Kendrick’s ‘untitled unmastered’ Is Not a New Album; it’s a Batch of ‘To Pimp a Butterfly’ Demos

Photo by Aaron Vazquez

The Internet went into full frenzy mode when a new Kendrick Lamar project was released late last night. But as the music press collectively leapt on their ‘publish’ buttons, most outlets mis-reported the project as a new album. It’s not. According to Kendrick’s recent tweet, the tracks on this release are “demos from To Pimp a Butterfly”:

Demos from To Pimp A Butterfly. In Raw Form. Unfinished. Untitled. Unmastered. https://t.co/YlAszcK4e4

— Kendrick Lamar (@kendricklamar) March 4, 2016

For all of the Internet’s greatness, this is one of its biggest flaws. The rush for immediacy is so intense that most writers and critics can’t afford to take the time to properly review, absorb, or research things. How can you publish a review of anything when you’ve had only an hour or two to engage with it?