After 2015's hugely successful, multiple Grammy award-winning album "To Pimp a Butterfly," Compton rapper Kendrick Lamar released a brand new album seemingly out of nowhere overnight.
Unlike the recently released, much hyped Kanye West album "The Life of Pablo," little warning was given ahead of Lamar's latest album, which dropped Thursday night. The album has a similarly low-key name: "untitled unmastered."
The sudden release of fresh music from such a popular artist inspired the hashtag "#KendrickListeningParty" on Twitter. People are, to put it lightly, freakin' the hell out:
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The album features eight tracks, all labeled as "Untitled" (01 - 08). Lamar's label, Top Dawg Entertainment, doesn't call it a standard album, but rather, "An 8-song project which features studio versions of the untitled songs Kendrick performed on The Colbert Report, The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon and the most recent performance at the 58th annual GRAMMY Awards show."
Indeed, three of the eight tracks are studio versions of songs he performed on "The Colbert Report," "The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon," and at The Grammy Awards last month. The album features guest appearances from the likes of CeeLo Green (of Goodie Mob and "The Voice" fame) and fellow Compton rapper Jay Rock.
Also unlike Kanye West's recent release, Lamar's "untitled unmastered." is available through iTunes, on Spotify, Tidal, Last.fm, and elsewhere. Don't hesitate to check it out — I've listened to it twice this morning and it's fantastic.
If you need any more convincing, though, here's Kendrick Lamar's incredible Grammy performance:
