Rapper has confirmed his long-awaited new album will be released very soon.
The Pulitzer Prize-winning musician took to social media over the weekend to announce that will be released on May 13.
Titled Mr Morale & The Big Steppers, the record will be Kendrick’s fifth studio album since storming on to the scene with 2011’s Section.80.
The 34-year-old’s most recent studio album was 2017’s Damn, which won the Pulitzer Prize for music, becoming the first non-jazz or classical work to do so.
His other albums include 2012’s Good Kid, M.A.A.D City and 2015’s To Pimp A Butterfly.
The multiple Grammy winner revealed the news in a unique way: sharing a tweet from an impatient fan who said ‘Kendrick Lamar is officially retired,’ and adding a link to his website.
Rather than a retirement announcement, the link brought fans to a white screen with two old-style file icons, with one containing the album announcement along with the phrase: ‘Appreciate your patience.’
On the site, Kendrick shared an official-looking letter under his moniker Oklama, on letterhead from his media company pgLang, which he founded with his business partner Dave Free in 2020.
The rapper had previously announced in August that he was working on his next album but it would be his last with Top Dawg Entertainment, the label he has been signed to since the start of his career.
In a statement at the time, he said he felt ‘joy to have been a part of such a cultural imprint after 17 years’.
He also said he had been living a quiet life, spending most of his days with ‘fleeting thoughts. Writing. Listening. And collecting old Beach cruisers.
‘The morning rides keep me on a hill of silence. I go months without a phone.
‘Love, loss, and grief have disturbed my comfort zone, but the glimmers of God speak through my music and family’, he added.
‘While the world around me evolves, I reflect on what matters the most. The life in which my words will land next.’
Kendrick’s statement appeared alongside a photo that appeared to show him in the recording booth.
The rapper is due to this summer as he headlines the closing proceedings on the Sunday.
