Five Highly Anticipated Hip Hop Music Albums of the Next Year - Entertainment - Music

The end of this year is a surprisingly good time for hip hop music. Many new rappers are refreshing the genre, while other more established hip hop artists are due to release new hip hop music albums. Here are five of the most anticipated hip hop music release due out in the next year, from hip hop artists both new and classic.

The Roots - Undun: The Philadelphia group the Roots were once underground hip hop artists, but their energetic version of live music has been embraced by the mainstream. Their next album, due out in late 2011, is meant to be their first narrative album, and is said to blend orchestral sounds with rap beats.

Common - The Dreamer, the Believer: Common set himself apart in the late '90s as one of the best of a new class of so-called "conscious" hip hop artists. His musical output varied in critical reception, though, as he began to focus on other pursuits like acting. This record, featuring beats by No I.D., is said to be a return to pure hip hop form.

Big K.R.I.T. - Live From the Underground: Big K.R.I.T. is in a special class of rappers from the South, who represents the area he's from while still focusing on the lyricism of classic rappers.

He's released a slew of recent beloved free mixtapes, but this proper album, delayed by several months, will mark his first major-label release. On it, he's also set to rap exclusively over his own beats.

Outkast - Title TBA: Andre 3000 and Big Boi, the members of Outkast, have proven themselves as beloved solo artists. But fans miss them working together, and next year is supposed to deliver a new solo Outkast album, the first proper one since 2003. Additionally, before that, they will also release new albums as solo artists.

Insane Clown Posse - The Mighty Death Pop: Insane Clown Posse is now enjoying over 20 years in the music industry. Unlike many artists, for years they've controlled their own recording and distribution processes, letting them release new albums whenever they see fit.

This new Insane Clown Posse record, due out next year, is Insane Clown Posse's 12th studio album. It picks up on some lyrical ideas begun on the last Insane clown Posse album, 2009's Bang! Pow! Boom! Like the most recent Insane Clown Posse work, this is sure to combine shocking and outrageous images with a surprisingly deeper meaning.

The upcoming Insane Clown Posse album is part of a longer narrative arc of hip hop music albums that all fit together to form a complete mythology called "the Dark Carnival."

The rest of these Insane Clown Posse albums, as well as in-depth information about the group, can be found on the Insane Clown Posse official web site at

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