Kendrick Lamar Teases Fourth Album


Kendrick Lamar posted a new photo consisting of just “IV” on his Instagram early on Thursday morning. All of his other posts have been deleted, and he’s seemingly teasing new music. It’s becoming more and more common for artists to release some unexplained photos, teasers, and hints at new music. Kendrick Lamar has three previous albums, so it’s logical to take this post to mean a fourth album is on the way. Section.80 was Kendrick’s debut release back in 2011, which was followed by good kid, m.A.A.d city in 2012 and To Pimp A Butterfly in 2015.

With the way major labels typically work, artists are on a roughly 18-month release schedule. While it’s not something that artists always stick to, it would indicate Kendrick Lamar being due for a new release. Earlier this month, T Magazine, ran an interview with Kendrick, where he discussed his music and what he wanted to accomplish with his next album. In the interview, Wyatt Mason describes what progress he can see.

“A Pro Tools recording session had been open on the studio console when I walked in, a work in progress that I wasn’t going to get to hear. The colorful Jenga-like arrangement of blocks on the screen represented the song’s elements, an array one wished one could, like a text, read. Lamar sat in silence for a time. Muffled beats from adjoining recording suites rose and fell in the background.”

Since his release of To Pimp A Butterfly, Kendrick Lamar toured on the album, he released a collection of songs, and he teamed up with American Express on a couple occasions. He and Shaq did a commercial for American Express where they visited Soaptopia, which is a small, handmade soap shop based in Mar Vista, CA. More recently, he teamed up with American Express to perform at Music Hall of Williamsburg in Brooklyn, NY.

Kendrick Lamar and Shaq at Soaptopia [Image by Charley Gallay/Getty Images]

To Pimp A Butterfly was a huge release for Kendrick Lamar, and it garnered him more attention than his two previous albums had. He released a handful of singles off of the record, with the first one being “i.” The song instantly grabbed his fans, and the album received very favorable reviews. Kendrick Lamar has a way with words, and To Pimp A Butterfly showed him at his finest.

In 2016, he released the aforementioned collection of songs, untitled unmastered. While it wasn’t considered a full album, it was just as long as one. It contained songs he had recorded while in the studio for To Pimp A Butterfly, so instead of a new work, it felt more like an extension of the album.

In the meantime, Kendrick teamed up with Gucci Mane and Rae Sremmurd to collaborate on Mike Will Made-It’s “Perfect Pint.” If you’re looking for some music from Kendrick to tide you over, check out the song over at Complex.

Kendrick Lamar performing at the American Music Awards [Image by Kevin Winter/Getty Images]

With something on its way, whether it’s one song or a full album, Kendrick Lamar teasing new music is something many have been looking forward to. He’s shown time and time again that he’s still working on his craft and honing his talent.

Kendrick Lamar will be performing at Coachella next month, where he could possibly play some new music. He’s headlining on Sunday night, so if you have a three-day pass, be sure to stay for the entire weekend. Hopefully, we will get something before then, but with the Instagram post not having a caption, who knows what Kendrick has in store for fans.

Check out the Instagram post below:

Kendrick Lamar won a Grammy for the Best Rap Album for To Pimp A Butterfly. He also won for Best Rap Performance with his song, “Alright.” If Kendrick releases a new album by the cut-off date in September, we could see him with the same award again at this time next year.

[Featured Image by Bryan Bedder/Getty Images]

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