December 2021 New Music Releases
The year 2021 has been a roller-coaster ride, with many peaks and valleys that have impacted the rap community in a number of ways. But as things come to a close, the month of December will bring some new and highly anticipated albums to hopefully cap off the last 12 months on a good note musically. While November offered a solo effort from Memphis' own Key Glock, a 1980s-inspired fusion of funk and rap by way of Silk Sonic—Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak—and Snoop Dogg's star-studded LP, plus many more, December has some beloved artists' albums to look forward to.
On Dec. 10, Juice Wrld's second posthumous album, Fighting Demons, will arrive. The LP was first announced on Nov. 11 with a visual teaser of the late Juice on the road. The video begins with the quote, "You are not your struggles. Addiction, anxiety and depression do not define you." In the clip, Juice says, "I really had nothing to hide. It was never really no filter in my head. Music helps the situation to pass." He also maintains that addressing certain things in his life can help someone else with what they're going through. Expect "Already Dead," released in November, plus some of the many leaked and teased tracks throughout his career to appear on the effort. Juice Wrld's first posthumous release, Legends Never Die, came out in July of 2020.
The biggest boss Rick Ross also drops his new LP, Richer Than I Ever Been, on Dec. 10. His 11th studio album, and the first that he's delivered since Port of Miami 2 in 2019, features the lead single "Outlawz" with 21 Savage and R&B singer Jazmine Sullivan. Rozay, who has been hard at work promoting Thighstop and mowing his many acres of land outside of his Georgia estate, has clearly been in the studio as well. Ross unveiled the grandiose cover artwork for the project—in which he wears a cream-colored fedora, white gloves and an amethyst stone gold ring with a white cloak featuring gold embroidery—back on Nov. 4.
Then there's Roddy Ricch. Coming off the success of his Please Excuse Me for Being Antisocial album and the hit single "The Box" in 2020, the former XXL Freshman returns with his sophomore LP, Live Life Fast, on Dec. 17. Roddy will attempt to shake the sophomore slump on the new record, which boasts 18 tracks. The album will feature his latest hit, "Late at Night," which peaked at No. 20 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Other anticipated releases for the month of December from the likes of Polo G, Styles P and Havoc, Berner and more can be found below.