Nottingham Guardian - Kendrick Lamar drops surprise new album

NYSE - LSE
CMSD -0.05% 21.58 $
CMSC -0.12% 21.45 $
RBGPF 0% 71.34 $
BCE 0.64% 23.47 $
NGG -0.19% 81.05 $
GSK -0.97% 49.52 $
RIO -0.43% 95.68 $
RELX -0.7% 34.43 $
RYCEF 0.62% 20.84 $
AZN -0.5% 156.45 $
VOD 1.22% 16.42 $
BCC -1.07% 83.24 $
JRI 0.5% 12.61 $
BTI -0.51% 57.06 $
BP 0.52% 42.53 $
Kendrick Lamar drops surprise new album
Kendrick Lamar drops surprise new album / Photo: Yuki IWAMURA - AFP/File

Kendrick Lamar drops surprise new album

Rap superstar Kendrick Lamar surprised fans on Friday with the unannounced release of a 12-track album.

Text size:

"GNX," the performer's sixth studio album, appeared on streaming services without fanfare at midday on the US East Coast (1700 GMT).

The offering from the 37-year-old comes at the end of a year that has seen his music fueled by a feud with Drake, a spat that produced some of the year's biggest hits.

One of them, Lamar's "Not Like Us," grabbed the top spot on Billboard's Hot 100 chart and garnered him a number of Grammy nominations for next year's gala.

"GNX" is the first album from Lamar since his mega-selling "Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers" in 2022, which itself came after a five-year wait.

Friday's release is timely for an artist who will headline the Super Bowl halftime show in February, a coveted showcase that takes place in the middle of the NFL season finale, which is routinely watched by around a third of Americans.

R.Ryan--NG