I spend the whole year just thinking about how I’m gonna execute a new sound, I can’t do the same thing over and over. “That’s what will take me so long to do albums (laughs). And that dedication counts man, that’s the fire part about it,” he said. “I remember when I came out on my first album, people thought it was overnight, but it was years on top of years of doing it. Kendrick weighed in on the delay while talking with TDE labelmate Baby Keem for i-D in October 2020. Nobody is waiting,” one fan said, echoing the (albeit rude) sentiment of others. “Why would you put ‘THE WAIT IS OVAH’ if it’s not Kendrick, nobody gives a flying motherf-ck about Isaiah Rashad. The reaction was mixed – some of Isiah’s fans were happy, but a lot were upset. Instead, what arrived on May 7 was “Lay Wit Me,” a new single and music video by Kendrick’s TDE labelmate, Isaiah Rashad. This social media message led many Kendrick Lamar fans to think K-Dot finally released his first new single in years. His label, TDE (Top Dawg Entertainment), got everyone into a frenzy on April 28, when tweeted “THE WAIT IS OVAH!!!” along with a video of a load screen and a date: 5/7/21. So, where is Kendrick’s album? When Will Kendrick Lamar’s New Album Be Released? Kendrick Lamar at the 60th Annual Grammy Awards in 2018 (Shutterstock)Īs of the end of May 2021, there isn’t an official release date for Kendrick Lamar’s new album. He also curated and performed on the Black Panther soundtrack in 2018 (which secured him an Academy Award nomination.) Though Kendrick appeared on a handful of songs (“All The Stars,” “Black Panther,” “King’s Dead,” “Big Shot,” “Pray For Me”), it’s felt more K-Dot adjacent than a proper solo release. Since DAMN, Kendrick appeared teamed with Pharrell’s N.E.R.D., lent his voice to a handful of singles and remixes. In the years before his studio debut, Kendrick built a buzz with mixtapes like No Sleep ‘Til NYC, C4, and Overly Dedicated. In 2016, Kendrick Lamar dropped untitled unmastered, a compilation album of previously unreleased demos during the To Pimp A Butterfly period. City, a three-time Platinum album, arrived in late 2012, one year after Kendrick dropped his debut studio album, 2011’s Section.80.
The album contains “I,” “The Blacker The Berry,” “King Kunta,” and “Alright” (which features uncredited vocals from the song’s co-producer, Pharrell Williams, per NPR). While not as commercially successful as DAMN (or the prior release, Good Kid, M.A.A.D City), one could argue it’s Kendrick’s best album. The top score (96) belongs to To Pimp A Butterfly, the album Kendrick released in 2015. Kendrick Lamar at the 38th Brit Awards in 2018 (Shutterstock) Currently, DAMN has a 95 on Metacritic, an unthinkably high score…but Kendrick’s second-highest score. Numerous music publications named it either one of or the Best Album of the year. Subsequent singles “Loyalty” (featuring Rihanna) and “Love” (featuring Zacari) also went Platinum multiple times. The album’s lead single, “Humble,” went Platinum seven times.
Commercially, DAMN is currently certified triple-platinum by the RIAA. Kendrick’s previous solo album was DAMN, which arrived in April 2017 to massive success.