2023 ALBUMS FANS ARE PATIENTLY WAITING FOR

2022 was another awesome year with so much new music dropping and emerging stars making their way into the industry. From Glorilla's rookie success to the innovation of music distribution, artists and music lovers alike are shaking up the game. But with so many great new releases, fans of superstars like Rihanna and Nicki Minaj are still waiting for albums. Here's a list of artists that we are all patiently waiting on albums from.

Rihanna has been titillating her fans with the idea of an album for years now. The Grammy award winning singer has successful crossed over into other business endeavors including beauty and fashion which have done her well. After recently having a baby with her rapper boyfriend ASAP Rocky, it doesn't seem like Rihanna has an album on her mind. In 2022, she released a single featured on the Wakanda Forever: Soundtrack written by Tems. “Lift Me Up” was Rihanna’s first single since her 2016 album, Anti and ranked No. 1 on Billboard’s relaunched Hot Trending Songs chart. On Feb. 12, 2023, Rihanna will headline the Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show at Super Bowl LVII. She will be the first artist to headline the halftime show under Apple Music’s new partnership with the NFL and Roc Nation. Perhaps the huge performance will inspire Rihanna to get in the studio long term but it's very unlikely right now. The 34 year old superstar has said time and time again that she is truly enjoying where she's at in life. Although she gets a kick out of trolling fans sometimes, Rihanna reiterates that she's focused on being a great mom and partner while continuing to build her Fenty empire.

Frank Ocean always leaves fans waiting more whenever he drops new music. After his certified platinum "Blonde" album, music lovers wondered if Frank was here to stay or just for the season. Unfortunately, it was just for the season as Frank Ocean hasn't dropped a new album in six years. Technically, he hasn't retired yet as he’s still set to headline Coachella in spring 2023, so there’s a high possibility we will get new music from the artist within the coming few months. Yet and still, we keep our finger crossed.

PartyNextDoor was such a breath of fresh air when he first came on the scene in 2014. The OVO signee has not only helped write some of Drake's best hits but has also earned himself several collabs from Drizzy! His albums have had great success as two of his three albums are RIAA certified. The Canadian singer has all of his projects including EPs on DSPs which is great for fans that want to stream. Despite random singles here and there mixed with subtle postings on social media, PND is very rarely seen out and about. Looks like we'll have to wait a little longer for a complete project from Party.

Cardi B's debut's album "Invasion of Privacy" was a culture reset that no one quite anticipated. Not only is the album 3x platinum but it was also the 2019 Grammy winner for Rap album of the year. With so much praise for her first project, Cardi has been vocal about the pressure she feels to exceed fan's expectations. Cardi B took to Instagram to explain her fear of dropping a new album. "Everyone criticizes what you do", Cardi B said on her IG profile. The fear is one that many artists share prevents them from releasing music. With recent successful singles and feature verses, it seems that Cardi is having fun with her career and is in no rush to put out a full project.

Nicki Minaj reminded fans and critics just why she is the Queen of Rap again last year. Not only did she release new music but she connected with new school rappers like Fivio Foreign,NBA YoungBoy, headlined Power 105.1's Powerhouse concert and even the tapped in with young female superstars like City Girls' JT, Coi Leray and more. Nicki Minaj has always been an artist who took their craft very seriously, from providing the best quality of music to constantly remaining creative and fresh. Her 2022 "Super Freaky Girl", did very well upon its release on August 12th 2022 as the song broke the Spotify record for the biggest debut for a solo female rap song. The song debuted at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100, making it the second solo song by a female hip-hop artist to debut at number one after Lauryn Hill's 1998 single "Doo Wop (That Thing)". With so much success off singles alone, Nicki doesn't seem to have a new album in her plans. When asked about next steps for her, Nicki says that she's focused on building an empire. The now-married and mom of one has been running the game for quite a while now. Fans will have to enjoy more singles until the Queen is ready to release another album.

A fan favorite, Polo G always seems to delivery when it comes to his album. All three of his full length releases, "Die a Legend", "The Goat", and "Hall of Fame", are RIAA certified platinum. The Chicago rapper took to Instagram at the top of the New Year to let fans know that he's ready to take over the rap game. He says, "2023 I’m tryna set the tone…I got something GREAT in store I promise🐐Happy New Year Gang nem STAY BLESSED🖤🖤🖤". Does this mean that a new Polo G album is on the horizon? Polo G lovers will just have to wait to see what the year has in store.

The City Girls have managed to do a great job of dropping music while branding themselves as individuals personalities. Yung Miami aka Caresha has struck gold with her podcast Caresha Please, presented by Revolt TV. The show accumulates millions of views as Yung Miami interviews celebrities to talk relationships, mental health and more. JT, on the other hand, has embarked on solo success. Although they're still a group, JT makes special appearances on songs like "Ex For a Reason" featuring Summer Walker, "Super Freaky Girl" remix featuring Nicki Minaj, "F.NF" remix with Glorilla and more. As the Florida femcees continue to enjoy their latest endeavors, neither of them have commented on whether or not we're getting an album this year.

Lil Uzi Vert recently announced that he's dropping new music in February which is great news for his fans. Lil Uzi Vert hasn't released a solo album since 2020's Eternal Atake. Since then, they put out the Future collab project Pluto x Baby Pluto that November, but has yet to put out their highly anticipated solo follow-up. Last summer, Uzi released the Red & White EP exclusively on Soundcloud. Still, 2022 was great for Uzi as he dropped his single "Just Wanna Rock" featuring the new Jersey club beat trend. The single lead to Uzi tapping in with new age rappers like 2raree and viral Twitch streamer Kai Cenat. The MCVertt and Synthetic-produced dance track peaked at No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Whether "new music" means album, EP or single, Uzi didn't say but he is set to go on a 20-city North American tour starting in March. This will be Lil Uzi Vert's first headlining tour in five years when they co-headlined the Endless Summer Tour with G-Eazy in 2018. Hopefully, this will be an opportunity for fans to see him perform the upcoming album live in concert.

Saucy Santana is one of the brightest breakout stars we've seen in recent years. Having embarked on major success with singles like Walk, Bop Bop, Booty featuring Latto, Shi Sha featuring City Girls and more, Santana knows what his fans want and provides. The Florida-breed rapper even landed a Madonna feature for the remix to his record "Material Girl". Just last year, Santana was featured on the 2022 XXL Freshman cover. With all this buzz, it's no question why fans are asking for an album. Can Santana sustain his new stardom with a full project or is it just single success? 2023 may show us just what Saucy Santana is working with.