Kendrick Lamar Album Release Set for April 14

Unfortunately, today is not the day a new Kendrick Lamar album drops. The official release date is next Friday, April 14.

When he released “The Heart Part 4,” Lamar teased an April 7 release date with one enigmatic line: “Y’all got till April the 7th to get y’all shit together.” The internet basically exploded, and everyone began getting their shit together in anticipation of an April 7 album release. It’s been two years since To Pimp A Butterfly shook the hip-hop world, and we’ve been getting pretty thirsty for more.

As it turns out, April 7 is the day the untitled album goes up for presale on iTunes. There is no official tracklist or cover art yet, and it seems unlikely that the album will just be called ALBUM, as it’s currently listed. However, a closer look at the album credits reveals some of the producers and contributors.

Composers include members of U2 and BADBADNOTGOOD, though it’s unclear whether Lamar just sampled their songs or actually worked with them to create new material. Producers include Mike WiLL-Made It (who produced Kendrick’s recent hit “HUMBLE”), DJ Dahi, Sounwave, 9th Wonder, The Alchemist and more. There’s also a J. Blake listed for “TRACK 4”—could that be James Blake?

We’re torn between excitement that the album is almost here, and soul-crushing disappointment that we stayed up late last night for nothing. It’s been a tough week, and we could all use some Kendrick. However, we’ve waited this long, and we can wait another week if we must. In the meantime, preview ALBUM on iTunes here, and revisit Kendrick’s eye-popping “HUMBLE” video here and “The Heart Part 4” here.