Last year was amazing for hip hop. There were new sounds popping up all over the country and no shortage of albums, mixtapes, and projects to feast your ears on. From the West Coast renaissance to Atlanta's overall dominance, 2015 was awesome, straight up.
But now that 2015 is officially in the books, it's time to start thinking about the new year. There's quite a bit of unfinished business that we'd like to see in 2016, like Kanye's SWISH and Drake's Views From The 6. We're also excited to see if a cat like Future can top his unreal year, or if a dude like Stitches will finally fade away.
We're just a few days into the year, but we already have high hopes. Here are the 13 things we'd like to see in 2016.
Gucci Mane's Release From Prison
Not that it's slowed him down at all from releasing a bunch of new music, but a free Gucci would probably help Atlanta to go even harder in 2016 than it did in 2016. With five mixtapes released last year, and a few other projects to boot, Gucci Mane can put out more music from behind bars than most dudes can if they lived in the studio. Nevertheless, we want to #FreeGucci-- and although at the time of writing this, we had no indication of when it'd happen, just yesterday we received word that it could be as early as March, so things are already going our way. Shout out 2016.
Kendrick x Cole Album
When J. Cole ended his Black Friday freestyle, he had the entire internet salivating at the thought of their long-rumored collaborative project actually dropping. Cole: we promise you that we can handle you two on the same, full-length project. Now please, blow our minds.
"'When you and K. Dot shit drop?'
Bitch never, they can’t handle two Black niggas this clever
But this February, bet shit get scary when I fuck around and drop..."
A Lil Wayne x Birdman Resolution
Did we already get our wish on this one too?! Birdman and Wayne might have partied together on NYE, but we want to see them actually settle the score so they can continue on with their careers. Maybe then we can finally hear Tha Carter V as well, or at least another banger like this one...
Views From The 6
It's been rumored to have a release date as early as January 6th, and you already know we can't wait. If You're Reading This was one of the best projects of 2015, even if it felt like an appetizer for the upcoming LP. Drake himself said that the album is coming very soon at his recent New Years Eve party, so it's a pretty safe bet that we'll get to hear the record in the near future. Until then, Jumpman Jumpman Jumpman Jumpman Jumpman Jumpman.
A (Proper) Tribe Called Quest Reunion
People's Instinctive Travels celebrated 25 years last year, and all we got was a Jimmy Fallon performance. Q-Tip, Phife, Ali, Jarobi: if you're reading this, it's NOT too late. Get the band back together, take it on a little tour, and let us all live out the 90s hip hop fantasy we never got to experience.
New Black Hippy Material
New Black Hippy Material
Whenever these four get together, it's awesome. Jay Rock brought united the crew on his latest album, and we'd love to see more Ab-Soul, ScHoolboy Q, Jay Rock, and Kendrick Lamar on the same track this year.
No More Stitches
Enough is enough; let's all agree to let him disappear into the past.
Okay, maybe if he actually has a boxing match with The Game, we'll watch.
But after that, he's gotta go. We're done.
More Travi$ Scott Productions
More Travi$ Scott Productions
This dude is a sweet producer. If Scott's credentials on Kanye and Rihanna's respective music weren't enough, then just listen to his work on Rodeo, where he, alongside carefully selected producers, melted distinct sounds into a rich album with tons of awesome features. He dropped off a couple of loosies recently in the form of "A-Team" and "Wonderful," however he only offered production on the latter track, so we'd like to see him kick it up on a notch on the beat-side this year.
Missy Elliott's Comeback
"WTF (Where They From)" was a nice preview, but we want the full-blown thing this year. We're talkin' mad new music, a tour, and a couple guest spots. You have it in you, right Missy? Hopefully Pharrell and her have a couple more tricks up their sleeve, because this single was everything we've ever wanted...except for more music.
SWISH
Kanye dropped "Facts" on New Year's Eve, causing everybody to wonder if maybe SWISH will be here sooner than we think. We certainly wouldn't be mad at it.
As much as Kanye West had a great 2015 by releasing the hottest sneaker of the year and having another baby, we can't help but to feel a little selfish in our pining for new music. Mr. West, go ahead and drop SWISH on us whenever you're ready. We're (kinda) patiently waiting over here.
Future Topping 2016
Future Topping 2016
Future's 2015 was monumental. With three mixtapes, an album, and too many guest spots to keep track of, Future embodied the sound of the year. His trippy-trap sound caught the attention of everybody, and we can't help but to wonder if he can top it in 2016. Southside recently said that Future has six albums and three mixtapes ready to go whenever, so it sounds like the work is already done. Go ahead and bless us with it, Future.
More "To Pimp A Butterfly" Influence
Future's sound was channelled and embodied (or copied, depending how you see things) by many artists, but Kendrick had the album of the year. Now that To Pimp A Butterfly has had time to resonate, should we be ready to hear more progressive, jazz-influenced rap music in 2016? It would be cool to hear some new music that looks to break past boundaries and do something totally opposite of the current pop landscape.
New York City Hip Hop Resurgence
The birthplace of rap music had a pretty solid 2015 with albums by Joey Bada$$, Action Bronson, and A$AP Rocky, but nonetheless the rap spotlight remained more on the West Coast and the South this year. Hopefully 2016 will see a new crop of New York City rappers ascend.