Blakroc
2 | Fall TBD

Blakroc is a collaborative effort between The Black Keys and various rappers they enlist on each record. A teaser for the new album popped up in August and featured a tiny portion of a mellow blues riff that gives little indication of music to come on the new record. But featured artists Jim Jones, The Cool Kids, Talib Kweli and Jay Electronica among others, has cemented its place as one of the most anticipated albums of 2011.

Childish Gambino
Camp | Nov. 1st

“I do not talk, I am just a rapper.” The mantra of Donald Glover, actor, comedian and writer who also raps under the moniker Childish Gambino, has served him well on the indie scene over the last year. Early this summer, Glover dropped an explosive teaser video on his blog featuring video from his last tour and 30 seconds of a new, untitled song. Although his rhymes about girls, clothes, cars and money in conjunction with his same formulaic punchlines are becoming extremely trite, his production work is still superb and reason enough to listen.

Das Racist
Relax | Sept. 13

The conscious rap group Das Racist is putting forth their third major effort and first album after two mixtapes, Relax. Notorious for their heavy drug habits that result in fantastic studio work but atrocious live shows, Relax is sure to be good.

Justice
Audio, Video, Disco | Oct. 25

It’s been four years since the poster children of the famous Ed Banger Records have put out an album. Perhaps the biggest thing to come out of French music since Daft Punk, the duo has managed to maintain legitimacy despite a lack of releases, simply off the acclaim from 2007’s † album. This spring they released the first single, “Civilization,” a strange but brilliant piece of lo-fi electro house complete with a catchy vocal track.

M83
Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming | Oct. 18

French electronica pop project, M83, is in the same vein as last decade’s mildly popular French electronic act Air, with the main variance lying within danceability. That fact might prove hugely instrumental as M83 makes their way from indie, niche stardom to having a place in a slightly more mainstream scene. The first single off the forthcoming record, a catchy mesh of dance beats and lively synth titled “Midnight City,” has accrued a fair amount of acclaim and gained notoriety on several internet music blogs and aggregators.