The 10 Most Anticipated Hip-Hop Albums of 2026

Some of Denzel Curry’s albums have been good and some have been great, but all of them have produced at least one song that makes the brains of listeners fucking explode. From “Ultimate” to “Walkin,” “RICKY” to “HOT ONE,” no one else in hip-hop treats every week in the booth like it’s Shark Week. For Strictly 4 the Scythe, the Florida rapper has formed a supergroup with frequent collaborators A$AP Ferg, Bktherula, TiaCorine, and Key Nyata. With such a lineup, it should be rich with spicy rhymes, allowing Curry to once again live up to his name. — Wren Graves

AZ Chike is the self-described "Best Feature on GNX," Kendrick Lamar's surprise 2024 album that dominated well into 2025. Unsatisfied with being a mere contributor to the GNX fan favorite "Peekaboo," the South Central MC got it cracking last year with a handful of singles that oozed confidence, including "Whatx2," one of our Best Songs of 2025. His latest single, "Hit a Nerve," sees the rapper upping the ante energetically and sonically, a possible foreshadowing of the direction of his upcoming album, N.R.F.T.W. (No Rest for the Wicked). Whether it's flexing for the sake of it or intentionally antagonizing his foes, AZ Chike aims to entertain and collect new fans in the process. — K. Fitzgerald

Part of the reason Bone Thugs-N-Harmony postponed their co-headlining tour with Three 6 Mafia was to finalize work on a new album. Set to be the Cleveland collective's first project featuring all five original members since 2010's Uni5: The World’s Enemy, the album is expected to drop sometime this year. It follows a string of 2025 singles, including the bouncy "Aww Shit," contemplative "Road Nights," and forward-looking "Over." While comeback albums can be a mixed bag, Clipse and De La Soul recently proved it's possible to lean into nostalgia while successfully breaking new ground. — Eddie Fu

Not that we think you should take the historically elusive group’s word as gospel, but it sure seems like Death Grips is online. Two years after their last tour, almost eight years after their last proper release, and shortly after rumors of a breakup spread around the internet, the experimental hip-hop group took to social media to clarify that, no, they’re actually not done yet. In fact, more than dispelling any murmurs of a breakup, they even teased that they’re working on a brand new album. Again, these dudes have lied to us plenty of times before — it's part of what we love about them — so we're attempting to maintain a healthy hesitance, but even the possibility of a new Death Grips is enough to get us excited. — Jonah Krueger

The only other two women who won a Grammy for Best Rap Album — Lauryn Hill and Cardi B — famously struggled to follow up on their historic success. However, Doechii seems hellbent on living up to Kendrick Lamar's praise as "the hardest out." On her SZA-assisted 2025 closer "girl, get up," the Florida MC hits back at the misogyny and industry plant allegations that followed her breakout 2024 mixtape, Alligator Bites Never Heal. Spitting over a knocking beat, she promises to "address it on the album" while sneering, "Let's sink into the fact that hate don't make you powerful." — E. Fu

Boss Rabbit has produced some of his most indelible work by teaming up with a single producer: Piñata and Bandana with Madlib and his trio of albums with The Alchemist all rank among the most interesting hip-hop projects of the years they were released. Kaytranada is unlike any of Gibbs’ previous collaborators, and this album promises to push the veteran MC out of his comfort zone. It might be fantastic or it might not quite work, but it certainly won’t be boring. — W. Graves

2025 was a quiet year musically for GloRilla after she dropped a pair of projects in 2024, including her triumphant debut album, GLORIOUS. After easing off the gas, the Memphis rapper recently promised in an XXL interview that she will go "all the way" for her follow-up effort. It's a safe bet that the upcoming project will feature a mix of Dirty South nostalgia and turn-up anthems alongside more of the spiritual side that GloRilla displayed on her debut, continuing to share a more complete version of the woman born Gloria Hallelujah Woods. — E. Fu

Stove God Cooks received the opportunity of a lifetime when Consequence's 2025 Artists of the Year, Clipse, called on him to produce an unforgettably evocative hook on "F.I.C.O.," one of the Best Songs of 2025. The Syracuse rapper not only delivered, he exceeded expectations so thoroughly that he's capitalizing on the momentum and building toward his next release, Goat Stamp, which will be his first album since 2020's Reasonable Drought. Stove God Cooks may be having a bit of trouble with his label — "Yo Hov Get Me Out This Shit" he posted to his story on January 8th — but that doesn't stop the hype that has intensified around the MC. — K. Fitzgerald