These Are The 20 Albums OG Flavas Thinks You Should Be Hyped For In 2019

Undoubtedly, 2018 was a monumental year for urban music, with successive blockbuster albums and a wave of buzz new artists. This year will be the same. 2019's most coveted album is Rihanna's follow-up to 2016's ANTI. The R&B world is also ever-optimistic about fresh music from that reclusive auteur Frank Ocean. But even Adele will apparently say "hello" with a self-titled album by Christmas.

In December, the Californian rap GOAT Kendrick Lamar indicated to the LA Times that he doesn't have an album imminent. However, his All The Stars duet partner, SZA, is teasing new music. Kanye West is about the flux. The Chicago maximalist was omnipresent in 2018 as an artist, producer, political provocateur, mental health advocate, and tweeter. He released the solo ye and teamed with his protege, KiD CuDi, for KIDS SEE GHOSTS. Then West postponed another album, Yandhi, which he's supposedly now recording in Miami. But, with Ye lately re-pledging his support for President Trump, many hip hop heads may pass… The Latin rap queen Cardi B reigned in 2018 – her debut Invasion Of Privacy up for multiple Grammys. While touring Australia over the holiday period (and still promoting the banger Money), she told fans in an Instagram Live Chat to bank on a Part II this year. 

Some of Australia's biggest R&B and hip hop acts are set to have new projects in 2019. There is talk of albums from Sampa The Great, who recently aired the transitional single Energy (with London's Nadeem Din-Gabisi), and Briggs. The AB Original MC hasn't had a solo LP since 2014's Sheplife. In fact, Briggs' label, Bad Apples Music, a platform for Indigenous Australian talent, is promising to mount a 2019 takeover – with Birdz dropping an EP,  Place Of Dreams (the Trials-produced title-track featuring Ecca Vandal). Brisbane's Jesswar will soon unleash her EP on Golden Era Records.

In 2009, Melbourne soulster Daniel Merriweather presented a classic album, Love & War, on Mark Ronson's Allido imprint. A decade on, and he's heralding a return on his socials. Last year Merriweather lent his vocals to Only Can Get Better, the inaugural single from Silk City – Ronson's house side-vehicle with Diplo.

New year previews are partly based on leaks, tip-offs, hints, rumours and speculation – especially when it comes to those furtive superstars. But what R&B and hip hop can we realistically look forward to in 2019? And which break-out artists should be in your Spotify playlist? Here are OG Flavas' selections.

1. Rihanna

Rihanna once rolled out albums annually. These days, she exerts greater control over her career and is more ambitious artistically. The Barbadian has also secured acting roles and is building a fashion and beauty empire. In 2018, Rihanna starred in the box office heist movie hit, Ocean's 8. Still, it's been ages since she delivered 2016's ANTI. The #RihannaNavy is growing antsy, the icon toying with them on social media. ANTI represented Rihanna's strongest musical statement. After all, she gloriously covered Tame Impala's New Person, Same Old Mistakes. R9, as her ninth album is being informally referred to, will be an event. There's already feverish speculation about it (with even R&B newcomer HER alluding to a collab). Yet, in May, Rihanna herself confirmed to Vogue that she's recording a reggae LP.

2. Childish Gambino

In 2018, Childish Gambino (aka Donald Glover) furnished the standalone single This Is America – a cultural phenomenon. But, aside from July's Summer Pack EP and a cameo on 21 Savage's i am > i was, he offered little else. Hip hoppers can conceivably anticipate what will (ostensibly) be his farewell Childish Gambino album prior to April's headlining Coachella slot. Glover delved into psych-soul on his last LP, 2016's Awaken, My Love!, scooping a Grammy for the cult Redbone. So expect to be challenged. Let's just hope that the polymath tours Australia again before abandoning music for Hollywood.

3. Solange

Solange Knowles raised expectations of an album late last year. In October, a New York Times Style Magazine profile suggested that her follow-up to 2016's sublime A Seat At The Table would show during the Northern autumn. "There is a lot of jazz at the core," Knowles said of the music. "But with electronic and hip hop drum and bass because I want it to bang and make your trunk rattle." The performance artiste previously revealed to Billboard that she's vibed with The Internet's Steve Lacy. With Knowles now booked for Coachella, an update shouldn't be far away.

4. Baker Boy

The Fresh New Prince Of Arnhem Land, Baker Boy (Danzal Baker) is preparing to rock Laneway in February. And, this month, he's releasing a single, Cool As Hell. The rapper, musician and dancer has collaborated with members of Thundamentals and, intriguingly, he's singing. Baker's debut album is due around August. OG Flavas is told that the project will be "super-diverse", spanning G-funk, dancehall and trap as well as representing Baker's traditional Indigenous culture in a hip hop paradigm – as he did brilliantly on his signature Marryuna.

5. James Blake

The Brit post-dubstep soulster James Blake was involved in two of 2018's zeitgeist projects: the Kendrick Lamar-curated Black Panther The Album: Music From And Inspired By and trap auteur Travis Scott's ASTROWORLD. Meanwhile, last January, he aired a hyper-glitch single, If The Car Beside You Moves Ahead, co-produced with Mount Kimbie's Dominic Maker. Blake will now issue his fourth album, Assume Form, on Friday. (Amazon France uploaded details early, thwarting a 'surprise' release augured by mysterious billboards in cities like New York.) Assume Form is reported to be Blake's most unmediated, communal and expansive record, with contributions from not only Scott, but also OutKast's Andre 3000 and Spain's nuevo flamenco heroine ROSALIA. It takes in May's piano-led Don't Miss It – Blake, candid about his mental health, grappling with tendencies towards self-isolation. Could he be billed for Splendour In The Grass?

6. CLYPSO

The Sydney vocalist, musician and producer CLYPSO has cultivated a futuristic sonic hybrid she's branded "troppo chilli flakes" – blending anything from Afro-punk to dancehall to grime. She's just dropped her first EP, Cameo, encompassing the familiar bops Middle Ground (featuring Kwame), Pop Roll Flow and Strange Behaviour (with Melbourne MC Sophiegrophy). Of the previously unheard material, Bounty, co-produced by Kilter, is a ravey marching song, while Beyond Desire is a slo' jam recalling Madonna, Janet Jackson and Santigold (albeit with tabla-player Bobby Singh).

7. Kehlani 

Kehlani is currently expecting a child. Yet the Oakland R&B queen has cut new music. She has just shared a single, Nights Like This, with Ty Dolla $ign – less throwback '90s than smooth, modish R&B. Kehlani has hinted at a mixtape. Auspiciously, well before 2017's debut album, SweetSexySavage, she scored a Grammy nomination for Best Urban Contemporary Album with the mixtape You Should Be Here. Kehlani has been busy over the past two years with a heavy touring schedule and guest spots – like Cardi B's hit Ring. (Mind, her collab with Eminem, Nowhere Fast, was so underrated.) Nights Like This is a treat.

8. Janet Jackson

If Mariah Carey's Caution was 2018's most triumphant comeback, then Janet Jackson will have 2019's. The pop diva united with Puerto Rico's Daddy Yankee (of Despacito infamy) and new studio cohort Harmony Samuels (Ariana Grande) for August's single Made For Now. It's a vibrant fusion of Afrobeat, reggaeton and trop-cool with an empowering message. Word is Jackson will release her album locally through Liberation Records. Jackson, who'll this year celebrate the 30th (!) anniversary of Rhythm Nation 1814, was recently inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame.

9. AJ Tracey

The UK's grime boom is continuing into 2019. AJ Tracey, who's lately blitzed Australian festivals like Beyond The Valley, will launch his self-titled debut on 8 February. Last year, the West London rapper appeared on Craig David's The Time Is Now and cracked the UK Top 20 with his own Butterflies (featuring Not3s). Tracey's current single, Doing It, betrays a London drill influence.

10. Grace Carter

Adult contemporary R&B is making a resurgence, with Sydney's Odette giving it a modish twist. The UK's Grace Carter has likewise impressed pundits, with her piano balladry distinguished by soulful vocals, autobiographical lyrics, and alternately spare ambience and swelling symphonies. Fans of Emeli Sande will adore her. The rising star placed third in the BBC Music Sound of 2019 poll (with overground MC Octavian the victor). In December, Carter issued an EP, Why Her Not Me, with input from US super-producer Mike Dean. (She penned the title track after learning that her estranged father was doting on a second family.) Carter will now present an album on UMG. Don't sleep on Jordan Rakei's masterful jazz-house remix of Carter's Silhouette, either!

11. Chance The Rapper

In 2018, the Chicago hip hop idol Chance The Rapper was relatively lowkey, despite predictions that he'd follow 2016's widely-praised 'mixtape' Coloring Book with an album. Instead he made his acting debut in the horror comedy Slice, playing a delivery guy-cum-werewolf. But Chance shared numerous non-album singles – among them the political missive I Might Need Security. Plus, he guested on Cardi B's Invasion Of Privacy. An album is tangible in 2019. The bigger question may be if he manages to fulfil that joint outing Good Ass Job with Kanye West.

12. Raleigh Ritchie 

The UK singer, poet and musician Raleigh Ritchie (aka Jacob Anderson) unveiled a stellar album in 2016's You're A Man Now, Boy – traversing psychedelic R&B, indie and trip hop. As of last year, he's been readying the sequel. Anderson aired the eloquent single Time In A Tree. Next came Me, Myself And I – spacey electronic hip hop assisted by longtime cohort Sounwave, the feted Top Dawg Entertainment producer. Anderson has gigged solidly – and it's only a matter of time until he heads Down Under now that he (presumably) has a more flexible schedule. Indeed, the actor will say "goodbye" to his much-loved character Grey Worm in HBO's Game Of Thrones in April. 

13. Khalid

Texas' Khalid blew up in 2017 with his debut, American Teen, and is today ubiquitous (and a live fave in Australia). Last year the electro 'n' B singer supplied a series of hit collabs, such as the gentle Love Lies with Fifth Harmony's Normani (from the Love, Simon OST). Nevertheless, in October, he proffered a solo EP, Suncity, describing it as "the start of a new era for me" – the star no longer young, dumb and broke. It spawned another Gen Z anthem in the StarGate-stamped Better. Album Two is slated for 2019.

14. Billie Eilish

Incredibly, California's Billie Eilish didn't even place in the BBC Music Sound of 2018 poll (won by Sigrid). Regardless, she manifested the mood of 2018. The teen singer/songwriter has ushered in a hushed emo 'n' B, emerging as the cloud rap Ellie Goulding. Last year she circulated several viral singles, including the grunge you should see me in a crown. Eilish sang on Denzel Curry's SIRENS | Z1RENZ alongside JID – a coup. Interscope will market her album in the first half of 2019. But don't envisage flossy cameos or producers: Eilish is committed to working autonomously with her brother Finneas O'Connell. 

15. Mirrah

In the mid-2000s, Mirrah – raised between Sydney and Los Angeles – was a contestant on TLC's reality show, R U The Girl?, nearly joining the outfit for their single I Bet. The MC, neo-soulstress and dancer has established herself back in Australia, collaborating with L-FRESH The LION and guesting on Mojo Juju's acclaimed Native Tongue LP. Now she's primed to follow 2016's EP LIFE with LOVE. The lead single, Hold On, an organ-drenched psych-hop groove about transcending capitalist mores, is like Erykah Badu jamming with Saskwatch in the Dungeon Family's studio.

16. Lizzo

Rappers as distinct as Cardi B, GOOD Music's 070 Shake, and Black Panther's Yugen Blakrok challenged the male domination of hip hop in 2018. This year, Lizzo will finally get her dues with a major label album debut on Ricky Reed's Nice Life Recording Company via Warner. The spirited performer has 2019's first key bop in the disco-funk Juice – influenced by her adopted hometown of Minneapolis, which Prince put on the music map. Lizzo told The Guardian that the upcoming material will spotlight her singing.

17. Lucky Daye

As with hip hop, R&B is experiencing a generational divide among listeners – many not digging its new electronic (and experimental) direction. But Lucky Daye – specialising in sumptuous neo-soul, bouncy funk and soft rock with live instrumentation and a hip hop aesthetic – may unify audiences. The singer/musician has a dramatic label bio. Growing up in New Orleans, his mother fell into "a religious cult". The family eventually extricated themselves and Lucky pursued music, befriending former Janet Jackson producer D'Mile – now his studio mentor. In October, he premiered on RCA with Roll Some Mo – languid R&B evoking D'Angelo and Raury. Lucky's EP, I, contains five songs from a forthcoming album, Painted.

18. Mahalia

Mahalia, here for the Falls Festival, deserves an epic year. She was nominated for both the BRITs Critics' Choice Award and the BBC Music Sound of 2019 poll with her modern, rather than 'retro', interpretation of '90s R&B. Mahalia was barely in her teens when she signed to Atlantic – and she's since steadily disseminated music. The soulstress performed the title-track on Rudimental's 2015 We The Generation. The next year, she issued an acoustic album, Diary Of Me. Mahalia found her groove in 2018. In September, her Seasons EP landed, a highlight the clever hip hop-soul One Night Only with London MC Kojey Radical. 

19. Lil Uzi Vert

The Philly emo-rapper Lil Uzi Vert generated a mega-hit with 2017's gothic XO TOUR Llif3 ahead of his debut album, Luv Is Rage 2. In 2018, he blessed Travis Scott's Watch alongside Kanye West – possibly the year's most neglected banger. Uzi initiated the roll-out for a follow-up LP, Eternal Atake, mid-2018. In September, he administered the sleeper New Patek. But that album never arrived. Uzi has consistently vented at his label, the DJ Drama-run Generation Now. The rapper has now announced on his Instagram Story that he's "done with music", ominously adding, "I deleted everything." Inevitably, sceptics think this is a PR manoeuvre. Eternal Atake has already ignited minor controversy for its artwork, which resembles the logo of the '70s' Heaven's Gate millenarian cult.

20. The Weeknd

The Weeknd (aka Abel Tesfaye) is avant 'n' B's most prolific artist – a contrast to his elusive contemporary Frank Ocean. In 2018 the Canadian dropped the mini-album, My Dear Melancholy, with two tracks helmed by French techno-type (and Yeezus producer) Gesaffelstein. Gesaffelstein has now released a third collab, the sub-disco Lost In The Fire, from his upcoming LP, Hyperion. Alas, it's more misfire than lit: Tesfaye has been called out for lyrics that disparage, and exploit, female queerness ("You said you might be into girls… Well, baby, you can bring a friend/She can ride on top your face/While I fuck you straight"). Oh, and he shades onetime champion Drake in referencing his 'secret' son Adonis: "I just want a baby with the right one/'Cause I could never be the one to hide one." The Starboy is hyping his own project, known as Chapter VI, for 2019. Hopefully, it's better considered.