We were so close. ASAP Rocky has been teasing the release of his fourth studio album since 2018. The traction that the album, titled Don’t Be Dumb, gained in recent months, however, made it seem like it was finally coming to fruition. An August 30th release date was unveiled, and ASAP Rocky started doing the promo rounds. He even dropped a music video for his latest single, “HIGHJACK.” Then, within hours of the video’s release, the rug was pulled out. Don’t Be Dumb is reportedly being delayed. Again.
The delay was announced by the Twitter account Amk. The account posted a screenshot of a convo in which the release date of the Don’t Be Dumb vinyls was confirmed to be September 30th. The account noted that September 30th has not been officially announced as ASAP Rocky’s new release date, but it does look as though the rapper is going to push the album back once again. September 30th would be exactly one month removed from the original Don’t Be Dumb release date.
The Amk tweet noted that Don’t Be Dumb was supposed to release the same day as the Destroy Lonely album, Love Lasts Forever. It’s unclear whether the Destroy Lonely release has anything to do with the alleged delay. ASAP Rocky talked about the recording process for Don’t Be Dumb during a recent chat with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe. He blamed internet leaks for the album’s delays. “It’s very important and special if it makes it on the album,” he explained. “Most of the songs that I usually perform and sh*t like that, motherf*ckers leak it.”
ASAP Rocky claimed that none of the leaked songs made the final tracklist. “Once it’s leaked, it’s just like, ha, it’s not on the project,” he stated. “I might perform it here or there, but it’s leaked. It is what it is… It’s out already. A lot of these records didn’t make it because they got leaked at some point.” Hopefully the Harlem rapper is able to recover, and drop the album soon. The response to the rumored delay has not be positive, and given that fans have waited for five years, it’s easy to see why.
Delayed rap albums have unfortunately become commonplace in the genre’s world. Artists fail to deliver on the dates they gave themselves for a variety of reasons, whether it be label issues, sample clearance, or simply, not completing the project on time.
Social media is the biggest factor in these situations. With the rise of Instagram Live, artists often preview snippets of music that build high expectations for their upcoming projects. Sometimes artists are transparent about why the project hasn’t been released and sometimes they aren’t. Listeners just have to stay locked in to see what happens to the project once it is announced.
With that in mind, we’re exploring 7 previously announced projects that have yet to see the light of day. Check out the entries below.
7. Boldy James & J Dilla – Drug Dilla
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 01: Boldy James of The Alchemist x Boldy James performs during the NBA Leather tour at The Warfield on February 01, 2022 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images)
Boldy James drops so much music, it’s hard to tell if he’s ever dropped a delayed rap album. Often, his releases come as a surprise as opposed to receiving a full promotional run. Many of Boldy’s projects have been producer-exclusive collabs and this highly anticipated release follows the same formula. Boldly and Dilla are both from Detroit so this is one connection they already have. Boldy first announced the project in an interview on Showoff Your Gems and later confirmed to Rap Radar that he had “the last of the Dilla stash.” There is currently no date for the project and Boldy has only announced the name of it, Drug Dilla.
Westside Gunn is currently in the midst of dropping a delayed rap album, And Then You Pray For Me, which was initially due out last month. However, he has another release that may be a hair more anticipated than this one. Gunnlib, the anticipated joint effort between Westside Gunn and Madlib, was birthed from their collab of the same name that appeared on Flygod Is An Awesome God. The two formed a great collaborative record together with their most recent appearing on Westside Gunn’s 2022 release Peace “Fly” God.
Madlib is a legendary producer with an extensive resume and Westside Gunn’s golden era-tinted sound is undoubtedly a perfect pairing with the Madvillainy producer’s beats. Westside Gunn announced his “retirement” before releasing this album, although he didn’t follow through on it – much to the delight of his fans. Westside Gunn enjoys regularly dropping music and is often transparent about why things have been delayed. This release depends on his own personal release plans.
HOLLYWOOD, CA – NOVEMBER 14: Cardi B performs onstage during the Fashion Nova x Cardi B Collaboration Launch Event at Boulevard3 on November 14, 2018 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Rich Fury/Getty Images for Fashion Nova)
This delayed rap album is not a matter of a label dispute. In December 2022, Cardi was completely transparent about her album delay while on Instagram Live. “I feel like I got so many songs and I don’t like anything. I feel like nothing is good enough,” she explained. Cardi B went on to say that even if she did put the music out, she’d have personal issues to work out throughout the roll out. “I know right after I drop my album, I have to go out on tour and I have bad separation anxiety from my kids,” Cardi added.
These reasons are completely justified. Cardi has not left her fans starving though as she has recently appeared on several remixes, including FendiDa Rappa’s “Point Me 2,” as well as a handful of singles. Cardi has financial goals and enjoys being on the stage itself and stated that she just needs to get herself together and put out the new project.
4. Pusha T & DJ Drama – Untitled Gangsta Grillz Mixtape
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – APRIL 20: Pusha T attends Pusha T It’s Almost Dry Album Listening Event In NYC at Studio 525 on April 20, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Johnny Nunez/Getty Images for Def Jam)
Pusha T works on his own time. In fact, the luxury of time is what inspires the title of his magnum opus, Daytona. In his own words: “I drops every blue moon to separate myself from you kings of the YouTube.” He usually doesn’t share updates on the release of new music until it’s ready for public consumption.
The Re-Up Gang mixtapes hold a special place in the mixtape era. And while Push has released a handful of solo mixtapes, he’s yet to link up with DJ Drama for an entry under the Gangsta Grillz umbrella. However, the two confirmed that would be in the works next. Rumors of a Clipse album have also begun with Pusha T and No Malice reuniting on It’s Almost Dry and NIGO’s most recent album. Additionally, they debuted an unreleased song at Pharrell’s Louis Vuitton fashion show. Listeners at least hope No Malice will appear on Pusha’s Gangsta Grillz project.
Playboi Carti’s listeners know a thing or two about delayed rap albums. The elusive artist’s last album, Whole Lotta Red was highly anticipated by many and had a rough rollout. It began in 2018 and after cryptic posts from him, those associated with him, and several leaks, it finally dropped on Christmas Day in 2020.
Carti’s next album, Music, seems like it’s facing similar delays. In December 2022, Carti shared his most recent Instagram post that many suspect could be cover art for something. The title of the album is Music, according to his interview with XXL in April 2022. Carti’s work with Pi’erre Bourne and his ear for production have stood out throughout his discography. The Atlanta-born rapper’s 2020 album certainly shifted the culture sonically, as well. We expect that the delay surrounding the album will be worth the wait and he’ll, once again, deliver a groundbreaking body of work that pushed the boundaries further.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – DECEMBER 08: A$AP Rocky performs during the Amazon Music Live Concert Series on December 08, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jerritt Clark/Getty Images for Amazon Music)
This delayed rap album is a result of Rocky juggling multiple things in his life. He’s become a Dad twice over with his partner Rihanna; he’s done collaborations with multiple brands and was also a part of a promo/collab with the video game Need For Speed Unbound. Originally, listeners thought the name of his album was going to be ALL $MILES due to a caption on some of Rocky’s Instagram posts. However, once he returned to live performances, he began promoting Don’t Be Dumb on his clothing. Eventually, Rocky confirmed this was the album’s title during his Amazon Music Live performance in 2022 where he debuted three unreleased songs. One of these songs was “Same Problems?”, an emotional tribute to rappers who’ve passed away in recent years. Listeners are anticipating exactly how Rocky’s album will sound with many hoping he goes back to his roots.
LOS ANGELES, CA – JUNE 29: Rapper Dr. Dre performs during the Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar, J.Cole, Miguel and SchoolBoyQ concert during the 2013 BET Experience at Staples Center on June 29, 2013 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Chelsea Lauren/Getty Images for BET)
If this delayed rap album wasn’t on this list, the list wouldn’t even be valid. Detox was officially announced back in 2002. Dre promoted it as his final album and listeners dreamed of it being one of the greatest releases of all time. His go-to collaborators like Snoop Dogg, Eminem and 50 Cent would naturally be on it. As time passed, people anticipated newer stars like Kendrick Lamar to be featured. Dr. Dre allegedly began working on Detox as early as 2001.
In 2015, he dropped Compton, which was not a reworked version of Detox. The album boasted features from Dre’s latest prodigies including Kendrick Lamar and Anderson .Paak. Dre later revealed that he had a stash of songs that he initially planned to release as part of Detox, although it didn’t meet his standards, thus squashing the possibilities of the album’s release. However, there have been a few rumors from close collaborators that the album might see the light of day. However, Dre hasn’t confirmed this.
