Ringing in the new year isn't just fireworks and champagne, it's also new music. With plenty of big names expected to drop albums, 2016 is set to be an even stronger year than 2015. From Frank Ocean's long awaited Channel Orange follow up, to Kanye West's SWISH and Rihanna's mysterious ANTi, here are 25 albums that will make you salivate over 2016.

Anderson .Paak - Malibu

Following six stellar appearances on Dr. Dre's Compton, the hype surrounding Anderson .Paak skyrocketed. After years spent in obscurity, the Californian is set to make waves on January 15 with Malibu. Singles, such as The Game assisted "Room In Here" and "Am I Wrong" featuring ScHoolboy Q, have already set the bar high. With other expected guest appearances by Rapsody, Talib Kweli and BJ The Chicago Kid, and production heavy hitters like 9th Wonder, DJ Khalil, DJ Dahi, Hi-Tek, Hit-Boy and Dem Jointz behind the boards, Anderson .Paak won't be an unfamiliar name for long. — Drew Harvie

Animal Collective - Painting With

No one truly knows what to expect from Painting With, an album allegedly recorded and ready to go. The band say they're directly rebelling against the sepia-tinged haze-pop dominating alternative radio as of late:

Animal Collective have never worried too much about how to play their music live. It can be a sticking point for some bands, yet with such a distinguished and uplifting pop back catalogue, there's no need to conform to set ideals when approaching new projects. Their one official offering so far, "FloriDada," is immediate. There's no warm up. Like a jittery boxer knocking out a high-fiving fan on the walk through, the percussion hits unexpectedly but emphatically. Painting With may just be the culmination of everything they've experimented with so far. —Ben Carter

Arcade Fire - TBA

They’re one of the most exciting bands of our generation. The only thing predictable about Arcade Fire is their release schedule. Like clockwork, a new LP shows up every three years. According to our calendars, the follow-up to 2013’s Reflektor is imminent. The band recently spent time in the studio with Jack Ü, but frontman Win Butler downplayed the whole thing. His brother Will, the band’s synth player, estimates that they are 30% of the way through the record. Expect it to be released late 2016. — Vesuvius

Ariana Grande - Dangerous Woman

In collaborating with new and old artists, making a killer return to television, and finishing the tour for her sophomore album, Ariana Grande has proven her talents in 2015. Now she's been back in the studio, hard at work, writing with her friends, Victoria Monét and Tommy Brown and has been all but silent about her upcoming album, releasing snippets of songs on Snapchat. The album reportedly sounds very different from the lead single, "Focus," and is rumored to have features from Nicki Minaj, Demi Lovato, and Ne-Yo. Ari says this is the "most personal music" she's made yet, so it's certainly something to look forward to. Expect a release sometime early this year! — Billy Winter (TVibeWinter)

Chance The Rapper - TBA

In his last verse of 2015, Chance promised he would be “taking this rap shit global”. Now, Chano is back after letting Donnie Trumpet take the lead on Surf, an album he released on the iTunes Store for free. Two singles, “Angels” and “Somewhere in Paradise,” have already premiered on TV. The former was assisted by Saba, while the latter features fellow Chicagoans Jeremih and R. Kelly. We're expecting him to be backed up by the type of drum-and-trumpet-centered production that'll have Chicago doing front flips all year long. — Roy Henriquez

David Bowie - Blackstar

Bowie is back. His post-2000 output has revealed more about the elusive artist than the past 35 years of his career. Blackstar is the next installment, due for release January 8 (Bowie's birthday), and was allegedly heavily influenced by none other than Kendrick Lamar. Super (Bowie) producer Tony Visconti remarked "The goal was to avoid rock & roll." In keeping with this goal in mind, the crew recruited experimental Jazz musician Donny McCaslin and his entire outfit, as well as the now legendary James Murphy.



Reviews are already overwhelmingly positive, with NME quipping that his "formidable record of reinventing himself with each new albums remains intact." We eagerly await. —Ben Carter

Death Grips - Bottomless Pit

Death Grips have single-handedly ushered in a new age of noise-hop, dropping genre-defying music as cryptic as it is abrasive. It doesn’t look like they’ll be stopping any time soon. Even though the group showed up to every date on their long-awaited North American tour, the announcement of Bottomless Pit marks the first promise of new material since their “break-up” note in July of 2014 and the subsequent release of The Powers That B. The nebulous nature of the announcement left a lot to be desired, but uncertainty is nothing new for the community. Fans are on edge with frenetic anticipation for a 2016 release. — Empath

Drake - Views From The 6

Views From The 6 is the proposed title of Drake's fifth studio LP scheduled to drop sometime in 2016. Even though an exact date hasn't been announced, Drake's latest releases hint at a possible January drop. Noah '40' Shebib is rumoured to have done the majority of the production, hopefully giving the album a fluid and concise sound; while still giving fans that classic vibe that they've come to love from the duo.



Following the huge commercial success of his smash "Hotline Bling," it's unclear whether Drake will aim for a similar sound or gear towards the trap influences featured on his collaborative tape with Future. If his past releases are anything to go off, this offering will be packed full of smash hits, a couple slow jams and an array of unique melodies. Needless to say, the anticipation for this project is colossal! — shy ink

Eryn Allen Kane - Aviary: Act 2

In 2015, Chicago based songstress Eryn Allen Kane was all over The Social Experiment’s Surf, collaborated with Prince on his Black Lives Matter record, “Baltimore,” and was featured in Spike Lee’s controversial film, Chi-Raq. In addition to all of this, she released her debut project, Aviary: Act 1, a beautiful four song EP with enough passion, soul and emotive song writing to whet the appetite for the second part due later this month. With Prince as her mentor, and the enormous melting pot of Chicago talent by her side, only perfection will do. With a rumored collaboration with J. Cole's team in the works, Aviary: Act 2 promises to be one of the stellar R&B releases of the year from one of its biggest rising stars. — zk123

Frank Ocean - TBA

You’ve heard the rumors, each one less credible than the last. As we move farther from the supposed release date of July 2015, anticipation and anger grows. It’s what happens when an artist takes R&B lyricism to new heights, displays unparalleled songwriting quality, and releases one of the best albums of the decade. Frank Ocean sits with his (supposedly finished?) album through all the controversy. Perhaps it isn’t finished after all, or rather Frank believes we’re not ready to experience the album. Whatever the reason may be, we'd wait plenty more years if it meant an album as high in quality as channel, ORANGE, but luckily for the world, a 2016 release seems probable. — channelPINK

Gorillaz - TBA

A whopping five years have passed since Plastic Beach, the last studio release from Gorillaz, but late 2014 marked the first glimmer of hope since then. Despite the falling out between co-creators Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett, it’s looking like their relationship is back on track, meaning a full-blown reignition of the virtual band. 2015 was a year of hints and build-up, with Hewlett dropping numerous new drawings and Albarn claiming to be taking the album in an amped up, fast-paced direction. Fitting, considering the explosion of hype from fans. Expect the new project to drop mid-2016. — Empath

Kanye West - SWISH

2015 was phenomenal for Kanye - he had a son, his sneakers and clothes outsold the competition, and we were blessed with a couple of great singles like "FourFiveSeconds" and "All Day." However, without the long-awaited release of SWISH, it felt a little empty.



As the hype began to die down, Ye started hinting at a 2016 release, culminating on the last day of the year when he dropped "FACTS." The track was a synthesis of fashion and rap, as the Yeezys once again jumped over Jumpman last year. The question everyone wants answered though: can Yeezy still reach the same musical heights as his previous six releases? — Vuk Aleksić

Kendrick Lamar & J. Cole - TBA

To Pimp a Butterfly cemented Kendrick Lamar's position on top of the rap game with 11 Grammy nominations, whereas J. Cole's late 2014 release, 2014 Forest Hills Drive, became a fan-favorite and went platinum. The success the pair saw in their solo careers rekindled old rumors of a collaborative album.



Then, rather than hyping the fans up with a new track, K.Dot and Jermaine exchanged beats to remix each other's records. Cole hinted towards a February release date, and the buzz went 0-100, real quick. Needless to say, Jay Z & Kanye West may well need to Watch The Throne if these two hit the studio. — Vuk Aleksić

The Last Shadow Puppets - The Last Shadow Puppets 2

After coming to grips with waiting another year for an Arctic Monkeys album, Alex Turner fans rejoice! Turner, Miles Kane, and James Ford's follow up to The Age of Understatement is set to drop this spring, 8 years after the formation of the supergroup. If the trio's track record since then is any indication, don't expect TLSP2 to sound much like the Scott Walker-influenced pop tunes of their last go-around. Years of success, innovation, and hair gel hint at a bold departure rather than a true sequel to TAOU. Those worried about a letdown can take solace in the fact that the group has been kicking the tires on a second album since 2009 but didn't feel they recorded anything worth releasing until now. — Heisenferg

Lorde - TBA

Lorde’s musical contributions in the past couple years have been limited to the Mockingjay soundtrack and her popular feature on Disclosure’s latest album. The songstress promised her next album would have a very different sound from her debut Pure Heroine. Although no release date has been set, it's rumored that Lorde’s sophomore effort will be released in 2016. It'll be worth waiting for. — Open Mike Aguila

Lupe Fiasco - Drogas, Skulls, and Roy

Casual and devoted fans alike questioned Lupe Fiasco’s place in hip hop for a few years following the disappointing release of LASERS, but he returned in full form with 2015’s Tetsuo & Youth, considered by some to be his best work yet. It is as intricately crafted as it is thematically beautiful, once again cementing Lupe as one of hip hop’s strongest writers. Now he’s got something major planned for 2016, with a grand total of 3 albums in the works; DROGAS, SKULLS & ROY. If his recent musical output is any indication of his talent, Lupe may very well take over 2016. — ScopeY

PRhyme - PRhyme 2

PRhyme is undoubtedly a great hip-hop duo. Consisting of rapper Royce Da 5'9" and producer DJ Premier, the pair are stalwarts within hip-hop culture. Premo is still able to craft great albums, while Royce maintains his elite lyricism. Nickel Nine hinted at PRhyme 2 on Twitter, telling Premier he has ideas that he wants to put into music. He then proceeded to tweet Eminem, Kendrick Lamar and The Game asking for features on the album, later stating only real lyricists will be featured. No other news has come out yet, but we can assume the album will come sometime this year. For now, we're just patiently waiting. — CarnifexS

Radiohead - TBA

After almost five years since the release of The King Of Limbs, the legendary Radiohead are gearing up to put out a new album. In an interview from last October, Jonny Greenwood said the band have recorded a lot of music, and hope to go on tour the following year, although the album's title and a release date still haven’t been announced. While we are still awaiting for official word on the band’s plans for 2016, they gave us a taste with the beautiful song “Spectre," originally intended for the latest Bond film. If “Spectre” was any indication, we may be getting another awesome album from one of the greatest bands of the last 20 years. — YahwehSolomon

Rihanna - ANTi

Among 2016's most anticipated releases is Rihanna's eighth studio album ANTi. Unlike many of her fellow pop queens, Rihanna's rollout campaign for ANTi is already a complex, cryptic affair. Involving an alleged $25 million contract with Samsung, highly enigmatic companion website "ANTIdiaRy", and controversies aplenty, ANTi seems so close yet so far away, as neither a release date nor tracklist have been confirmed.



ANTi's imminent release - or at least what seems to be an imminent release - is preceded by three singles - folk-infused track "FourFiveSeconds," trap banger "Bitch Better Have My Money,", and the NCAA March Madness featured "American Oxygen." Countless teasers on the ANTidiaRy site and Rih's Instagram have also been pushed out, bringing the hysteria regarding ANTi to a fever pitch. — serein

Run The Jewels - Run The Jewels 3

Since forming in 2013, Run The Jewels have released a notable project each year, including one that meows. They intend to continue this trend in 2016, and have become quite the underground force worth keeping up with

Considering they've consistently produced refreshing material, from El-P's rattling instrumentals to Killer Mike's unapologetic delivery, it's safe to assume this is going to be another solid addition to their already stellar catalog. All we have to go on so far is a 15-second clip, but that's all we need to be excited. — ScopeY

Sigur Rós - TBA

Sonically, Sigur Rós are undeniably peerless. Their latest record, 2013's Kveikur, was their heaviest effort yet, coming at a time where the band found some of their largest audiences with appearances on The Simpsons and Game of Thrones. With the industrial Kveikur and snail-paced Valtari as their last two albums, there's no prediction where the band will go with their unnamed next release. What is known is that it will sound like it could come from no other band. No release dates announced, but new music will be played on the band's 2016 summer tour of Europe. — Brian Duricy

Stormzy – TBA

Big Mike can tick off a multitude of accomplishments for 2015. Outshone Wiley on the same instrumental as him? Check. Won two more MOBO Awards? Check. Received hundreds of pairs of unreleased Adidas trainers? Check. All in a day's work for the Croydon MC, who recently launched a successful campaign to beat the X Factor winner in the UK Singles Chart. Stormz managed to get "Shut Up," a thinly-veiled diss track first recorded as a freestyle in a South London park, to number eight in the UK the week before Christmas. This beat the incredibly high benchmark he'd set himself just months earlier with "WickedSkengMan4", the first freestyle to reach the UK top 20.



From his catchy re-imagination of a Zdot beat, "Know Me From," to his head-turning Beats 1 radio show, the grime artist has been consistently dropping hits for the last two years. He's strongly hinted towards the idea of dropping an album to follow up his 2014 EP Dreamers Disease — while details are scarcely known for now, the Big Black Ghana Man's certainly one to watch this year. — Luke Ballance (UnBalanced)

Tinashe – Joyride

Already proving her talent in four self-developed mixtapes and one critically acclaimed album, Tinashe’s garnered a huge fanbase and reputation for always keeping her eye on artistic quality. With accomplishments like these, it’s only acceptable that her goal for Joyride is to finally breakout into the mainstream. Since the release of her previous album, Aquarius, she's released a mixtape and opened for Nicki Minaj on tour. From Joyride, she’s released a buzz single, “Party Favors" featuring Young Thug, as well as “Player" featuring Chris Brown. While neither of these tracks have succeeded in bringing in vast mainstream attention, Tinashe isn't one to give up easily, and this time around, she won’t be ignored. Expect a release early-to-mid 2016. — Tyler Yan (LanaDelReyquaza)

The xx - TBA

Will Jamie xx take his bandmates to the higher places his solo work reached? Or will The xx return to the moody, skeletal sound they seemingly exhausted on their second record? These questions hang over the third release from group that, up until this point, has been known more for their execution rather than innovation.



Romy's In Colour contribution, "Loud Places", may have some answers. Jamie's optimistic production, anchored by a sample, wipes out every hint of dreariness that plagued Coexist. The result is a song that sounds entirely fresh yet stays faithful to xx ethos. It hits harder than anything by an xx member since the group bottled melancholy on their debut LP. The potential for more of this is enough to excite any music fan, even before realizing there's a chance Young Thug jumps on a ballad about lost love. — Heisenferg

YC the Cynic - Negus

The Hunts Point, Bronx native YC the Cynic took the rap world by storm in 2013 with his debut album GNK, entirely produced by Frank Drake. His powerful, thoughtful lyrics, along with his unique voice, produced a cohesive masterpiece. Since then, YC's dropped several impressive tracks, including "Keep It 100" with Mick Jenkins, and has posted a couple of teaser songs from his upcoming album Negus on Soundcloud, only to remove them hours later. Having been lucky enough to catch them before seeing them deleted, we can attest that "The New Black" and "Kings and Queens" go hard. According to his Twitter, February appears the most likely time for YC's reign to commence. — Detroit Leprechaun

What albums are you looking forward to in 2016? Let us know in the comments.