Kendrick Lamar’s new album “untitled unmastered” has debuted at No.1 on the Billboard 200 chart after its unexpected online release on March 4, and subsequent physical release on March 11. A unique concept, Lamar’s bold move proves that the audience really does love something raw, undefined, and different.
“untitled unmastered” is the follow-up album to Lamar’s first chart-topper, “To Pimp a Butterfly.” It is actually a set of demos from “To Pimp a Butterfly,” and are, in Lamar’s words:
“Demos from To Pimp A Butterfly. In Raw Form. Unfinished. Untitled. Unmastered.”
The eight track album is filled with the aforementioned demos, plus various singles performed by Lamar during the time the album was being recorded. These date all the way back to 2013, and the most recent song was finished earlier this year. The extra singles, all untitled, range from an appearance Lamar made on “Colbert Report” in 2014, to performances on “The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon” in January, and the Grammys in February.
All tracks have fittingly vague names, in strict uniform that does not reveal anything but when the track was recorded, and where it sits on the album. The album begins with “untitled 01 | 08.19.2014.,” “untitled 02 | 06.23.2014,” and continues on in this fashion, more concerned with how the songs fit together than chronological order. This makes sense for two reasons. First, it is more important that the album’s flow is aesthetically pleasing than that is in order, and second, listeners must listen to the entire album to know what all the songs are and where they sit, because there is no defining clue in any of the song names.
Austin Hargrave
It must be questioned whether the claim that that all of the songs are unmastered was true. It seems like a bit of a stretch for an artist so accustomed to playing around with synths and effects to make unique sounds. But on listening to the album, it is almost irrefutable that this album is exactly what Lamar claimed – “raw.” Each song has extremely rough edges. All of the elements are these in each song, but without their usual polish, they sound more honest and interesting. Layer upon layer of texture is pieced together so cleverly, and Lamar’s voice pairs with them beautifully, but his vocals are less smooth than we have become accustomed to hearing. This is not a drawback, however, it is simply a different sound. What Lamar has proven through this album is his wide-ranging natural talent.
Kendrick Lamar brought together nothing and everything, with an intentionally unobtrusive name and a deliberately unexpected album release. It is a paradox I would be happy to see more of, as we embrace the imperfections of musicians as some of their best traits.
