Kendrick Lamar dropped a surprise new album on Friday, the 12track ‘GNX’ Copyright AFP/File Yuki IWAMURA
Rap superstar Kendrick Lamar surprised fans on Friday with the unannounced release of a 12track album.
“GNX,” the performer’s sixth studio album, appeared on streaming services without fanfare at midday on the US East Coast (1700 GMT).
The offering from the 37yearold comes at the end of a year that has seen his music fueled by a feud with Drake, a spat that produced some of the year’s biggest hits.
One of them, Lamar’s “Not Like Us,” grabbed the top spot on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart and garnered him a number of Grammy nominations for next year’s gala.
“GNX” is the first album from Lamar since his megaselling “Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers” in 2022, which itself came after a fiveyear wait.
Friday’s release is timely for an artist who will headline the Super Bowl halftime show in February, a coveted showcase that takes place in the middle of the NFL season finale, which is routinely watched by around a third of Americans.
