Kendrick Lamar’s ‘Untitled Unmastered’ to get CD and vinyl release

Kendrick Lamar’s “Untitled Unmastered,” a collection of album outtakes released by surprise last week, will also be sold in a physical version, according to the rapper’s label head.

Responding to fan inquires on Twitter, Top Dawg Entertainment head Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith confirmed the collection would be released on CD and pressed to vinyl.

No date was given, but it’s speculated that the physical copies could hit stores on Friday. A representative for major-label distributor Interscope didn’t respond to a request for comment by time of posting.

Comprising eight tracks, the near full-length album features outtakes and demos from Lamar’s Grammy-winning “To Pimp a Butterfly,” including untitled songs Lamar has performed on TV as far back as 2014 on “The Colbert Report,” “The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon” and, most recently, at the 58th Grammy Awards. The project was released to music services late Thursday night.

The arrival of the new material, however, wasn’t a complete surprise.

Hours before the material’s arrival on Thursday, Spotify, either by mistake or as a way of drumming up pre-release hype, uploaded the title, tracklist and album cover art as a placeholder after several days of speculation from Lamar’s label bosses at Top Dawg Entertainment.

After the Grammys, Tiffith mentioned — in a Twitter conversation with LeBron James — that he was genuinely considering James’ suggestion of releasing the many untitled Lamar tracks that the rapper had performed on television in recent months.

Then two days ago, Tiffith took to Instagram to add, “Ive decided 2 drop a project 1 day this week. I won’t say wut day or who. It cud be 2nite So don’t ask me jus stay close to the net. Is this Kool with y’all?”

“Untitled Unmastered” arrives weeks after Lamar’s riveting, emotionally charged performance at the Grammy Awards, where he rapped about police brutality and the shooting of Trayvon Martin in the most politically minded performance of the night— a medley of “Butterfly” tracks “The Blacker the Berry” and “Alright,” as well as the latest entry in his “Untitled” series of verses.

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gerrick.kennedy@latimes.com

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