Rapper’s release dates bouncing around are far from rare events, it happens easily enough. Fear of expectations, label pressure, and worst of all, the constant propensity for change of what rap the average consumer will actually listen to constantly influence mainstream rappers. Still, somehow this year has felt particularly bad: Lil Wayne’s thus far weak attempt at a comeback, Dre’s pussyfooting, while guys like J. Cole and Jay Electronica seem to nearly insist on remaining in the ambiguous territory between buzz, hype and genuine fame.
Of course, Detox is a bit of an extreme case, but it’s not the only record lingering in pre-release hell. Both dormant (in terms of mainstream album releases, anyway) since 2008, Game and Young Jeezy seem to have both reached summer release dates. The guys have some interesting things in common – both gained considerable popularity in the mid-2000’s, enough that you’d think it’d gain them some sway. Yet, Game’s R.E.D. Album – his intended return to glory, back on his idol’s label – and Jeezy’s TM 103 have received whispered, tentative release periods time and time again. The material amassed along the way is interesting in itself; remember Game’s flopped single with Justin Timberlake? It was produced by The Neptunes, no less. Then there’s what goes on behind the scenes: Jeezy’s sitting on a handful of Kanye West productions from the last two years, a pre-Relapse Eminem spot, an André 3000 feature, and God knows what else. Chances are, little if any of this will see the light of day.
Delays change albums, and in the cases of Jeezy and Game, they’ve never really stopped working, with mixtape after mixtape. The climate for the past several years hasn’t been friendly to their brand of hip hop, and it’s a testament to last year’s healthy impact on the industry that these guys are getting dates. Game’s R.E.D. has been officially announced for August 23rd. Young Jeezy, recently quiet, opened a twitter account intended to build buzz for TM 103, tweeting at precisely 1:03 yesterday that the album has been completed, and to expect a summer release date. Assuming these dates stick we can both look forward to an exciting summer and hope the likes of Dre and Ye and Jay-Z will follow suit.
Update: According to Rap-Up, TM 103 has received a date as well, July 26th, which’ll mean it’s coming before Game’s album. It’s all good news.
