Awaiting Drake"s "Views From the 6," Kanye"s "Swish" and Rihanna"s "Anti"

CLEVELAND, Ohio They"re three of the most anticipated albums of 2016 and we kind of, sort of, maybe know when they"ll see the light of day.

Fans have been awaiting more information on new albums from Kanye West, Drake and Rihanna for months now. But Mr. West recently raised the ante by locking his new album, "Swish," into a Feb. 11 release date.

Here"s the latest on three albums that could (and probably will) drop any day now:

Rihanna "Anti"

So far, Rihanna has released three stellar songs that could potentially appear on "Anti." Yet, two of them "FourFiveSeconds" and "B**** Better Have My Money" are almost a year old. Rihanna has adopted an art theme for the album"s packaging and even created an elaborate social media marketing campaign that, so far, has yet to go anywhere. She"s also turned down or scrapped several songs, including tracks written by the likes of Sia and Calvin Harris. All that being said, the potential for how great "Anti" could be remains high. Rihanna has worked with everyone from Kanye West and Darkchild to David Guetta and DJ Mustard. She"s also rumored to have a song with Drake set for release. Rihanna cancelled a performance at last year"s Victoria"s Secret Fashion Show in order to finish "Anti" and has a world tour scheduled for this year. Expect "Anti" out by the spring.

Drake "Views From the 6"

So "Views from the 6" didn"t come out on January 6, as expected. But the album could and should drop any day now (maybe as I"m writing this). Both Drake and his right-hand man/producer Noah "40" Shebib recently dropped hints on social media that "Views" is almost ready. As was the case with his last two projects, "Views From the 6" will likely drop with very little notice. The album"s title (named for "the 6" aka Toronto) suggests and introspective project that could mirror 2011"s "Take Care," a mix of stellar hip-hop songs and emo-rap that saw Drake at his peak. Some have suggested "Views From the 6" could drop the same week as Kanye West"s next album, but it"s more likely Drizzy"s latest will arrive before the end of the month.

Kanye West "Swish"

You can cross Kanye West"s album off of the list of upcoming, high-profile releases without an arrival date. Kanye officially announced over the weekend that "Swish" would drop next month, just before NBA All-Star Weekend in Toronto. Is that a challenge to Drake? Maybe. But it"s also a sign that Kanye has found his mojo. After seeming to struggle balancing marriage, fatherhood, his fashion line and music, Kanye has honed in on his craft with a series of freshly leaked tunes that sound like vintage "Ye. Assuming recent tracks like "Real Friends" and/or "No More Parties in L.A.," make the cut, they join "All Day," "Only One" and "Wolves" as exceptional songs that could make "Swish" an instant classic. If they"re simple throwaways, well, that"s even scarier.

Source: http://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2016/01/analyzing_drakes_views_from_th.html