Putting together an album can be a grueling experience, especially for rappers. Nailing the delicate chemistry required to match the music to the concept can be psychologically taxing, and at the end of the day, all you have to go by are your thoughts and inspirations. Many artists compare crafting an album to child birth, and while it is a joyous occasion, there is plenty of pain, discomfort and change involved any time anybody steps into a studio.
So it's always a little bit remarkable that some artists will leave entire albums behind for the sake of some other project. 50 Cent is the latest such artist to shelve a nearly-complete album, as he revealed that he thinks he might leave the experimental Black Magic behind in favor of a more traditional hip-hop album. He told Rolling Stone Brasil that he was going to put out another album before he got around to Black Magic, though there aren't any formal release dates for any of 50's upcoming projects.
Tellingly, he compared himself to Eminem, who shelved Relapse 2 in favor of the chart-topping Recovery late last year. There are plenty of other artists who have left fully-formed work behind in favor of other projects. Here are the best (and most notorious).
Dave Matthews Band
When the platinum-selling jammers wrapped up the touring cycle for their third studio album Before These Crowded Streets, the Dave Matthews Band settled into the studio with longtime producer Steve Lillywhite to start work on their fourth album. But once the initial recordings were made, the group decided they weren't happy with the new material and left the album behind. They ended up teaming up with producer Glen Ballard to craft Everyday, a departure from their normal sound that centered around Matthews' baritone electric guitar. The Lillywhite recordings made their way online (they became known as The Lillywhite Sessions) and became popular with fans. Since some of those songs (including "Grey Street" and "Grace is Gone") became live staples, the group ended up revisiting many of the Lillywhite tunes for their fifth album Busted Stuff.
Beach Boys
After the success of the Beach Boys' hit "Good Vibrations" in 1966, troubled genius Brian Wilson set out to craft an album he described as "a teenage symphony to God." The sessions were troubled by band in-fighting, arguments with the group's label and Wilson's continuously deteriorating mental state. Wilson suffered a nervous breakdown and plans for the album — originally called Dumb Angel but later re-named Smile — were set aside. Smile finally was completed — in 2004.
Dr. Dre
After he changed the face of hip-hop with The Chronic, Dr. Dre worked on a number of different projects, all the while toying with a direct follow-up to The Chronic (which was going to be called Detox). As time clicked by, Dre set aside the Detox concept and put out 2001 (ironically, he did this in 1999). Dre has spent the last 10 years working on Detox, which may see the light of day soon.
The RZA
Once the Wu-Tang Clan became a phenomenon and the first wave of solo albums from the group's key members (GZA, Method Man, Raekwon and Ghostface), there was a great deal of anticipation for a solo album by producer and mastermind the RZA. The producer often joked in interviews that he was stockpiling some of his craziest beats for his solo project, which was to be titled The Cure. RZA didn't strike out on his own until 1998's sci-fi concept album Bobby Digital in Stereo, which explored RZA's wacky alter-ego. The Cure was supposed to be next, but instead the producer put out another album as Bobby Digital. The Cure concept is still kicking around and may end up being heard some day.
Panic! at the Disco
Hot off the success of their debut A Fever You Can't Sweat Out, Panic! at the Disco headed into a remote cabin in 2007 to grind out a new album. But the group was unhappy with the results (Panic! member Ryan Ross described the album as sounding like "a film score"). They ended up heading home to Las Vegas to create what became their second album Pretty. Odd. The trade-off worked well for them, as the first "new" song they recorded was the hit single "Nine in the Afternoon."
What's your favorite scrapped album? Let us know in the comments!