The only sure thing about Kendrick Lamar's upcoming album? His close associates can't wait for the world to hear it. "Kendrick really stepped his game up," says labelmate Jay Rock. Schoolboy Q alludes to Lamar's painstaking studio methods: "He's perfecting that shit, 18 hours a day." That process has involved regular sessions with ace live musicians, plus work with Pharrell Williams, Dr. Dre and even George Clinton. Publicly, at least, there's no release date or title. "It's a good album," says Lamar. "That's what I can tell you about it."

Billboard Cover: Kendrick Lamar on Ferguson, Leaving Iggy Azalea Alone and Why 'We're in the Last Days'

This story first appeared in the Jan. 17 issue of Billboard.