Kendrick Lamar has always been an enigma. He’ll drop classic albums and just disappear for years outside of a steady stream of features.
He’s been relatively quiet on the music scene since dropping his critically acclaimed project DAMN. in 2017.
That album is a certified classic. It won Kendrick a slew of Grammy nominations and awards including Best Album of the Year, Best Rap Album of the Year and even Best Rap Song for “Humble.”
The album even got him a Pulitzer Prize. I didn’t even know it was possible for rap albums to win Pulitzers.
So, anyway, you get the picture by now. This album was fantastic. It’s a classic, no matter what way you cut it. And, obviously, it left the people wanting more.
We’ve all waited around for four years now hoping we’d get more soon. And, apparently, it’s coming in the form of his last album with Top Dog Entertainment.
Lamar announced his upcoming album through a tweet. In that folder, he released a statement of what he called “nu thoughts.”
Kendrick Lamar gives us a life update and mentions that he’s finishing his final TDE album. pic.twitter.com/zjFKCYFnzK
— Def Pen (@DefPen) August 20, 2021
“As I produce my final TDE album, I feel joy to have been a part of such a cultural imprint after 17 years. The Struggles. The Success. And most importantly, the Brotherhood. May the Most High continue to use Top Dawg as a vessel for candid creators. As I continue to pursue my life’s calling.”
That’s…a lot. The big reveal, though, is that this will be Kendrick’s last album with Top Dawg Entertainment — the label he’s been with since entering into hip-hop’s mainstream. And that’s huge.
But the other revelation is that, while Lamar is working on this final album with TDE, he doesn’t seem to know what he’s going to do after this.
Before announcing the final album he says he’s done lots of reflection “on what matters the most. The life in which my words will land next,” which can be read in a few different ways. He also says later “there’s beauty in completion. And always faith in the unknown.”
That sounds a lot like a guy who has no idea what’s coming up next for him. Honestly, this always felt like what was to come with Lamar. He’s clearly had other interests.
He launched his own service company for creators called Pg-Lang in 2020, so maybe his next step will be something there. Maybe it’ll be working independently with his own record label. Maybe it won’t be music at all — it might be something none of us are thinking about.
And that’s totally fine. While it’d be nice to keep getting Kendrick Lamar albums, it’s also pretty cool to see him taking his time to figure things out.
Whatever it is, though, let’s hope this final album he leaves us with is as good as the joints that preceded it.
Watch our sneaker unboxing series, Special Delivery
