10 Surprise Albums That Overshadowed Planned Releases

“Magna Carta Holy Grail” (2013)

Jay-Z

Months before his famous spouse changed music with her own surprise drop, the powerhouse rapper and executive Jay-Z partnered with Samsung for a massive collaboration. The tech company bought copies of his newest offering, “Magna Carta Holy Grail,” for a million Galaxy smartphone users via an app before anyone had even heard it elsewhere. “Magna Carta” checked in at number one and beat out Sara Bareilles’ “The Blessed Unrest,” whose successful lead single, “Brave,” had given that release almost three months of lead-up. Jay-Z’s album finished in the top ten of 2013’s best-selling albums.

“Kamikaze” (2018)

Eminem

After a disastrous traditional rollout for his 2017 comeback album, “Revival,” Eminem jumped on the surprise release bandwagon the next year. “Kamikaze” dropped on August 31, 2018. Despite mixed reviews, fans and critics were thrilled to see Eminem back to his roots. The album wasn’t just a shock for its unexpected release, but for its aggressive jabs at other artists. As always, courting controversy ended up helping the album stay in the conversation. Eminem’s album interrupted the rollouts of albums by Nicki Minaj and Travis Scott. And ultimately, Eminem ended the year with the best-selling rap album.

“Endless” & “Blonde” (2016)

Frank Ocean

The R&B wunderkind followed up his first album with two unannounced releases in two days. Frank Ocean dropped “Endless,” a minimalist visual album to fulfill the end of his contentious contract with Def Jam Records. The next day, he released “Blonde,” which may just be his masterpiece. He had stiff competition, though. Britney Spears released “Glory” and Barbra Streisand debuted a star-studded celebrity duets album during the same timeframe. However, Ocean’s “Blonde” ended up being regarded as one of the best albums of that year and the entire decade.

“Songs of Innocence” (2014)

U2

With their tongue firmly planted in their cheek, Rolling Stone called this the defining album of 2014. But that wasn’t a celebration of its lyrical content or artistic innovation. It was because of the complete uproar it caused when millions of people awoke to find it already downloaded to their music libraries. Shockingly, the giveaway may have had the desired effect. Not only did the release of “Songs of Innocence” dominate the media cycle, but Time Magazine reported that more Apple users listened to the unexpected U2 album than Taylor Swift’s “1989.”

“Positions” (2020)

Ariana Grande

Though not technically a surprise, all signs pointed to Ariana Grande’s music being on hold after completing several back-to-back albums. She had even said she did not plan on a new release due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Bucking a standard marketing ramp-up, the erotically-charged collection, “Positions,” was announced mere weeks before its release in the fall of 2020. The album, while polarizing, overshadowed release rollouts by established artists like Kylie Minogue and Sam Smith. Smith’s album “Love Goes,” was released on the same day and was blocked from achieving a top spot in the UK due to Grande’s release.

“GNX” (2024)

Kendrick Lamar

After spending 2024 dominating Drake in a relentless duel of diss tracks, Kendrick Lamar’s victory lap included booking the Super Bowl Halftime Show and dropping this. The only lead-up “GNX” got was a teaser trailer on November 22. A half-hour later, the album dropped, putting the period on the end of a stellar year for the Pulitzer Prize-winning artist. It was an instant smash success. All twelve of its songs appeared on the Hot 100. This domination actually kept holiday hits out of the top positions, and ended the months-long chart runs of popular leftover summer hits from other artists.

“Lemonade” (2016)

Beyoncé

How did she do this twice? Three years after Beyoncé dropped her self-titled album and a companion visual album on an unsuspecting public, she did the exact same thing again with “Lemonade.” In that time, the myth of celebrity surrounding her had grown to a fever pitch. Songs with presumed real-life parallels to her life with husband Jay-Z, as well as unlikely but incredible collaborations, made this one irresistible for die-hard and casual fans alike. Any artist wanting to make an impact on the charts would avoid a Beyoncé release date like the plague. So the unplanned release ended up usurping traction for a planned album from Ferg. This was the perfect storm of celebrity, artistry, and unparalleled hype.

“Anti” (2016)

Rihanna

It’s hard for an established artist to try something new. After years of radio-friendly hits, Rihanna’s 2016 surprise eighth album was a turn toward the more emotional and experimental. “Anti” dominated music coverage the week of its release. Despite strong singles and strong marketing campaigns, Sia’s “This Is Acting” and Charlie Puth’s much-anticipated debut album were drowned out during Rihanna’s banner week. It’s a little ironic, considering Sia’s biggest single, “Cheap Thrills,” was originally written for and rejected by none other than Rihanna herself. “Anti” went on to spend a record-breaking amount of time on the album charts.

“Folklore” & “Evermore” (2020)

Taylor Swift

Releasing one lockdown album is a serve. Taylor Swift gave us two. The first of the pair, “Folklore,” marked a turning point for her sound and focus. It immediately broke streaming records and spent eight weeks at the number one spot. Not only that, it also stole some of the thunder from rapper Logic’s retirement album, “No Pressure.” Swift’s album “Evermore” came out in December of 2020, marking her second of the year. This time, she contacted Paul McCartney about the release date, who moved the release of his own album so as not to compete. Upon “Evermore’s” release, Swift became the first woman to have two albums in the Billboard top three in the same year.

“Beyoncé” (2013)

Beyoncé

With her self-titled album, Queen Bey proved that a big enough star with great enough work didn’t need the bells and whistles of a traditional rollout. The moment this dual album and visual album dropped, the world seemed to stop. Everyone else’s releases became an afterthought. Childish Gambino’s album “Because the Internet” was one of the casualties. Even positive coverage of that album had to mention its unintentional bad timing. Released two weeks before, Britney Spears’ much-maligned “Britney Jean” was in the middle of an underperforming run of sales. “Beyoncé” might not have been the first surprise album ever made, but in terms of the industry, it may be the most influential.

Which of your faves put out the best surprise album? Let us know in the comments, respectfully.