US Rap and Hip Hop sensation Kendrick Lamar has treated our years to numerous delights over the years. His politically driven lyrics, combined with cutting edge sounds and synthesis make Kendrick Lamar one of the best selling Hip Hop artists in the US. His sounds span borders, breaking into the charts on an international scale. His albums are twisted and dark, filled with inspiring beats, happy moments and sad ones.

So, the question is, why haven’t we seen a new album from Kendrick for such a long time? It’s been over 3 years since any release from Kendrick, which saw some solo material produced for the 2018 Black Panther soundtrack. 2020 was set to be the year of his next big album release, a follow up to DAMN, but nothing happened. We can guess that this may have been down to the coronavirus pandemic. Most self respecting artists love to wait until the time is right to release their new sound, that time is generally spent on tours and headlining festivals, which of course 2020 put a very abrupt stop to. So, coronavirus aside, does that mean his new material is sat gathering dust, waiting to go? 

So many questions, very few answers here I’m afraid!

This stillness and silence from Kendrick on the topic isn’t much of a surprise, considering his A list status and his presence on the US Hip Hop scene, very few people actually know that much about him. He’s not the sort of rapper to soak up the media attention that sells his life to social media, rather, Kendrick takes a subtle approach to advertising his personal life. He keeps it low key, that’s what we like about him. According to a recent article by Pitchfork, it’s this sentiment that makes him a well respected figure among many of US Hip Hop’s veterans and icons. In the article, Busta Rhymes is quoted saying:

“There’s a great deal of mystique around Kendrick, you don’t see him posting things on the ’gram. Very rarely do you find him being caught on camera, being out anywhere. I really appreciate that about him.”

Whatever happens next in Kendrick Lamar’s career, we know it’ll be a big deal. For now though, we must sit back and wait for his sounds to start rolling out again. Enjoy the classics and if you don’t know where to start and you’re new to Kendrick’s sounds, try 2015’s To Pimp a Butterfly - it’s a banger!