Music

Kendrick Lamar released a surprise new album last night

by Tyler Munro

Early rising fans of hip-hop — should such a thing exist — awoke to a surprise this morning: Just after 1 a.m., a surprise album by critical darling Kendrick Lamar dropped seemingly out of the blue.

Not that there weren’t surprises: Aside from rumours that a new TDE album would be dropping soon, Kendrick has previously performed songs from the new release, called untitled unmastered., on The Colbert Report and at the Grammys.

While not as densely layered as the earth shattering To Pimp a Butterfly, the often starkly minimalist, funk-laced, free-jazz sputtered album is Kendrick Lamar at his rawest — a reminder that even accompanied by a simple looping violin, he’s at the top of the rap game.

Culled from unused tracks from the Butterfly sessions, untitled unmastered. might not be the follow-up fans were expecting. But taking into consideration the three-year gap after Good Kid, M.A.A.D City, it’s certainly one they’re welcoming with open arms. From questioning his own commercialism on the Thundercats accompanied “untitled 03 | 05.28.2013” to the silky saxophones and clamouring crashes of “untitled 05 | 09.21.2014,” this eight-song, 34-minute album is the kind of surprise that had people frantically syncing it to their phones for their morning commutes.

Give it a listen on Apple, Tidal, Google Play, or Spotify. We think it might just make your morning.