In a surprise move to all, Kendrick Lamar released a brand new album late last Thursday night—March 3. Sparked by a tweet from NBA phenom LeBron James to Top Dawg Entertainment CEO Anthony Tiffith asking for a release of Kendrick’s untitled tracks, the album dropped suddenly and unexpectedly. The Compton artist’s fourth studio release untitled unmastered consists of eight previously unreleased tracks from a number of different recording sessions.
All of the tracks are named ‘untitled,’ while being numbered one through eight respectively, demonstrating the intentional unfinished-ness of the release. Two of the songs had only been performed once each as part of late-night television performances, while others were leftovers from Kendrick’s last album.
Nearly a year since the release of To Pimp a Butterfly, this new LP acts as an epilogue to his multi-Grammy-winning masterpiece. Living up to its name, the music featured is very under-produced, presenting a loose collection of music with abundantly raw instrumentals.
The album features guest performance work from artists such as CeeLo Green, A Tribe Called Quest, and limited production work from legendary musical talents Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys’ five-year-old son Egypt on “Untitled 7.”
Featuring heavy jazz and funk influences, Kendrick is once again redefining rap music. Despite the style of untitled unmastered strongly paralleling Kendrick’s last major release, each track feels dramatically different from the one that came before it.
Listening to untitled unmastered is truly an exceptional listening experience, showcasing Kendrick’s singing and rapping in a profoundly emotional manner—one that feels unique and genuine. This album serves as a platform for his incredible range as a rapper, and even more incredible vision as an artist.
Kendrick’s persona as “the people’s champion” is out in full force here. Utilizing dark subtexts and descriptive imagery, Kendrick Lamar continues to display his unique view of society, but in a very personal way that manages to touch millions of listeners on an intimate level.
To Pimp a Butterfly’s strong theme of making a societal difference while maintaining a personal sense of functioning normalcy is carried over in this project. As with all of Kendrick Lamar’s work, this release is deeply personal and introspective.
Only time will tell, but this does not feel like the next artistic step for Kendrick, but rather a slight detour. untitled unmastered serves as a conclusion to the groundbreaking To Pimp a Butterfly, wrapping up this phase of his career. This most recent release is another achievement in the thus brief, but illustrious career of Kendrick Lamar.
