.
Before or After Feed Tha Streets 3?
The biggest question surrounding Roddy Ricch's upcoming sophomore studio album is when it's dropping. People have been asking since the release of PEMFBA, but Roddy has taken his time to perfect the body of work. More recently, the rapper has started to tease a continuation of his Feed Tha Streets mixtape series. This gives off the impression that Roddy could be coming with a full clip in 2021, dropping two full-length projects before the end of the year.
"I feel like when the streets is hungry, you just feed them," he said during a recent interview.
What people really want to know is whether his sophomore album, presumably titled Love Is Barely Real Anymore, is coming before or after Feed Tha Streets 3. Unfortunately, Roddy hasn't given much of a hint with regards to that.
Big-Time Collaborations
We've seen Roddy Ricch evolve from a rising artist to a bonafide superstar in the last two years. With his newfound status as one of the biggest rappers in the game, people are lining up for a chance to work with the 22-year-old. At the time of publication, Roddy has previewed collaborations with Travis Scott (on a song which will likely be included on Travis' new album Utopia), DJ Khaled (for his upcoming album Khaled Khaled), go-to producer Mustard, Rich The Kid, and more. The biggest name that he has worked with is Drake, with a portion of their song together leaking a few months ago.
Please Excuse Me For Being Antisocial certainly wasn't lacking in the feature department-- it included star performances from Gunna, Lil Durk, Meek Mill, A Boogie wit da Hoodie, Ty Dolla $ign, and others. Roddy is officially in the upper echelon of mainstream rap artists now, and that means that his feature game is likely to elevate even further.
Stay tuned to HNHH for more information on Roddy Ricch's upcoming sophomore studio album. What do you want to see him explore in his new music?