Anticipating...

2009 looks to be a year big changes in music. Artists are fusing genres together at an all-time high creating new sounds and allowing for broader audiences. Artists are also changing the way their music is heard, purchased, and distributed (especially within the blogosphere.) Here are some albums coming out in 2009 that characterize this shift.

Wale-TBA

With influences like Go-Go music and Mark Ronson with his big-band sound early in his career, Wale's sound has definite flare. Working with artists from Nick Catchdubs and Justice to TV on the Radio and Travis Barker this album will break down walls in music when it drops in March.

N.A.S.A-The Spirit Of Apollo

David Byrne, M.I.A, Santogold, Chali 2na, Gift of Gab, Z-Trip, Chuck D, The Cool Kids, Ghostface Killah, DJ AM, Kanye West, George Clinton, Tom Waits and about 20 other artists make up the roster of this album. Need I say more? N.A.S.A's debut album comes out February 17th.

Lupe Fiasco-LUPE.N.D (Everywhere, Nowhere and Down There)

Already working with a broad spectrum of artists ranging from UNKLE to Fall Out Boy's Patrick Stump Lupe's genre mashing has no end. As previously posted on ZachMorrisism he has also begun working with a punk-rock outfit called Japanese Cartoon which will probably influence a portion of the sound on the LUPE.N.D triology. I just hope he doesn't do anything with Nickelback, seeing he's already let me down with that cameo in the "Rockstar" video. Come on Lupe, Nickelback. Really? For real reals?