Last year, our EIC Vince Thomas lamented the fact that young rappers began a trend — er, rite of passage — of pushing back their albums. It got to the point at which it makes you wonder whether the entire thing is a marketing ploy, or whether these young artists simply have no regard for deadlines. Either way, it's a certified epidemic. Take these examples from 2012.
A$AP Rocky just announced that his freshman effort, LoveLiveA$AP, will now drop Oct. 31, instead of its original Sept. 11 date. Just last week, another Harlem youngster, Azealia Banks, moved back her debut all the way to February. Meek Mill said no to the summer, too. (How's this for a fake Mill rhyme? "I'm pushin' back my album/I'm pushin' back yo' wig/I'm cashin' out on platinum/I'm cashin' out with yo' chick" … Nailed it, right?)
This isn't a trend — it's a rite of passage. What self-respecting new artist doesn't push back their street date at least once? I'm not being sarcastic. Setting a release date and sticking to it is for squares. It's like arriving to the club when the doors open.
Naturally, Drake is joining the crowd, though he's only delaying his album one week from September 17th to September 24th. He also announced that he's performing "Started From The Bottom" at the VMAs this year to hold his fans over.
But hold up a quick second. A closer look at that list shows that even those backed-up release dates weren't close. Rocky's debut didn't drop until January 2013. Azealia Banks still hasn't made her debut. As for Meek Mill, the May 6th date for Dreamchasers 3 might as well have been set by an MMG intern.
As Meek said in his latest single, "There's levels to this sh*t." I think I finally figured out what he meant. If Drake is serious, September 24th will come and go without a peep.
