Schoolboy Q is ending a nearly five-year hiatus with the announcement of his sixth album, BLUE LIPS. The LP is expected to be released on March 1 with 17 songs. So far, any features have not been confirmed.
The rapper revealed the tracklist through a trailer today (Feb. 1). It also included various meanings of “blue lips” that reflected themes of shock, awareness, and emotional states. One of the definitions read, “[To] become fully aware of [something] as a fact, understanding clearly.”
BLUE LIPS will serve as a follow-up to 2019’s CrasH Talk. It debuted with 14 songs, including guest appearances from 21 Savage, Kid Cudi, 6LACK, YG, Ty Dolla Sign, and Travis Scott. “Chopstix,” “Numb Numb Juice,” and “Water” were among fan favorites.
In the interim, Q did a number of features and put out one loose single. He teamed up with REASON for “Pop S**t” in 2020. In 2022, the Los Angeles rapper unloaded “Soccer Dad.” The following year saw him collaborating with T.F for “Hooty.”
In 2023, Q told the “Back On Figg” podcast why he doesn’t release music frequently. “When it comes to music, I don’t look at it as like, ‘Oh, you have to drop every year.’ I’m like, ‘No, your favorite rapper has to drop every year because he needs to,’” he said. “I do what I want because I move off peace. I move off my experiences.”
“If I bring nothing to the table that comes from my life, I don’t feel I should put it out,” Q added.
On Wednesday (Jan. 31), a photo surfaced of what artists from Top Dawg Entertainment were dropping music this year. Isaiah Rashad, SZA, Doechii, Jay Rock, SiR, and a compilation project were listed. However, TDE president Terrence “Punch” Henderson has not confirmed whether the image was real.