Hurry Up Tomorrow – THE WEEKND

Released on Jan. 31, 2025, Hurry Up Tomorrow was released as the final installment in a trilogy of albums by The Weeknd, alongside After Hours (2020) and Dawn FM (2022), marking the end of his illustrious career. The album contains 22 songs and 84 minutes of greatness. With features from music stars Anitta, Future, Playboi Carti, Travis Scott and Lana Del Rey, The Weeknd and producer Mike Dean gave fans multiple hit songs like “Cry For Me,” “Open Hearts” and “Wake Me Up.” Being The Weeknd’s final album, Hurry Up Tomorrow is filled with references to old hit songs by the artist.  “I Can’t Wait To Get There” references the platinum single “I Was Never There;” “Cry For Me” references the triple platinum single “Save Your Tears;” “Given Up On Me” references the double platinum single “Pray For Me.” With the artist telling fans in the past, “I still want to kill the Weeknd,” the songs that are essentially a part two to some of his most popular songs give fans a feeling of fulfillment as his career ends. In terms of the music on the album, the instrument most prevalent throughout the entire album is the bass, setting the tone for the album from the beginning with “Wake Me Up (feat. Justice)”. Another aspect that stands out throughout most of the songs on the album is the chorus. In most of the songs, The Weeknd’s voice raises a few octaves as the song reaches the chorus, giving off an angelic vibe. With top-of-the-industry production and a superstar lead, the album checks every box for a major hit and is just great music to listen to. I would rate this album a 9.4/10, with must-listens like “Niagara Falls,” “Timeless” and “Wake Me Up Tomorrow.”

CAN’T RUSH GREATNESS – CENTRAL CEE

Released on Jan. 24, 2025, CAN’T RUSH GREATNESS is the debut studio album of British rap superstar Central Cee, establishing a real start to his already amazing career. Released through Columbia Records, the album is a British hip-hop and UK drill album containing 17 songs, and spanning a short 48 minutes and 51 seconds. The album, which debuted at number 9 on the Billboard 200 charts and number 1 on the UK Albums chart, marks the historical threshold of being the first British rap album to reach the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 200 Albums chart.

With a mix of catchy lyricism, high-quality production and features from very prominent rappers like Dave, Lil Durk, Lil Baby and 21 Savage, Central Cee’s CAN’T RUSH GREATNESS contains many hit songs, like “BAND4BAND (feat. Lil Baby)”, “Gen Z Luv” and “GBP”, with only the last being a new release this year. Though Central Cee’s monotone delivery comes off as repetitive as time, CAN’T RUSH GREATNESS displays the lyricism and straightforward tone that Central Cee is famous for. Being his own album, it is only fitting that Central Cee has the best verse on every song on the album, truly establishing his prowess and skill even in the presence of other stars. His ability to utilize the amazing instrumentals to complement his work gives me no chance to rate the album anything lower than an 8, so I’d rate it an 8.4/10.