New Music Releases — 2014

Kanye West Kid Cudi Pharrell Williams Michael Loccisano / Stephen Lovekin / Matt Jones, Getty Images Brian Josephs via BoomBox.com The majority of this year’s biggest releases already include surprise projects and chronically delayed albums. With a dramatic trailer, Pharrell gave his fans a two-week notice before dropping ‘G I R L’ — a part-funk, part-soul, part-pop ode to the fairer sex. And Kid Cudi only gave a few hours notice before he treated his supporters to a new opus. Although he previously announced ‘SATELLITE FLIGHT: The Journey to Mother Moon’ late last year, the actual release date wasn’t revealed until hours before it debuted. Cudi’s fourth album hit iTunes on Feb. 25 at midnight. March was the biggest month for hip-hop and R&B releases so far. Rick Ross kicked off the month with his oft-delayed ‘Mastermind.’ Then gangsta rap reigned supreme for a week when YG‘s ‘My Krazy Life’ and Freddie Gibbs and Madlib‘s ‘Pinata’ dropped the same day to much acclaim. Ashanti‘s ‘Braveheart’ and Young Money’s ‘Rise of an Empire’ arrived as well. The Step Brothers’ (comprised of the Alchemist and Evidence) ‘Lord Steppington’ and ScHoolboy Q‘s ‘Oxymoron’ also satisfied hip-hop heads by dropping in January and February, respectively. ScHoolboy Q had his first No. 1 album with his effort. There’s still nine more months of new music releases to go. Kanye West will dominate the conversation soon enough if his album hits in summer 2014. Future‘s ‘Honest, Iggy Azalea‘s ‘The New Classic’ and 50 Cent‘s ‘Animal Ambition’ are on their way as well. Also, a Jay Electronica LP just might drop this year judging from his recent track with Jay Z, ‘We Made It.’ Here are the albums dropping throughout the year. 2014 New Music Releases Jan. 1 Del the Funky Homosapien, ‘Iller Than Most’ Jan. 2 French Montana, ‘Coke Boys 4′ Jan. 7 Kid Ink, ‘My Own Lane’ Jan. 21 Step Brothers, ‘Lord Steppington’ Jan. 28 J. Holiday, ‘Guilty Conscience’ Algebra Blessett, ‘Recovery’ Feb. 4 Toni Braxton & Babyface, ‘Love, Marriage & Divorce’ Feb. 18 The Doppelgangaz, ‘Peach Kehd’ Feb. 25 ScHoolboy Q, ‘Oxymoron’ Kid Cudi, ‘SATELLITE FLIGHT: The journey to Mother Moon’ Feb. 27 Vince Staples, ‘Shyne Coldchain II’ March 3 Rick Ross, ‘Mastermind’ Pharrell Williams, ‘G I R L’ March 4 Ashanti, ‘BraveHeart’ Black Milk, ‘Glitches in the Break’ March 11 Young Money, ‘Rise of an Empire’ Aloe Blacc, ‘Lift Your Spirit’ Ledisi, ‘The Truth’ March 18 Freddie Gibbs & Madlib, ’Piñata’ YG, ‘My Krazy Life’ March 25 Sage the Gemini, ’Remember Me’ April 1 Mobb Deep, ‘The Infamous Mobb Deep’ Smoke DZA, ‘Dream.ZONE.Achieve’ April 8 Chuck Inglish, ‘Convertibles’ SZA, ‘Z’ April 15 Pharoahe Monch, ‘P.T.S.D.’ Nas, ‘Illmatic XX’ August Alsina, ‘Testimony’ April 22 Kelis, ‘Food’ Future, ‘Honest’ Asher Roth, ‘RetroHash’ Iggy Azalea, ‘The New Classic’ April 29 Styles P, ‘Phantom and the Ghost’ May 5 Chris Brown, ‘X’ May 6 Tech N9ne, ‘Collabos: Strangeulation’ Atmosphere, ‘Southsiders’ May 13 Ice Cube, ‘Everythang’s Corrupt’ IamSu!, ‘Sincerely Yours’ May 20 Blu, ‘Good to Be Home’ June 3 50 Cent, ‘Animal Ambition’ TBA Kanye West, TBA Mariah Carey, TBA Kat Dahlia, ‘My Garden’