6. Rick Ross: God Forgives, I Don’t
July 31th, Maybach Music Group
They say you can’t teach an old dogs new tricks, but evidently doesn’t apply to rappers. The classic late bloomer, the bombastic Miami MC spent the first five years of his career crafting unimaginative, flaccid wannabe radio jams. It wasn’t until 2010’s watershed Teflon Don that Ross’ mean streak came out, weaving unstoppable mafioso couplets over massive, opulent headknockers from Lex Luger and J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League. Since Teflon Don, he hasn’t looked back and has established himself as one of the biggest voices in hip-hop today by dropping a slew of incredible guest verses and releasing the excellent Rich Forever mixtape. Should be one of the rap releases of the year. HAWH!
“Sophisticated”
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7. Grizzly Bear: TBA
September 18th, Warp
Another band with huge expectations on their backs, Brooklyn’s Grizzly Bear have long been considered one of the most creative bands of their generation, and they show no signs of slowing down. After a couple of successful solo albums (Daniel Rossen’s Silent Hour/Golden Mile comes especially recommended), the quartet reunited to craft a follow-up to 2009’s star-turn Veckatimest, and though we may not have much information on it, we’ve got the swashbuckling lead single “Sleeping Ute,” which recalls both the melodic sophistication of Veckatimest and the freewheeling spirit of their seminal 2006 release, Yellow House. That sounds pretty damn good to me.
“Sleeping Ute”
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8. Frank Ocean, Channel Orange
July 17th, DefJam
In the last 18 months, LA-based, NOLA-bred R&B sensation Frank Ocean has experienced both the frustrations and glory of signing with a major label. Though his career has exploded, his year-long fight to clear the samples that made up his superlative debut mixtape nostalgia, ultra turned out to be a frivolous exercise, and he was even barred from performing some of his songs live. Once he gave up on re-releasing his debut, he threw his focus into Channel Orange, a new, (assumedly) sample-free project. Its debut single — the sprawling, 10-minute time travel opus “Pyramids” — underlines Ocean’s ambitious, explorative spirit and unique voice, while assuaging any fears that he wouldn’t be able to do it without the samples.
“Pyramids”
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9. Flying Lotus: Until The Quiet Comes
October, Warp
We may not have heard anything from this album yet, but when you’ve built the back catalog that LA-producer Steven “Flying Lotus” Ellison has, you don’t need to release any preview singles unless you want to. Over the course of three genre-bending albums and a raft of EPs, Ellison has built a legion of fans, thanks to his explosive, experimental, everything-but-the-kitchen-sink approach to dance music. Fusing elements of jazz, hip-hop, electro, dubstep, and anything else he can get his laptop on, the only thing you can expect from FlyLo is the unexpected, which is why we are all so excited to hear Until The Quiet Comes.
“Table Tennis” from his 2010 LP Cosmogramma
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10. Holy Other: Held
August 21st, TriAngle
Holy Other’s 2011 debut EP With U was one of my favorite releases of last year, so it’s no surprise that his maiden full-length would make this list. The mercurial Mancunian crafts undulating, down-tempo R&B-influenced ambient soundscapes. He has a unique ability to craft affecting, lyrical tracks while using only fragments of vocals, resulting in work that is both otherworldly and deeply human and vulnerable.
Debut single “Love Some1”
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11. Yeasayer: Fragrant World
August 21st, Secretly Canadian
These Brooklyn psych-pop weirdos already showed us once that they have the balls to take big risks, and it seems like they are up to their old tricks. Eschewing the strong eastern influences of their brilliant debut All Hour Cymbals, they took a brave step by diving into the synth-driven, fractured 80’s pop of their follow-up Odd Blood (2010), and it looks as if they are set to take another unexpected step into the sonic abyss. I have no clue where they’ll go with Fragrant World, but you can bet it won’t be down the same roads they’ve already tread.
Debut single “Henrietta”
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