Kendrick Lamar performs at Panorama NYC Festival on July 23, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty)
With mere days remaining until the alleged release of Kendrick Lamar‘s new album on April 7th, fans have yet to get information regarding guest features, artwork, or even the official tracklist. And it seems as though Lamar’s record label, Top Dawg Entertainment, wants to play into that mystery.
y’all want me to post a few of kdot tracks?
The Top Dawg twitter account had some fun with its fans this past weekend, as they asked fans if they “Ya’ll want me to post a few K. Dot tracks?” Given that the only songs we’ve been informed of are “The Heart Part 4” (which is reportedly not on the official tracklist) and “Humble,” the idea seemed riveting. Given its April 1st timestamp, however, the subsequent tweet only read “Track 1 Track 2 Track 3 Track 4.” Some fans were naturally miffed, but others got in on the April Fool’s Day spirit, replying with tweets that read “Top just wants us to sit down and be humble while waiting on the K Dot album,”or simply consisted of the fire emoji.
Top just wants us to sit down and be humble while waiting on the K Dot album. Message received t.co/PamHqOb7VQ
While Top Dawg continues to play coy regarding Lamar’s new album, this isn’t the first time rumors of a tracklist has surfaced online. In March, an unknown user on Pastebin posted what looked to be an official list of track titles and production credits for the album, with artists like Kanye West, Q-Tip, and André 3000 attached. Check out the alleged tracklist below.
1) Purple Hibiscus (prod. Sounwave & Terrace Martin) – 8:45
2) Counterfeit (prod. Rahki & Taz Arnold) – 3:26
3) Trust Everyone (prod. DJ Dahi, Terrace Martin & Thundercat) – 06:04
4) Delusional (Like You Haven’t) (feat. Anderson .Paak & Anna Wise, prod. Sounwave) – 04:01
5) Product (feat. André 3000, prod. Kanye West & Taz Arnold) – 04:11
6) Richard Nixon (prod. LoveDragon) – 05:35
7) None of Your Business (feat. Anna Wise, Kanye West, & Q-Tip, prod. DJ Dahi, Kanye West & Sounwave) – 04:52
8) Double Standards (prod. LoveDragon & Rahki) – 03:50
9) If You Had Me, You Lost Me (Interlude) (prod. Flying Lotus & Mono/Poly) – 02:00
10) Commercialized, Failed Experiments (prod. Alchemist, Cardo & Swizz Beatz) – 04:43
11) Ten Steps (feat. Bilal, Thundercat, and D’Angelo, prod. Sounwave & Terrace Martin) – 04:59
12) Paranoia, Is Love Stronger Than Death? (prod. K.L. & LoveDragon) – 12:36
13) Rest in Paradise (Interlude) (prod. Terrace Martin) – 02:21
14) Swim with the Fishes (God Said) (prod. Sounwave & Terrace Martin) – 07:09
Amidst all this confusion, however, Top Dawg Entertainment was kind enough to confirm the rest of the planned roster for 2017, which includes releases from SZA, ScHoolboy Q, and Jay Rock. SZA’s long awaited-debut Control has been in talks since 2015, and will reportedly be the label’s next project after Lamar. The second half of the year will see the return of Top Dawg mainstays ScHoolboy and Rock, who will release their fifth and third studio albums, respectively.
yasssssss lol t.co/9ys7m6xrvG
Last week, ScHoolboy revealed additional information about Lamar’s album, posting a picture of himself on Snapchat listening to Lamar’s latest single “Humble” with the caption: “WHen you got da wHole album and can finally put yo jam on snapchat,” hinting at the fact that Q and the rest of Top Dawg already have copies of the album. While the label has yet to gift fans with an official tracklist, this, coupled with the tentatively release date on April 7th, suggests that fans will be getting Lamar’s album sooner than later.
