Music Radar: November

November brings new music from artists like The Kid LAROI, Busta Rhymes, and a collaboration between 2 Chainz and Lil Wayne, as well as the long-awaited return of a hip-hop legend. . . on the flute?​
​by Emery Brown

Charlton Howard, also known by his stage name The Kid LAROI, made his return to the music scene last Friday after a two-year hiatus with an album titled THE FIRST TIME. The Australian rapper is largely known for being a protege to the late Juice WRLD, whose real name was Jarad Higgins. Howard’s music, both old and new, reflects this as they carry that same sad, heartbroken sound that Higgins perfected. However, Howard is a more controversial figure as many enjoy his angsty persona, while others find it insufferable. Regardless, his return to music excites millions around the world.

Releasing on the twenty-fourth, Blockbusta will be the eleventh studio album by veteran MC Busta Rhymes. Not much is known about the album so far, but one exciting piece of news is that the project will feature many big-name producers such as Pharrell Williams, Timbaland, Swizz Beatz, and Busta himself, according to variety.com. 

One iconic duo will be releasing a collaborative project on the seventeenth, Lil Wayne and 2 Chainz’s Welcome 2 Collegrove. The album, a sequel to 2 Chainz’s 2016 project Collegrove (Which was originally also supposed to be a collaboration with Wayne), will feature the guest appearances of 21 Savage, Usher, Rick Ross, and more. With both Lil Wayne and 2 Chainz being some of the most influential stars in rap history, this project is bound to be interesting.

Announced on the fourteenth, OutKast’s Andre 3000, whose real name is Andre Benjamin, will release his first solo album in seventeen years this Friday with New Blue Sun. The thing is, it will feature no rapping, no beats, and no singing. Instead, it will feature Benjamin and a variety of woodwinds. This may seem unusual but the Atlanta native has been seen wandering the world, flute in hand. The project will have eight tracks with wildly creative titles, the most notable being, “I Swear, I Really Wanted to Make a ‘Rap’ Album but This Is Literally the Way the Wind Blew Me This Time.”

​When asked if he will ever make a return to rap, Benjamin states, “There’s this misconception that I just won’t do it. I think people feel like I’m sitting around on rap albums, or sitting around and I’m just not putting them out in that way. And no it’s not like that. . . In my mind, I really would like to make a rap album. So maybe that happens one day, but I got to find a way to say what I want to say in an interesting way that’s appealing to me at this age.”

When it comes to genre switches in rap, you have your successful albums like Kanye West’s 808s & Heartbreak and your failures like Kid Cudi’s Speedin’ Bullet 2 Heaven. It’s a tremendous risk and puts your entire image and career on the line. To ensure the quality of the project, the OutKast alumni sought advice from fellow music artists Tyler, the Creator and Frank Ocean, who both gave the album their approval.

With many iconic artists releasing projects this month, it’s an exciting time for hip-hop fans. One can only wonder which one of these, if any, will qualify to be album of the year.