Ten to One: The Most Anticipated Albums of 2010 (#10 – #9)

TEN

Andre 3000, TBD
Release Date: 2010?
Expected Production: A studio loner, it’s likely Three Stacks’ solo LP will be mostly self-produced, but don’t count out Outkast affiliates Rico Wade or DJ Swift.
Expected Collaborations: If 2003's The Love Below is any indication, Andre will keep the guest list extra-exclusive. Partner-in-rhyme Big Boi may be the one and only guest spot, if any. 
Why The Buzz? Hip-hop heads collectively sighed after discovering Andre Benjamin’s deeper-than-rap raps were replaced by idiosyncratic crooning on his first solo effort, The Love Below. Today, lyricists from Fabolous to T.I. are hitting notes, and maybe that’s a good thing––for them––because each infrequent verse from ’Dre threatens that coveted hottest rapper alive title. While his inclusion here is wishful thinking, lets just hope his long-awaited rap LP isn’t on a Detox-like schedule.

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NINE

Nas and Damien Marley, Distant Relatives (Tuff Gong/Def Jam)
Release Date: March 16, 2010
Production: Damien and brother Stephen handle the bulk of the album, but 9th Wonder and long time Nas collaborator Salaam Remi chip in also.
Expected Collaborations: Somali rhymer K’naan is featured on two cuts, while songstress Joss stone and legend Stevie Wonder lend their vocals for “Our Generation.”
Why the Buzz? For the first time, reggae and hip-hop unite for an entire album. And who better kick off such a happening than two of the best to do it in their respectable arenas? God’s Son and Bob’s son will both preach and teach as expected, but also entertain. “As We Enter,” the album’s first leak, promises the project’s going to be equal parts “patois and rap star.”