US rapper Kendrick Lamar has released a surprise new album called GNX.
The 12-track album, which is the performer’s sixth studio release, dropped on his social media pages at around 17:00 GMT on Friday.
It features contributions from American R&B star SZA as well as Kamasi Washington, among others.
GNX is Lamar’s first album since 2022’s Mr Morale & The Big Steppers, and comes ahead of his headlining performance at the Super Bowl halftime show in February.
It caps off an eventful year for Lamar, whose recent music has been fuelled by a long-running feud with Canadian star Drake.
There had been rumours for months that Lamar, who has won multiple Grammys and the Pulitzer Prize for Music, was working on a new project.
Early reviews of the album have been mostly positive, with fans also taking to social media to praise his new offering.
“Whatever comes next, the Pulitzer Prize winner has written another thrilling chapter in what remains the most fascinating longform story in hip-hop,” wrote AP News.
The news outlet called Lamar “an ambitious and searingly talented poet from Compton working through his – and the world’s – contradictions on the biggest stage, forever discomforted by his crown”.
Rating Game Music said the album “reminds us why he’s one of the greats”, but added: “Overall, this album doesn’t feel like a monumental release – it’s more like a creative purge, a way for Kendrick to get a few ideas out of his system.”
“My guess? The real project is on the horizon”.
Some had speculated that Taylor Swift would make an appearance, but the pop sensation does not appear to have made it on.
Credit: bbc.com
