Image via Drake Cereal
Twenty-twenty is going to be a real one. (And a real scary one geopolitics-wise, but that's a whole other story.) In addition to (semi-confirmed) new releases from what you might call the Big Three of massively popular Canadian music—Drake, The Weeknd, the Bieber—we’ll also be hearing from a huge range of favourite artists both long-established (Grimes, PartyNextDoor) and on the come-up (Jessie Reyez, dvsn). Here’s what we can’t wait to hear in the next 12 months.
16. Junia-T, 'Studio Monk'
With an extended rollout that began more than a year ago with the Sean Leon-featuring “Know Better” right up to “Sad Face Emojis” with Jessie Reyez, there’s finally a date for the release for Junia-T’s first full-length release as a producer: January 24. His journey to this point saw him in and out of different roles—including rapper, show promoter, DJ/hypeman (on a world tour for the aforementioned Reyez), producer, bassist, and studio engineer—all clearly rooted in his love for music. His willingness to sacrifice what he’s mastered to evolve is what has kept him relevant for so long and Studio Monk will be a testament to that. It should be as dynamic and eclectic as the man that helmed its creation. —Chayne Japal
15. Raz Fresco, 'Marvelous Right Wrist'
Instead of spending his recent time in the slammer sculpting his jail bod, Toronto's Raz Fresco used the opportunity to pen a new album. The title Marvelous Right Wrist may or may not be an allusion to cooking cocaine, but it could just as easily be a reference to the rapper's undeniable gifts with the pen. Local hip-hop heads have been singing the man's praises since Raekwon gave him the ultimate co-sign by jumping on one of his tracks, and his next project might just see his abilities fully crystallize. It's said to be the MC's most unconventional album yet, full of irregular song structures that change up on a dime. Whatever Raz is cooking, we are most definitely fiending for it. —Alex Nino Gheciu
14. Holy Fuck, 'Deleter'
The release of Holy Fuck’s fifth album, Deleter, is so imminent (January 17) we don’t have to be excited on faith alone. The Toronto-based electronica hipsters have already dropped two pre-release singles, and they both sound huge—the kind of lush and luxurious dance music that plays best at maximum volume. “Free Gloss,” especially, would feel right at home—that bassline!—on any of the really great Daft Punk albums. Does this mean we’re about to get the Holy Fuck equivalent of Discovery? We’ll know for sure in a matter of days. —Tim Kennedy
13. Allie X, 'Cape God'
With an infectious, off-kilter sound that somehow threads a line between Top 40s and goth—and has received co-signs from the likes of Katy Perry and Halsey—Allie X is low-key one of Canada’s finest modern pop songwriters. So good on her for crafting what seems to be her highest-key effort yet, Cape God. Out February 21, it boasts collabs with Mitski and Troye Sivan, and was apparently inspired by an HBO documentary about heroin, as well as some emotions she’s been repressing since her teen years. It all sounds delightfully dark and weird and enthralling, which is exactly what you’d want from an Allie X album. (Well, that and a banger about paleo waffles.) —Alex Nino Gheciu
12. Belly
It’s hard to believe Belly—the wildly prolific XO rapper who’s been making noise in the Canadian hip-hop scene since 2007, and has co-written songs for everyone from The Weeknd to Beyoncé—only has two studio albums to his name. But after releasing his star-studded, politically-charged sophomore record Immigrant in 2018, it looks like he’s about to pick up the pace. Sources tell us the Palestinian-Canadian MC has a new LP dropping this year, and an Instragram post in late December—in which Belly posed holding some ginormous bags of weed with the caption “new flavors on the way 2020, new music too”—would seem to confirm it. —Alex Nino Gheciu
11. Majid Jordan
It can’t be easy to essentially start your career with a song as instantly iconic as “Hold on, We’re Going Home”—which is what Majid Jordan did when they co-wrote, co-produced, and featured on that god-tier Drake track back in 2013. But against the odds, the R&B duo have built a discography worth getting excited about—most notably their sophomore album, The Space Between. Two years later, no follow-up is officially confirmed yet, but the 2019 rollout of new songs “Caught Up” (feat. Khalid) and “Superstar” sure felt like the lead-up to something big. Here’s hoping. —Tim Kennedy
10. Jazz Cartier
Jazz Cartier has called out the Canadian media before for sleeping on homegrown hip-hop talent, so here we are with a little due diligence: let's put this guy on. After winning the Juno for Rap Recording of the Year in 2017 for his mixtape Hotel Paranoia, Cartier was tipped as the next Toronto rapper to blow up stateside with the release of his major label debut Fleurever. Well, that hasn't quite happened yet, but this man's got too much fearless, inventive, grab-you-by-the-throat charisma to stay ignored. He's been not very subtle on Twitter about his plans to release a record this year. We already know Lil Wayne is going to fuck with it; let's see if the rest of America does too. —Alex Nino Gheciu
9. Nav
One way of motivating yourself to crush your New Year’s resolutions? Start a high-profile Twitter beef. That’s exactly how Nav kicked off his 2020, accusing DJ Akademiks of having an affinity for hopping “on and off dick” and subsequently finding himself embroiled in a good old-fashioned Internet slobberknocker with the Everyday Struggle co-host. After Akademiks criticized him for lacking relevancy, the Rexdale rapper/producer tweeted, “2020 im gona release the best music of my life.” We’ve got it on good authority that it’s not all talk—his third studio album, the follow up to 2019’s Bad Habits, is said to be dropping this year. No word yet on whether there’ll be an Akademiks diss track on it, but we wouldn’t be surprised if he yanks one right out of his knappity-sack-sack-sack. —Alex Nino Gheciu
8. Kaytranada
When you’re hot, you’re hot. Kaytranada just released his second album, Bubba, to rapturous reviews in December—but the Montreal-based producer says there’s more where that came from, and coming soon. Specifically, he told Zane Lowe on Apple Music’s Beats 1 in December that he intends to release an album of cuts that didn’t quite make it to Bubba—including a collaboration with Anderson .Paak that has us quivering with anticipation—“in a couple months.” The wonderfully groovy Bubba is not even close to wearing out its welcome yet, but if Kaytranada has decided he wants to be a Bowie-in-the-’70s kind of prolific, well, we’re not complaining. —Tim Kennedy
7. dvsn
An unrelenting love and reverence for R&B is dvsn’s secret weapon. Daniel Daley’s timeless tone croons over Nineteen85’s varied sounds, touching on the keyboard-driven piano synths of ’80s Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, the precise sampling of Puffy’s Hitmen, the intricate percussion of Timbaland, and everywhere in between as necessary. For their third album—set to drop in February—it appears the duo might be aiming to mix it up a bit more, with co-production credits from fellow OVO'er Stwo and legendary Mary J. Blige, Usher, and Mariah Carey collaborator Bryan-Michael Cox already tapped for two of the album’s first three singles—one of which features a nice and emotional guest spot by Future. —Chayne Japal
6. Jessie Reyez
“I swear to God, on your deathbed you’ll think of me, whether I’m there or not”—so sneers Jessie Reyez on the outro of her latest single “CRAZY,” a quasi-cover of the Patsy Cline standard that doubles as a pretty good summary of how it’s felt to wait for Reyez to release her debut album. She’s been kicking around “artists to watch” lists since 2017 and already has a Juno Award and a Grammy nomination, both for 2018’s Being Human in Public EP, to her name; an LP will follow, finally, in 2020, she says. In the meantime, we’re just over here listening to “CRAZY” on repeat, and feeling it. —Tim Kennedy
5. Grimes, 'Miss Anthropecene'
She deserves privacy like everyone else but Grimes is having a baby with a billionaire who models pickup trucks after the Kobe 2s, so her personal life might come up once in a while. Luckily, Claire Boucher’s trip-hoppy, industrial-tinged pop and her creative visual presentations of it are more than enough to keep ears and eyes where they should be. To add to her already impressive catalog, the release of concept album Miss Anthropecene, out February 21, will see Grimes position herself as a comic book-style villain. Early singles like “My Name Is Dark”, “Violence,” and “We Appreciate Power” hint at the record leaning toward a heavier, thrashier sound while still carrying her signature ethereal vocals and bouncy drum programming. —Chayne Japal
4. PartyNextDoor, 'Club Atlantis'
Already an established force on Drake’s OVO roster, PartyNextDoor made himself a hitmaker between his last album and his quickly upcoming release Club Atlantis. (We're still trying to figure out if that's a reference to a strip club in his hometown of Mississauga). “Not Nice”—the second single from P3—and his Major Lazer collaboration “Run Up,” alongside his major writing contribution on Rihanna’s “Work,” were examples of how his original, mellow approach can translate to the dancefloor. The lead single off the new record, “Loyal," another team-up between he and Drake, perfectly walks that same balance between dancehall and zoned-out R&B. Rolling with this formula, there’s sure to be another summer anthem, or two, for PND on this album (which legit might drop as soon as we publish this piece). —Chayne Japal
3. The Weeknd
Abel Tesfaye is in a good place. He’s proven himself time and time again. At this point, there’s no question he can put together a killer album, as the one-two punch of 2015’s Beauty Behind the Madness and 2016’s Starboy harkened back to his prolific run of mixtapes in 2011 that almost immediately earned him top-tier status in the busy hierarchy of Canadian exports. Now, his fourth full-length, with—some of—the pressure taken off, feels like a victory lap. Still, signs point to him only going harder, grabbing Metro Boomin to helm “Heartless” and reuniting with “Can’t Feel My Face” producer Max Martin for “Blinding Lights” (as well as relinking with Trilogy producer Illangelo, according to our sources) to set up what’s sure to be another triumph. —Chayne Japal
2. Justin Bieber
It’s been just over four years since Purpose stabilized Justin Bieber’s haywire career only to be followed by an abrupt tour cancellation to, hopefully, stabilize his life. As he returns with a docuseries, an almost-too-catchy, built-for-radio lead single, “Yummy," and a new TikTok account to help roll out his new album, Bieber and his team seem laser-focused on delivering for his audience. It’s good for music when a major figure like Bieber is running on all cylinders—and all the more impressive after his recent reveal that he's been battling lyme disease. Whether he may be following trends and leading them to balloon to bigger scales or introducing something new to the conversation, he’s a leader and everything he does causes a chain reaction. Hopefully it’s a good one. —Chayne Japal
1. Drake
Drake took the stage as a surprise guest at a DaBaby show in Toronto in early December, storming through “Money in the Grave” before departing with a tease: “I’mma go back to the crib and try to finish this album up so we can turn up 2020.” It’s still unclear whether Drizzy was referring to a mixtape or a full-blown studio album follow-up to 2018’s Scorpion—or whether it's related to "Life Is Good," the single he just dropped with Future. What we do know is it probably won't be as concise as Nothing Was The Same; in his recent Rap Radar interview, he mentioned he doesn't plan on going the short-album route in the immediate future because he wants to appease his range of fans: "I have to do two things every album. I have to give the people that like to hear the singing enough to hold on to, and I have to give [Le]Bron enough bars." We can’t wait either way. Sure, we wish Scorpion had been more killer, less filler—but the fact remains that when Drake does kill, he still does it better than anyone. In Drake we trust. —Tim Kennedy