On Friday, N.W.A. was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame at The Barclays Center in Brooklyn. There to induct the group was none other than Kendrick Lamar, who delivered a heartfelt speech about their influence and legacy. Watch his and N.W.A.’s speeches below.
Related: Dr. Fresch Teams With Eazy-E’s Son for G-House-Influenced Banger
Kendrick Lamar just dropped a new album called Untitled Unmastered. The eight-track project arrives three days after TDE’s CEO Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith teased the label’s release schedule. He didn’t specify dates, though, so Kendrick’s album comes as a surprise.
Like his GRAMMY-winning To Pimp a Butterfly, Kendrick’s Untitled is a creative project with live instrumentation and jazz elements. The album’s credits have yet to be released, but legendary producer Swizz Beatz has revealed that his five-year-old son co-produced track seven. TDE rapper Jay Rock and CeeLo Green can also be heard on tracks five and six, respectively. All of the tracks are untitled.
Interestingly, fans might have LeBron James to thank for the release of the album. After watching Kendrick’s performance at this year’s GRAMMY Awards, LeBron pleaded to Top Dawg to release the untitled songs that he performed.
Yo @dangerookipawaa after that @kendricklamar Grammy performance , you have to release those untitled tracks asap!!! What's up? Talk to me
— LeBron James (@KingJames) February 23, 2016
Dam my nigga u on my head 2…The fans been killing me. Y'all just backed me in a corner..Give me a few days 2 think https://t.co/5mFIPYUMXJ
— dangeroo kipawaa TDE (@dangerookipawaa) February 23, 2016
Stream the album’s DJ-friendly tracks below and download them on DJcity. Intro edits are also available.
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Related: Kendrick Lamar and J. Cole Freestyle Over Each Other’s Songs
As millions of Americans celebrated consumerism on Black Friday, Kendrick Lamar and J. Cole gave back to fans by dropping freestyles over each other’s tracks. Cole went in over Kendrick’s anthem, “Alright,” while K. Dot took on Cole’s “A Tale of 2 Citiez.”
The tracks have reignited speculation that a joint album between the rappers is in the works.
Stream both freestyles below and download them on DJcity.
Related: Kendrick Lamar Drops ‘Alright’ Video
Two days after winning “Best Male Hip Hop Artist” at the 2015 BET Awards, Kendrick Lamar has released a video for “Alright,” one of the few club-friendly tracks from To Pimp a Butterfly.
Watch the powerful video above, which was filmed in the streets of Oakland and Los Angeles, and download “Alright” on DJcity.
Related: Kendrick Lamar Discusses ‘To Pimp a Butterfly’ with ‘The Breakfast Club’
Kendrick Lamar sat down with “The Breakfast Club” this morning for his first interview with the show since dropping To Pimp a Butterfly. Of course, there was plenty of talk about his new album, but Kendrick discussed plenty of other interesting topics. We thought his last interview with the show was great, but this might be better.
Here’s a breakdown:
00:40 – How the release of “To Pimp a Butterfly” was botched
02:00 – The inspiration behind “i” and why he released it as the first single
02:40 – Why he didn’t attend the Grammys this year
03:00 – Taking two years to record “To Pimp a Butterfly”
03:30 – Accusations of him being “too preachy”
05:30 – His influence on the youth and why more artists should be socially responsible
08:00 – Where the Tupac audio on “Mortal Man” came from
09:30 – Where he gets his knowledge and wisdom from
12:20 – His relationship with J. Cole
13:00 – Where the aggression on “Control” came from
14:40 – “To Pimp a Butterfly” being labeled a classic
17:35 – Why he featured Bilal on “These Walls”
20:05 – Why he doesn’t release more records with Dr. Dre
20:50 – Being hands-on during the recording process
23:00 – His comments about Ferguson being misunderstood
28:20 – The meaning behind the “To Pimp a Butterfly” cover art
Related: Kendrick Lamar Releases ‘King Kunta’ Video
While many people consider Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp a Butterfly a masterpiece, the album isn’t as club-friendly as its predecessor. The project’s third single “King Kunta” oozes with funk, though, and the Sounwave and Terrace Martin-produced track has now received visuals. Watch the throwback video above, which was filmed in Kendrick’s hometown of Compton.
Download: Kendrick Lamar – King Kunta
Related: Kendrick Lamar Freestyles over Notorious B.I.G. Beats
Dr. Dre gave a rare interview on Big Boy’s Real 92.3 radio show yesterday and now the second part of the conversation has been uploaded. The Doctor discussed a multitude of topics, but his comments about Kendrick Lamar’s new album To Pimp a Butterfly stood out the most.
“The whole ratchet thing was fun but it didn’t have the substance that I appreciate in music … Kendrick is bringing us back to that.”
If you missed part one of the interview, watch it here.
Related: Dr. Dre, Eminem, and 50 Cent Featured in Shady Records Documentary
Los Angeles radio host Big Boy launched his new show on Real 92.3 this morning and the one and only Kendrick Lamar dropped a freestyle. Watch above as K-Dot goes in with three classic Notorious B.I.G. instrumentals to commemorate the legendary rapper’s passing.
Related: Logic Freestyles Over Bobby Shmurda’s ‘Hot Boy’
UPDATE: DJcity now has the 192 kbps version. We’ll post the high-quality file when it becomes available.
Less than a day after winning two Grammy Awards, Kendrick Lamar dropped “The Blacker The Berry” — a new single from his highly-anticipated sophomore album. The track features gritty production from Boi-1da, The KOZ and Terrace Martin.
Based on what we’ve heard so far (“i,” an untitled song performed on The Colbert Report and this track), it’s safe to say K-Dot’s next album will sound quite a bit different from good kid, m.A.A.d city.
Download: Kendrick Lamar – The Blacker The Berry
Related: Kendrick Lamar Performs Unreleased Track on Colbert Report
In what came off more like a performance art piece than typical TV appearance, Kendrick Lamar debuted an unreleased, untitled song on Comedy Central’s Colbert Report. With the aid of Thundercat and Bilal as band support, the moving performance featured Lamar in front of a glaring light holding a flask and donning dreads reminiscent of Coolio in the 90s. Look for it on DJcity soon.
Related: Kendrick Lamar Performs on ‘Saturday Night Live’