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Sometimes an album rollout turns out so nice, the artist at the helm of it all is implored to do it twice. Similar to the golden rule in Hollywood when it comes to making movies — we all remember that classic “sequel discussion” scene in Scream 2! — there are vital steps to take in order to make a follow-up that compares to its predecessor or supersedes it completely.
It appears that seasoned rap queen Nicki Minaj is looking to reignite the breakout success of her 2010 debut album, Pink Friday, with an official sequel project slated for a release this November — on a Friday, no less! Earlier this month, fellow New York rap icon Kool Keith dropped the long-awaited sequel to his 1999 underground classic, Black Elvis/Lost in Space.
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With Black Music Month coming to a close rather soon, it was only right to celebrate up until the very end by playing on the current hype around sequel projects and looking back on some of the greatest ones we’ve seen made by the musicians of our culture. In a similar fashion — always thinking towards the future of course! — we also went along and thought of five additional records that are held to such a high degree in Black culture that we could see a follow-up LP being made if done right.
While many of these albums didn’t exactly overshadow the first one, they each stood out on their own and in some cases represented a whole new era in the musician’s life. Mary J. Blige for example waited nearly two whole decades before dropping the sequel to her 1994 magnum opus, My Life, and the contrast in tone between both projects reflects that time gap from start to finish. On the other hand, Lil Wayne only got better with the releases in his Tha Carter series, which for many fans peaked with its 2008 trilogy LP, Tha Carter III.
Take a look below at 10 of the best sequel albums by Black musicians, and 5 additional ones that we’re hoping get made sometime soon. See if you agree with our selections:
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10 Best Album Sequels By Black Musicians…And 5 That Need To Be Made! was originally published on blackamericaweb.com
1. ‘Tha Carter II’ (2005) – Lil Wayne
Follow-Up To:
Tha Carter (2004)
2. ‘E=MC2’ (2008) – Mariah Carey
Follow-Up To:
The Emancipation Of MiMi (2005)
3. NEEDS TO HAPPEN: ‘The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill 2’ – Ms. Lauryn Hill
4. ‘Man On The Moon II: The Legend Of Mr. Rager’ (2010) – Kid Cudi
Follow-Up To:
Man on the Moon: The End of Day (2009)
5. ‘New Amerykah Part Two (Return of the Ankh)’ [2010] – Erykah Badu
Follow-Up To:
New Amerykah Part One (4th World War) [2008]
6. NEEDS TO HAPPEN: ‘Voodoo 2’ – D’Angelo
7. ‘Black Radio 2’ (2013) – Robert Glasper
Follow-Up To:
Black Radio (2012)
8. ‘My Life II… The Journey Continues (Act 1)’ [2011] – Mary J. Blige
Follow-Up To:
My Life (1994)
9. NEEDS TO HAPPEN: ‘Rapture: Revisted’ – Anita Baker
10. ‘The Blueprint 2: The Gift & the Curse’ (2002) – Jay-Z
Follow-Up To:
The Blueprint (2001)
11. ‘Soul 2’ (2011) – Seal
Follow-Up To:
Soul (2008)
12. NEEDS TO HAPPEN: ‘Back On The Block Again’ – Quincy Jones
13. ‘Fantastic Vol. 2’ (2000) – Slum Village
Follow-Up To:
Fan-Tas-Tic (Vol. 1) [1997]
14. ‘Stillmatic’ (2001) – Nas
Follow-Up To:
Illmatic (1994)
