Kendrick Lamar Drops Surprise Album, "untitled unmastered"

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(Interscope Records/TDE)

(Interscope Records/TDE)

Kendrick Lamar, an extraordinarily innovative rapper who recently won a Grammy for Best Hip-Hop Album, just dropped a surprise album titled untitled unmastered. The vague, plain title in combination with the surprise release leaves a lot to be questioned; pretty sure that's King Kendrick's point. There are eight songs on the album titled "untitled 1-8" with a date following depending on the placement. The songs demonstrate another layer to the rap genuis' quickly growing repertoire - erotic jazz beats and female back-up singers layer futuristic sounds that enhance the rapper's lyrics. Lamar does not fail to add his political statement to the album, as "untitled 03 | 05.28.2013" includes lines such as "What the white man say?" It seems that every second of every song produced by the artist is executed with precision and deliberate care. untitled unmastered is no different; Lamar continues to mold the boundaries of hip-hop and successfully manipulates the trend of jazz-incorporated beats into the album's raps.

Purchase untitled unmastered on iTunes by clicking here.

2015 Year End Rap-Up: Top 5 Albums

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5) Purpose, Justin Bieber: After all of his mess ups in the public eye and many basic pop songs stamped on his repertoire, no one expected much from the new Bieber album. But if you were not a Belieber before, I promise you, you are now. Even if you don’t find yourself singing along to “What Do You Mean?” or “Sorry” in the car, you’ll probably love “Love Yourself.” It’s Bieber’s upbeat “screw you” song to a past fling. It makes you want to wave a certain finger in the air and Instagram a great photo just to rub it in your ex’s face. These songs, along with a few intense and reflective songs, create a well-rounded album. Bravo, Bieber. You’ve grown up before the public’s eyes – is it too late to say I’m sorry now (for doubting you)?

4) What Dreams Are Made Of, R. City: A wonderful progression from writers to rappers, R. City has produced a mix of reggae/R&B in combination with rap on their album. With big features such as Akon, R. City hit the ground running as artists as they take the microphone. Previous hits they have written include Rihanna’s “Pour It Up” and Miley Cyrus’s “We Can’t Stop.” Adam Levine featured in their hit song “Locked Away” that premieres on the album. Expect bigger and better as they settle into their shoes under the spotlight.

3) Badlands, Halsey: Badass feminine power is in – Halsey embodies this while adding her own flair in her new album. The next tour she does will hit stadiums in comparison to singing at small venues only a year or so ago. “New Americana” is the huge hit off the album, but other songs to note are “Castle” and “Hurricane.” Halsey has no filter and isn’t afraid to tell it like it is – with relationships, industry tycoons, and the public. She’s blowing up in the industry and will hopefully continue to climb the pop realm as a female monster.

2) 25, Adele: The long and quiet break Adele took from recording to focus on her personal life did nothing but boost expectations for her album that dropped at the end of the year. “Hello,” the hit single off the album, broke YouTube records for the amount of hits. The rest of the album holds the same raw talent that fans expect from Adele. However, instead of the drama and anguish felt in her last album, her new record includes more reflection over her youth and consideration over her future. It is a more mature Adele, and the mania that followed the release of her tour dates did nothing but reflect the overwhelming love for her talent. Welcome back, Adele!

1) To Pimp a Butterfly, Kendrick Lamar: Kendrick Lamar is by far the most influential rapper in the industry right now. His 2015 album demonstrated the immensity of his talent. In addition, his hometown Compton, CA, which is the home of the famous rap group, N.W.A. whose biographical movie Straight Outta Compton premiered this year, added to his background relevance. Lamar’s song “The Blacker the Berry” off his album was inspired by the death of Trayvon Martin. He raps, “You hate my people, your plan is to terminate my culture.” Lamar is speaking to the American white majority in reference to the racism that still persists in society today that appears in cases like Martin’s. Lamar successfully completes what very little rappers can do – he puts social issues into his music instead of the usual partying lyrics heard in hip-hop. His lyrics are explorative, inquisitive, and inspirational. There is a lot left in Lamar’s tank, and it would not be surprising if he continues to impress and make a permanent mark in rap evolution.  

58th Grammy Awards Nominations Announced: Kendrick Lamar and Taylor Swift Lead

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Kendrick Lamar performing at Los Angeles' 92.3 "The Real Show" in November 2015 (Gibson Dintersmith/Roman's Rap-Up).

Kendrick Lamar has had a stellar year this year with the release of his third studio album “To Pimp a Butterfly;" it’s no wonder he’s leading the pack with 11 nominations.  Taylor Swift and The Weeknd both have seven nominations each after both having a solid year with excellent albums being released by both respectively. 

Album of the year features the likes of Alabama Shakes, Kendrick Lamar, Chris Stapleton, Taylor Swift, and The Weeknd. Alabama Shake’s 2nd album “Sound & Color” was a huge hit among rock fans in North America as it went number one on both the U.S. Billboard 200 and Canadian Albums. Lamar’s “To Pimp a Butterfly” soared to number one on the Billboard 200 as well as being certified gold. Chris Stapleton released his debut album “Traveller” which already won Album of the Year at the CMAs and peaked at number one on the Billboard 200. Taylor swift released her much anticipated fifth album “1989” which went 5x platinum in the U.S. as well as platinum in eight other countries.  The Weeknd’s second album “Beauty Behind the Madness” was a big hit while going gold in the U.S. and platinum in a handful of countries as well as earning the number one spot on many charts around the world.

Best Pop Duo/Group Performance includes Florence + Machine, Maroon 5, Mark Ronson & Bruno Mars, Taylor Swift & Kendrick Lamar, and Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth. Florence + Machine released “Ship to Wreck” back at the beginning of April and has since peaked at number 14 on the U.S. Charts and number one of the U.S. alternative charts. Maroon 5’s hit song “Sugar” soared to the number two spot on the Billboard Hot 100 and went platinum in eight different countries. Mark Ronson & Bruno Mars’ funky single “Uptown Funked” was an obvious success as it reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S. as well as many other countries. Taylor Swift's song “Bad Blood” which features Kendrick Lamar has already won a countless number of awards this year and looks to do no different at the Grammys as it went four times platinum in the U.S. “See You Again” was one of the most emotional songs released this year as it was  tribute the passing of Paul Walker being featured in Furious 7. It went number one in almost every country and also reached platinum in 14 different countries. 

Check the full list below to see if your favorite artist was nominated, and be sure to see who takes home a famed award on February 15th at 8pm EST LIVE from Los Angeles on CBS. 

Album Of The Year:

Sound & Color — Alabama Shakes

To Pimp A Butterfly — Kendrick Lamar

Traveller — Chris Stapleton

1989 — Taylor Swift

Beauty Behind The Madness — The Weeknd

Record Of The Year:

"Really Love" — D'Angelo And The Vanguard

"Uptown Funk" — Mark Ronson Featuring Bruno Mars

"Thinking Out Loud" — Ed Sheeran

"Blank Space" — Taylor Swift

"Can't Feel My Face" — The Weeknd

Song Of The Year:

"Alright" — Kendrick Duckworth, Mark Anthony Spears & Pharrell Williams, songwriters (Kendrick Lamar)

"Blank Space" — Max Martin, Shellback & Taylor Swift, songwriters (Taylor Swift)

"Girl Crush" — Hillary Lindsey, Lori McKenna & Liz Rose, songwriters (Little Big Town)

"See You Again" — Andrew Cedar, Justin Franks, Charles Puth & Cameron Thomaz, songwriters (Wiz Khalifa Featuring Charlie Puth)

"Thinking Out Loud" — Ed Sheeran & Amy Wadge, songwriters (Ed Sheeran)

Best New Artist:

Courtney Barnett

James Bay

Sam Hunt

Tori Kelly

Meghan Trainor

 

Best Pop Duo/Group Performance:

"Ship To Wreck" — Florence + The Machine

"Sugar" — Maroon 5

"Uptown Funk" — Mark Ronson Featuring Bruno Mars

"Bad Blood" — Taylor Swift Featuring Kendrick Lamar

"See You Again" — Wiz Khalifa Featuring Charlie Puth

Best Dance Recording:

"We're All We Need" — Above & Beyond Featuring Zoë Johnston

"Go" — The Chemical Brothers

"Never Catch Me" — Flying Lotus Featuring Kendrick Lamar

"Runaway (U & I)" — Galantis

"Where Are Ü Now" — Skrillex And Diplo With Justin Bieber

Best Rock Performance:

"Don't Wanna Fight" — Alabama Shakes

"What Kind Of Man" — Florence + The Machine

"Something From Nothing" — Foo Fighters

"Ex's & Oh's" — Elle King

"Moaning Lisa Smile" — Wolf Alice

Best Alternative Music Album:

Sound & Color — Alabama Shakes

Vulnicura — Björk

The Waterfall — My Morning Jacket

Currents — Tame Impala

Star Wars — Wilco

Best Urban Contemporary Album:

Ego Death — The Internet

You Should Be Here — Kehlani

Blood — Lianne La Havas

Wildheart — Miguel

Beauty Behind The Madness — The Weeknd

Best Rap Album:

2014 Forest Hills Drive — J. Cole

Compton — Dr. Dre

If Youre Reading This Its Too Late — Drake

To Pimp A Butterfly — Kendrick Lamar

The Pinkprint — Nicki Minaj

Best Country Album:

Montevallo — Sam Hunt

Pain Killer — Little Big Town

The Blade — Ashley Monroe

Pageant Material — Kacey Musgraves

Traveller — Chris Stapleton

Best Jazz Instrumental Album:

My Favorite Things — Joey Alexander

Breathless — Terence Blanchard Featuring The E-Collective

Covered: Recorded Live At Capitol Studios — Robert Glasper & The Robert Glasper Trio

Beautiful Life — Jimmy Greene

Past Present — John Scofield

Best Gospel Album:

Destined To Win (Live) — Karen Clark Sheard

Living It — Dorinda Clark-Cole

One Place Live — Tasha Cobbs

Covered: Alive Is Asia [Live] (Deluxe) — Israel & Newbreed

Life Music: Stage Two — Jonathan McReynolds

Best Contemporary Christian Music Album:

Whatever The Road — Jason Crabb

How Can It Be — Lauren Daigle

Saints And Sinners — Matt Maher

This Is Not A Test — Tobymac

Love Ran Red — Chris Tomlin

Best Latin Pop Album:

Terral — Pablo Alborán

Healer — Alex Cuba

A Quien Quiera Escuchar (Deluxe Edition) — Ricky Martin

Sirope — Alejandro Sanz

Algo Sucede — Julieta Venegas

Best Americana Album:

The Firewatcher's Daughter — Brandi Carlile

The Traveling Kind — Emmylou Harris & Rodney Crowell

Something More Than Free — Jason Isbell

Mono — The Mavericks

The Phosphorescent Blues — Punch Brothers

Best Spoken Word Album (Includes Poetry, Audio Books & Storytelling):

Blood On Snow (Jo Nesbø) — Patti Smith

Brief Encounters: Conversations, Magic Moments, And Assorted Hijinks — Dick Cavett

A Full Life: Reflections At Ninety — Jimmy Carter

Patience And Sarah (Isabel Miller) — Janis Ian & Jean Smart

Yes Please — Amy Poehler (& Various Artists)

Producer Of The Year, Non-Classical:

Jeff Bhasker

Dave Cobb

Diplo

Larry Klein

Blake Mills

Best Music Film:

Mr. Dynamite: The Rise Of James Brown — James Brown

Sonic Highways — Foo Fighters

What Happened, Miss Simone? — Nina Simone

The Wall — Roger Waters

Amy — Amy Winehouse

Photos: LA's 92.3 Inaugural "Real Show" Includes Knockout Performances by Future, Kendrick Lamar & More

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Drake makes a surprise appearance with Future at Real 92.3's "Real Show" on November 8th, 2015 (Gibson Dintersmith/Roman's Rap-Up).

How do you sell out your first annual hip hop show at one of the world's most prestigious venues? Add Kendrick Lamar, Ty Dolla $ign, Rae Sremmurd and more, maybe even throw in a surprise performance by rap-royalty Drake. That's exactly what LA radio station Real 92.3 did for their inaugural "Real Show" on November 8th at The Forum.

Check out photos from the show below, featuring Jidenna, Jeremih, Rich Homie Quan, Rae Sremmurd, Ty Dolla $ign, Future and Kendrick Lamar, with surprise guests Lil Dicky, DJ Mustard, Drake, Jay Rock & more: