Hip-hop’s hot streak: big album drops, historic vatican performance, and what’s next
After what has been an amazing few-month stretch for hip-hop releases, major studio albums dropped from acclaimed rappers such as J.I.D, Freddie Gibbs and The Alchemist, Tyler, The Creator, and Clipse.
These are some of the biggest names in rap today, so seeing them release within the same timeframe was a bigger treat than any hip-hop head could have asked for.
With the American summer releases out of the way, it seems September is taking its time to slow down and let all these projects settle in.
Adding to that, Tyler, The Creator has just come off his monumental worldwide Chromakopia/DTTG tour, culminating in massive shows across New Zealand and Australia.
Rumours of a ‘Hebrew jazz funk’ album, sparked by Lil Yachty’s Instagram tease, got fans hyped for Tyler’s 2026 plans; however, these allegations were quickly shut down by Tyler, leaving fans disappointed.
Still, with some real teases on the horizon, Freddie Gibbs and The Alchemist revealed in a recent interview that a third installment of their Alfredo series is in the works.
“It’s a franchise now, so I’d be lying if I said we weren’t already cooking,” says The Alchemist—adding to the hype from their latest release and leaving fans even more excited for the duo’s next project.
Most notably for hip-hop, Clipse, along with John Legend, made history by performing their hit new song, ‘The Birds Don’t Sing,’ from their latest album Let God Sort ‘Em Out, at The Vatican.
This marks the first rap performance ever at The Vatican, which could hopefully open the gateway for many more to come.
It’s no wonder the Chicago-born Pope hosted a rap performance with such legendary artists; backed by a full orchestra, the show was nothing short of inspiring and deeply emotional.
Even during a recently slow period for hip-hop releases, large-scale events like this are keeping the culture vibrant, and hopefully, we’ll see more music drops from various artists soon.
Fans are still eagerly waiting for new tracks from artists like J. Cole, Baby Keem, and the rumoured Nas and DJ Premier collaboration project, among many others.
