Five years after the release of DAMN., Kendrick Lamar has announced a new LP. His fifth studio album Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers is out on May 13.
The 34-year-old rapper tweeted out a new link to his Oklama website. The site features two clickable folders: an untitled black one and a yellow one titled “nu thoughts.” The black folder contains a memo, on pgLang letterhead announcing the release, signed “from the desk of oklama.”
The yellow folder leads to a longer message from August 2021 where Lamar refers to the project as his “final TDE album” and expresses his gratitude for being a part of the label over the past 17 years:
“I spend most of my days with fleeting thoughts. Writing. Listening. And collecting old Beach cruisers. The morning rides keep me on a hill of silence.
I go months without a phone.
Love, loss, and grief have disturbed my comfort zone, but the glimmers of God speak through my music and family.
While the world around me evolves, I reflect on what matters the most. The life in which my words will land next.
As I produce my final TDE album, I feel joy to have been a part of such a cultural imprint after 17 years. The Struggles. The Success. And most importantly, the Brotherhood. May the Most High continue to use Top Dawg as a vessel for candid creators. As I continue to pursue my life’s calling.
There’s beauty in completion. And always faith in the unknown.
Thank you for keeping me in your thoughts. I’ve prayed for you all.
See you soon enough.
-oklama”
In between DAMN. and the forthcoming Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers, Lamar has worked on the Black Panther soundtrack and collaborated with his cousin, Baby Keem, contributing features to Keem’s debut LP The Melodic Blue. More recently, he performed at the Super Bowl LVI Halftime show.
Kendrick Lamar’s Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers is due for release on May 13.
In other music news, BTS will release its tenth studio album in June.
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