Entertainment

Rihanna & Kendrick Will Both Feature On This Album

by S. Atkinson
Christopher Polk/Getty Images

If I say "the biggest album of 2017," you're going to reel off the following names: Lorde, maybe. Drake. Katy Perry. Arcade Fire? And I'm going to shake my head, because Mike WiLL Made-It's Ransom 2 is going to blow all of those releases out of the water. Whether or not you think you've heard Mike WiLL Made-It's music, you definitely already have, and Ransom 2 will feature Rihanna and Kendrick Lamar, among other major names. So, basically, if you haven't already heard of him, get ready to hear of him.

While he's been making his own music more or less since the beginning of his career, he's best known as the producer behind hits like Beyonce's "Formation," Rae Sremmurd’s "Black Beatles" and Meek Mill's "Tupac Back." But he's also collaborated even more major artists, and so you're probably already familiar with his sound from his work with the likes of Nicki Minaj ("Black Barbies"), Migos ("Gucci On My"), Miley Cyrus ("23"), Kendrick Lamar ("Buy The World") ,and The Weeknd ("Drinks On Us").

If it sounds like he's well connected, you're damn right. Mike WiLL Made-It's first break was one of his mixtapes finding its way into the hands of Gucci Mane, who popularized his sound. Given the number of artists Mike WiLL Made-It has either produced for or collaborated with, it's no wonder that his first studio album features such an insane number of musical heavyweights.

Aside from Rihanna, Kendrick Lamar, Rae Sremmurd, get set for work from Gucci Mane, Future, Young Thug, Big Sean, Pharrell, Lil Wayne, 2Chainz, Migos, 21 Savage, and Lil Yachty. Sure, big names aren't everything. But the beauty of Mike WiLL Made-It is he really can do it all. He's already proved he can write great songs on his last mixtape Ransom, but, more than that, he's an incredible producer.

If you think that sounds boring, think of Kanye West. West spent years producing for the likes of Alicia Keys and Jay Z prior to his debut album, The College Dropout, and it was all the sharper for it. After all, hip hop's not just about raw musical talent, but about your skills as a magpie — collecting influences and weaving them together into an innovative new nest.

So get ready to snap up Ransom 2 on March 24; it's bound to be an album we'll still be talking about by the end of the year.