ROC4LIFE

Kendrick Lamar’s Aftermath debut, tentatively titled Good Kid in a Mad City, is one of the most wanted hip-hop albums of the year. Details on the album are still emerging, and we’ve summed up the important ones for you. K.Dot fans, proceed for the real deal on his fiendishly anticipated album.

1. It will be issued on TDE/Aftermath.
Kendrick Lamar’s TDE recently inked a deal with Dr. Dre’s Aftermath Entertainment. But rather than go the usual artist deal route, Kendrick brought the whole fam. The deal covers everyone under the TDE umbrella.

2. Dr. Dre will oversee the album
Even before the TDE/AFtermath deal, Doc and K.Dot have been building together. He told us last November that he was working with Slim da Mobster and Kendrick Lamar.

The best part? Kendrick and Dre seem to have good chemistry in the studio. “Every time we’re in the studio…energy,” he said in a Fuse interview. I wasn’t in the studio back in the day when he was rocking with Snoop on The Chronic, but I can tell he had that same energy and that same vibe. And what it do, it just elevates me and motivates me to go even harder.”

3. Production is in-house
Black Hippy fans are going to read entry #3 above and move to the edge of their of seats with anticipation. Please back up a bit. Dr. Dre production on every other song isn’t likely. K.Dot has said he wants to keep working with the same people that helped cultivate his sound on his indie opus, Section .80. “The people I came up with on Section.80…I want to lock in with them first, because these are people that know my sound, and I know their niches,” he told Fuse.

4. The Neptunes are on board
Aside from Dre and in-house producers, the only other big name Kendrick Lamar’s debut is the inimitable production duo of Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo. Kendrick recorded as many as six songs with the Neptunes. “We knocked out six records in two days,” he told Billboard. “Just by off the vibin’ and creating from scratch. To hear all the music that he’s making and reminisce all the music that I love to listen to, he’s making it right in front of me now is a crazy feeling,” Kendrick stated in an interview with Billboard. Nice.

5. Single soon come
Kendrick Lamar hasn’t picked a date for his album, but the single could be upon us as early as this week. TDE CEO thumbed this teaser on Twitter last week: “Since I’m feeling so good about our new situation I’m thinking about leaking Kendrick’s 1st single next week. This TDE shit is 4real !”

Patiently waiting.

— Rizoh