Following Kendrick Lamar’s extraordinary performance at the 2016 Grammy Awards, he revealed that he has a collection of tracks that did not make his third studio album, stating that “I got a chamber of material from the album that I was in love [with] where sample clearances or something as simple as a deadline kept it off the album”. Lamar has previously performed unreleased untitled songs, one on the final episode of the “Colbert Report” in December 2014 and another most recently in January on the “Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon”.

Lebron actually came through for us when he tweeted asking Top when the untitled album was coming out! Well, either that or Top got him to tweet it as hype [probably the latter] but either way, the surprise follow-up to To Pimp a Butterfly is here a year later as the 8-track untitled unmastered. This is just the first of seven supposed releases from the TDE camp according to Top Dawg’s Instagram. This is going to be tough to go about with as this is not a simple rap project, it’s a mixture of jazz, funk and influences of soul on top of hip-hop.

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

untitled 01 08.19.2014 begins with a thematically darker tone with a scenario that is being depicted as Judgment Day while making constant references to the prophecies in the Book of Revelations. The light drumroll with the cymbals that transitions a brasher sound with a heavy bassline as Kendrick’s flow builds up as they reach the end of the apocalypse -“Revelation greatest as we hearing the last trumpet / All man, child, woman, life completely went in reverse”.

“pimp pimp / hooray” and Thundercat’s bass kicks off untitled 02 06.24.2014, where Kendrick picks up a different flow that I don’t think I’ve heard him use before as he uses the verse from the performance on Jimmy Fallon but executes it more somberly before picking it up in the last minute before asking to get “top on the phone” – which is a reference to the instagram picture Top posted where next to Kendrick’s name is (??? GET TOP ON THE PHONE). Many speculated that it meant that they had to ask Top when to drop the album, but the track confirms that it’s probably just an easter egg that he found amusing to put on the whiteboard.

Me and Top is like a Kobe and Phil

A father figure fuck with him, you get killed

Fuck with me and he will kill you himself

TDE the mafia of the west

Move in silence, yeah, we juggin’ like that

Act of violence, yeah, we juggin’ like that

We finally get a CDQ of the performance from the Colbert Report as untitled 03 05.28.2013, which is amazing since this means that this was one of the very first tracks recorded for TPAB after the release of Good Kid MAAD City, although the instrumentation differs from the live version. As the song plays, Kendrick meets several minorities who give a “piece” of themselves until he meets the white man who instead takes a “piece” of him with intentions of making a profit off him. Fellow TDE member SZA is featured on untitled 04 08.14.2014 with production that sounds influenced by Travis Scott and sounds eeringly similar to Flying Lotus’ “MmmHmm”. The slower groove makes me want to close my eyes and just fall into the smoothness that is SZA’s voice.

Kendrick picks up the pace on a track that definitely should have made the album as we transition to untitled 05 09.21.2014 with Terrance Martin on the saxophone as Anna Wise sings the hook. Some of the first verse was performed at the Grammys and the themes of the track “U” from TPAB are used here as drinking alcohol is worsening Kendrick’s persona as he walks through “Section Park”. Punch comes through on the second verse, reflecting on how fame is preventing him from recognizing his own flaws although he follows the path of Jesus. It’s nice to see verses from other TDE members, with Jay Rock also featured on the third verse – as the only proper rap feature we got from someone aside from Kendrick on TPAB was Rapsody who delivered a passionate and calculated verse on “Complexion (A Zulu Love)”. Having the others on the third album would have been an interesting experience as it would have offered more perspectives into the topics and themes that Kendrick was articulating.

The melody on untitled 06 06.30.2014 sounds like an alternate version of “For Sale?”, mainly because of the saxophone using similar, if not the same chords, while delivering vibes of a stereotypical elevator music but with an upbeat twist. The hook features Cee Lo Green asking to “let me explain” as Kendrick speaks in Xhosa, which is a southern African language in the outro. untitled 07 2014-2016 goes deeper into the introspective look of TPAB as Kendrick states that material possessions such as ‘Love’ and ‘Drugs’ can’t get you as high as the mental state that one can “levitate” to through the concept of “HiiPower” and the elation of creating an album such as TPAB, which is considered as arguably the best and most influential album of 2015.

The second part of the track is produced by Swizz Beatz’s….wait for it….. five year old son! You have to give credit where credit’s due, the piano melody Egypt picked up on works so well with Kendrick’s flow while the pace of the track slows down as he takes on a braggadocious persona, and takes a shot at Jay Electronica after JElec claimed that “Kendrick wishes he could me”. As it goes into the third section, it reminds me of something Bob Marley-esque. He also takes a shot at Drake “Said you just make me wanna Drake you down / To the ground, to the ground ground / Like bam, bam, bam, bam, bam”, which is a pay on the saying “dick you down”, which by using Drake’s name, Kendrick is implying that he will metaphorically take Drake down to the ground. It’s certainly interesting to see him actually use Drake’s name on a track instead of taking subtle shots [king kunta].

You niggas fear me like y’all fear God

You sound frantic, I hear panic in your voice

Just know the mechanics of making your choice and writin’ your bars

Before you poke out your chest, loosen your bra

Before you step out of line and dance with the star

I could never end a career if it never start

The album ends on a groovy tune with the performance from Jimmy Fallon as the funky untitled 08 09.06.2014. It’s the exact same song with the exception of the fourth verse which was used on the second untitled track, while the instrumentation remains constant throughout the track as opposed to the live track when it would change up during the hook, probably done for effect to make the performance more appealing to the audience – at the last minute, the drums really kick in for a few seconds as the project fades to black with a final celebration of the success and impact of “To Pimp A Butterfly” as Kendrick chants “pimp pimp / hooray!”.

THOUGHTS

I think my only quarrel with this album is how the track from the “Alright” music video isn’t a part of this compilation, but I’m sure that it is one of the plethora of tracks in Kendrick’s chamber. I understand why these didn’t make the cut for To Pimp A Butterfly – most of these tracks wouldn’t have fit the narrative or the sound that the album maintained throughout, and it would have simply disrupted the sonics. These are essentially the “throwaway” tracks of To Pimp A Butterfly but they are so beautiful and raw – even if you don’t like Kendrick’s style, you can’t help but admit he’s a creative genius with his flows and the direction he takes with his soulful and funky production by enlisting who could be called our generation’s greats of the jazz-fusion style (Thundercat, Bilal, Terrance Martin). The mouldy dark green-black artwork strangely represents the sound of the album, I cannot exactly describe it but the thematic darkness and mellowness of the album somehow carries the sentiment of the album art.

This is definitely not an album in the way that Good Kid MAAD City or To Pimp A Butterfly are with a proper narrative, but the selection of tracks for this compilation are certainly cohesive – as he has taken tracks from the hiatus, with a majority coming from 2014 in the few months just before the release of his third album. This is an unconventional album for Kendrick but when he releases his fifth album, the material in this project would be the creative direction he will continue on. I personally feel that he has evolved to this level where he has finally found the type of sound he knows and wants to make – and as mentioned before, it’s this beautiful jazzy, funky and soulful mix with book and street knowledge on top of an introspective view on the world based on previous experiences (this honestly may not make any sense but i’m just writing how i feel in the moment).

It’s only been three months and TDE is already winning – the next seven albums planned for this year are definitely going to be impressive as with each album release, each artist is constantly raising the bar for themselves to strive for better results while maintaining their views and level headedness and what got them into the rap game in the first place. The next rollout is expected to either be Schoolboy Q or Isaiah Rashad – will is definitely already being highly anticipated. In the mean time, let us take the time to appreciate the work of someone who started with humble beginnings and has come so far in the industry without compromising his take on the world or his style – King Kendrick Lamar.