In a time where albums are released without anyone’s prior knowledge, it’s hard to understand why some artists are constantly having their releases put on the back burner for months at a time . There are some albums that are only recently delayed, and there are the fabled holy grails of the albums who may or may not exist. Considering the ridiculous amount of speculation about these albums, it’s time to solidify a short list of some albums that are stuck in distribution hades (as of mid-september, please forgive The Prowler if any of these are released in between the writing and publishing of this article).
Lil Wayne - Tha Carter V
Lil Wayne has threatened quitting the rap game more times than one would care to recall. But, whenever he does, it always seems he wants one last project to drop. That happened with “I Am Not A Human Being II,” but then his skating career never took off. This time, Wayne intended to release his final installation in the acclaimed "Tha Carter" series before retiring. This release, like many of his prior, has been delayed thanks to Cash Money label head Birdman. Much drama has ensued and the whole situation is a mess of diss tracks and cruel words in interviews. Wayne, however, did release “Sorry 4 the Wait 2” and “F.W.A” in the meantime.
Untitled Frank Ocean Project
In 2012 Frank Ocean became neo soul’s sweetheart with the release of album “channel ORANGE,” taking home a Grammy for Best Urban Contemporary Album and universal critical acclaim. The problem with having such a fantastic first commercial release is that it leaves the fans starving for more, and Ocean has been waving the proverbial t-bone steak in front of his fans a lot this year. The album had a strong promise of being released in July. The possibility of a second album in which Ocean would rap his vocals was even rumored to come out in the same month. But, alas, it is no longer summer. There is no update on the project since the disappointing July that fans experienced. All that’s left to do in the meantime is weep again over “channel ORANGE.”
Kanye West - SWISH
Yeezus, Kanye West’s last studio release, left some moderate / mainstream Kanye fans scratching their heads and his more serious fans drooling in a sweet coma of noise rap euphoria. Since then, Yeezy has been slow to build up to his new album. The singles “Wolves” and “All Day” have been dropped, with only “All Day” having an official CD quality release available to purchase. The album was teased to come out multiple times, each time heightened by rabid fans hyping it up. It seems everything West does publically is supposed to be the harbinger for the release of “SWISH."
RiFF RAFF - PEACH PANTHER
RiFF RAFF is no stranger to album delays. His 2014 release “NEON iCON” was delayed for a sizeable amount of time, with various release dates promised, but never upheld. Now RiFF RAFF is doing the same thing with his new album “PEACH PANTHER” which at one point was supposed to be one half of a double album, one half being a rock album and the other one hip hop. The last “official” release was supposed to be in June, but nothing new has come up.
Jay Electronica Project
Jay Electronica’s allegedly forthcoming project has reached legendary levels of mysticism. The album is on the level of Dr. Dre’s recently officially cancelled “Detox.” Electronica’s release history has been spotty and mysterious from the beginning, known for being on very few songs every year. His brilliant lyricism and flow is able to hold the hype that one would think would be lost after years and years of disappointment.