Kendrick Lamar to return next month with new album

Over five years after the release of his latest album, DAMN., Kendrick Lamar is set to unleash his eagerly anticipated fifth studio album, Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers, on May 13.

He announced the news on his oklama.com website – sharing a link to a statement about the project on his Twitter account, in response to a Tweet that read: "Kendrick Lamar is officially retired."

The brief statement comes from Kendrick under the moniker "oklama" – which he previously used back in August 2021, when he shared news about his progress on his then-untitled final album with the label Top Dawg Entertainment.

"As I produce my final TDE album, I feel joy to have been a part of such a cultural imprint after 17 years," he wrote. "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."

His new statement was shared with a pgLang letterhead – a multi-disciplinary media company he co-founded with his business partner Dave Free. The Melodic Blue, the debut studio album by Baby Keem (Kendrick's cousin), was released via pgLang and Columbia Records back in September.

Kendrick's 2017 album DAMN. was the first non-jazz or classical work to be awarded a Pulitzer Prize for Music. It also won Best Rap Album at the 2018 Grammy Awards.

Following the release of DAMN., he also curated Black Panther: The Album, featuring songs by himself, as well as contributions from the likes of Khalid, SZA, Vince Staples, Jorja Smith, Schoolboy Q, James Blake, Anderson .Paak, The Weeknd and more.

Watch Kendrick Lamar and Baby Keem's collaborative track 'Family Ties' from The Melodic Blue below: