On May 8, 2022, Kendrick Lamar released The Heart Part V, just five days before his upcoming fifth studio album Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers. More than five years between major releases. I cannot contain my excitement because nothing about this pre-album loosie disappoints.

The hip-hop release clock never stops. New music is constantly being pushed up, pushed back, re-released, and updated. However, at the end of the year it is always fun to look at what we were supposed to get in the year prior and speculate, based on industry rumors, what we will be getting in the following year.