Untitled Unmastered

Untitled Unmastered
A dark green, textured background with the words "untitled unmastered." in white text printed at the top left corner.
Compilation album by Kendrick Lamar
Released March 4, 2016[1]
Recorded
  • 2013–14
  • 2016
Genre Hip hop
Length 34:06
Label
Producer
Kendrick Lamar chronology
To Pimp a Butterfly
(2015)		 Untitled Unmastered
(2016)
Singles from Untitled Unmastered
  1. "untitled 07 | levitate"
    Released: March 24, 2016

Untitled Unmastered (stylized as untitled unmastered.) is a compilation album by American hip hop recording artist Kendrick Lamar. It was released on March 4, 2016,[1] by Top Dawg Entertainment, Aftermath Entertainment and Interscope Records. It consists of previously unreleased demos that originated during the recording of Lamar's album To Pimp a Butterfly (2015),[2] continuing that work's exploration of politically-charged and psychological themes, as well as its experimentation with free jazz, soul, avant-garde, and funk styles. Upon its release, the compilation album received acclaim from music critics, and it debuted atop the US Billboard 200.

Background and release

Thundercat, who appears on six of the album's tracks, was unaware of untitled unmastered until "maybe a day before" its release.[3]

In December 2014, while preparing for the release of his third album To Pimp a Butterfly (2015), Lamar performed an unreleased, untitled track as a musical guest on the The Colbert Report. In January 2016, he performed another untitled song on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.[4] Following his acclaimed performance at the 2016's Grammy Awards, which included aspects of another new untitled track, Lamar revealed the existence of a collection of tracks that did not make it onto Butterfly: "I got a chamber of material from the album that I was in love [with] where sample clearances or something as simple as a deadline kept it off the album."[4]

Following hints of a new release from Lamar's label Top Dawg Entertainment, and allegedly aided by NBA player LeBron James's public request to TDE head Anthony Tiffith that Lamar's untitled work be released,[5] "Untitled Unmastered" first surfaced on Spotify on March 4, 2016 containing eight untitled tracks but without an apparent release date.[6][7] The project was officially released on the iTunes Store on March 4, 2016. It spans 34 minutes and features eight untitled tracks, each dated. These dates indicate that the songs were written and recorded at various points between 2013 and 2016.[8] Later that day, Lamar confirmed that the tracks were unfinished demos from To Pimp a Butterfly.[9] In an interview with Spin, vocalist Anna Wise, while recalling the demos that appear on "Untitled Unmastered," claims she knew of the compilation album's existence for an undisclosed amount of time, and was asked to keep it a secret until its release.[10] "Untitled Unmastered" was released to digital retailers and streaming services on March 4. The physical CD release of its explicit edition followed on March 11, while an edited version is due out March 18.[11] On March 23, 2016, "untitled 07 | levitate" was released separately on iTunes Store as the first single.[12]

Recording and production

The songs performed during Lamar's appearances on The Colbert Report ("untitled 03 | 05.28.2013.", plus a new coda), The Tonight Show ("untitled 08 | 09.06.2014." plus the end of "untitled 02 | 06.23.2014.") and the end of the 2016 Grammys (part of his first verse from "untitled 05 | 09.21.2014.") were all included on untitled unmastered. The "Tonight Show" performance was previously known as "Untitled 2". Previously, part of Lamar's "untitled 08" verse had been used for remixes of Funkadelic's "Ain't That Funkin Kinda Hard on You". Swizz Beatz has said that his and Alicia Keys' 5-year-old son Egypt produced "untitled 07". TDE producer Sounwave has confirmed on Twitter that Egypt produced the second half of the track.[9] "untitled 06 | 06.30.2014" features uncredited vocals from American singer CeeLo Green,[13] while it was produced by both Adrian Younge and Ali Shaheed Muhammad of A Tribe Called Quest. Fuse TV described the album's tracks: "they have no official titles, have fascinating imperfections, and represent Kendrick in his rawest form while shedding insight into his creative development over the last three to four years."[13] According to an interview with Complex, Sounwave mentioned that Kendrick Lamar opted against mastering the tracks of untitled unmastered., because Lamar "wanted [untitled unmastered.] to feel 100 percent authentic."[14] Comparing the unusual nature of the album's presentation to that of Kanye West's The Life of Pablo (2016), The Independent's Christopher Hooton wrote that: 'I don't think we should consider this a Kendrick Lamar album in the same way we do good kid, m.A.A.d city [sic], TPAB etc, but it definitely feels more formal and considered than a mixtape [...] the whole thing still feels cohesive.'[15]

Music and lyrics

The Boston Globe characterized untitled unmastered. as "pull[ing] listeners right back into [a] web of jazz-soaked, funk-drunk internal conflict and social commentary," while The Guardian described the album as "filled with the free jazz, funk, politically charged lyrics and experimental sounds that made To Pimp a Butterfly such an instant classic."[5] Tiny Mix Tapes described the album's music as "both ambient yet thrashing, melodic yet radiating, with standout tracks like “untitled 02” and “untitled 07” fully exhibiting Lamar’s vertiginous flows and adept ear for exciting, tuneful, next-level rap production."[16] The Chicago Tribune also observed the "soul, spoken word and avant-garde music that permeated [Butterfly]," noting that "the tracks favor upright bass, skittering drums and horn textures as much as loops and samples [while] Lamar employs a range of vocalists, from SZA and CeeLo Green to augment his typically dense, diamond-hard rhymes."[17] Lyrically, the release furthers Lamar's exploration of psychological and politically-charged ideas, with references to spirituality and race featured throughout. Drowned in Sound also noted the thematic interplay between sexuality and oppression present in the release.[18]

CeeLo Green's vocals on "Untitled 06" was recorded during production on To Pimp a Butterfly. The track was finished without his involvement, as Green claims his part was "never really a complete song."[19]

"Untitled 01" was described by NME as an "unashamedly apocalyptic opening,"[20] while The Guardian described it as "vividly, cinematically drawn, its descriptions of towers crumbling, oceans drying and rapists fleeing – as well as its promise of an end to war, discrimination and superficiality – capture terror and justice in equal measure."[21] Tiny Mix Tapes characterized the track as "a hallucinatory odyssey through the psyche of a conflicted young man,” with production that "complements Lamar’s dark narrative perfectly, with the bass often sounding like it’s sizzling up from under the intoxicating beat."[16] The following track, "untitled 02", was characterized by NME as "a chin-stroking track about faith, gifts from God and the ostentatious material indulgence of his peers, that incorporates "faint saxophone squalls and cloying synths,"[20] while The Guardian noted Lamar's vocal experimentation, with him "push[ing] his timbre into an ancient-sounding quaver before seizing the shifting sands of the beat with relish for a bravura final rap verse."[21] The chant "Pimp pimp!... Hooray" on this track is the first mention of an album-spanning refrain. On "untitled 03," Lamar pursues a "loose concept of Afrofuturism [..] which he briefly collides head-on with Eastern philosophies and contemporary inner-city living."[16] The track pits "the utopian vision [..] ostensibly based around black identity [with] the possibility of a much bleaker dystopian society."[16]"Untitled 04", the shortest track on the album, is filled with feverish whispers, with empowering, pro-education message.[20]

"Untitled 05" is a thicket of hi-hat percussion and saxophone, a piano glissando from Robert Glasper, a vocal from Anna Wise and guest raps from Jay Rock and Lamar's TDE manager Punch. Its discusses treatment of and expectations for minorities in the US.[20] Lamar's performance at the 2016 Grammy Awards found him rhyming over L.A. singer-producer Iman Omari's "Omari's Mood"; that beat, in slightly altered form, is the basis of "Untitled 05".[22] "Untitled 06" has a smooth bossa nova and jazz-funk groove, marked by xylophone and flute, and a lush chorus from Cee-Lo. In the track, Lamar seems to be addressing a girl he's trying to impress, but some lines seem to show him plagued by self-doubt. "Pimp pimp... Hooray!" – also the final line of the whole album – makes its return on "Untitled 07", a three-part 8-minute song, glides easily from a trap-influenced call to "levitate,"[22] and a wordless choral melody, to Lamar's broadsides against his competitors, before closing with tape hiss and studio chatter.[22] Musically, critics compared "untitled 08" (unofficially known as "Blue Faces"), with "King Kunta", for its hydraulic-pumping synthesized bass thump and Lamar's slangy flow. The song counters feelings of futility and hopelessness with optimism, suggesting there may be hope after all.[20]

Release and reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic86/100[23]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[24]
The A.V. ClubA–[25]
Chicago Tribune[17]
Consequence of SoundB[26]
The Guardian[21]
NME4/5[27]
NoiseyA–[28]
Pitchfork Media8.6/10[29]
Rolling Stone[22]
Spin8/10[30]

Upon its release, untitled unmastered received universal acclaim from critics. Evan Rytlewski of The A.V. Club wrote that "although Untitled begs to be graded on a curve, it doesn’t need to be. Leftovers or not, this is magnificent music from a rare talent working at peak creativity."[25] Writing for Tiny Mix Tapes, Brooklyn Russell stated that "whether rhythmically bustling or meditative, these eight previously unreleased demos from the Butterfly sessions seethe with Lamar’s still-startling visions and artistic ambitions."[16] Writing for The Guardian, Alex Macpherson thought the album "is collection whose understatement allows different facets of Lamar’s talent to shine."[21] Greg Kot of Chicago Tribune gave the compilation album 3.5 out of 4 stars, writing that his songs "openly struggle with issues of race and racism, identity and self-worth, the desire to possess the world or destroy it. We are all works in progress, he suggests -- unstable, volatile, ever-changing. Why should a collection of songs be any different?"[17]

Kellan Miller, writing for Drowned in Sound, observed that "Kendrick’s experimental hankering is constantly in flux. He spends the entirety of the record fusing seemingly disparate parts and wafting between snippets of ideas," ultimately asserting that "the Compton native’s appeal can be spliced in illimitable categories, but the conclusion is always his art's untamed, almost psychotic brilliance.[18] In The Boston Globe, Julian Benbow noted: "In a way, it’s all as tightly woven as his Grammy-winning work, even if none of these cuts fit that album’s meticulous narrative."[31] In NME, Larry Bartleet opined "there are few unfamiliar messages and it’s all dense and considered, but never overwrought or explicitly angry. What really emerges is Kendrick's nuanced worldview."[27] Will Hermes of Rolling Stone concluded his review writing "there's brilliance in even Lamar's cast-offs, and an intimacy here that makes this more than just a gift for his ravenous fans."[22]

Commercial performance

untitled unmastered. debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200, earning 178,000 equivalent album units for the week ending March 10, 2016. 142,000 came from traditional album sales. The compilation album gave Lamar his second chart-topping set in less than a year.[32] It has sold 205,000 copies domestically as of April 30, 2016.[33][34]

Track listing

untitled unmastered.[1]
No. TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)[35] Length
1. "untitled 01 | 08.19.2014."  
Ritz Reynolds[36] 4:07
2. "untitled 02 | 06.23.2014."  Duckworth
 4:18
3. "untitled 03 | 05.28.2013."  DuckworthAstronote 2:34
4. "untitled 04 | 08.14.2014."  
 1:50
5. "untitled 05 | 09.21.2014."  
  • Sounwave
  • Martin
[37]		 5:38
6. "untitled 06 | 06.30.2014."  
 3:28
7. "untitled 07 | 2014 - 2016"  
 8:16
8. "untitled 08 | 09.06.2014."  
 3:55
Total length:
 34:06

Personnel

  • Terrace Martin – vocals on 3; saxophone,[37] keyboards on 5
  • Thundercat – bass on 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8; vocals on 3, 8[3]
  • Sounwave – drums on 5[38]
  • Joe Baldacci - drums and drum engineering on 1[39]
  • Anna Wise – vocals on 1, 5
  • Mani Strings - vocals on 3[40]
  • Bilal – vocals on 1, 3
  • SZA – vocals on 4
  • Jay Rock – vocals on 4, 5
  • Punch – vocals on 5
  • Cee-Lo Green – vocals on 6
  • Robert Glasper – keyboards on 5
  • Drgn King – additional keyboards on 2
  • Joseph Leimberg – trumpet on 5

Charts

Chart (2016) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[41] 3
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[42] 31
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[43] 11
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[44] 73
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[45] 1
Danish Albums (Hitlisten)[46] 13
Dutch Albums (MegaCharts)[47] 9
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[48] 26
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[49] 45
Irish Albums (IRMA)[50] 9
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[51] 5
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[52] 7
Portuguese Albums (AFP)[53] 50
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[54] 13
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[55] 9
UK Albums (OCC)[56] 7
UK R&B Albums (OCC)[57] 2
US Billboard 200[58] 1
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[59] 1

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 "untitled unmastered.". iTunes Store (US). Apple Inc. Retrieved March 4, 2016.
  2. ↑ Stutz, Colin (March 3, 2016). "Kendrick Lamar Drops Surprise 'Untitled Unmastered' Album". Billboard. Retrieved March 3, 2016.
  3. 1 2 Natalie Weiner (March 4, 2016). "Thundercat on How Kendrick Lamar's New Project 'Completes the Sentence' of 'To Pimp a Butterfly'". Billboard. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
  4. 1 2 "Kendrick Lamar: New Grammy Song From 'Chamber' of Unreleased Material". Rolling Stone. February 16, 2016. Retrieved March 4, 2016.
  5. 1 2 Tan, Monica. "Kendrick Lamar surprises fans by releasing new eight-track album". The Guardian. Retrieved 4 March 2016.
  6. ↑ "New Kendrick Lamar Project untitled unmastered. Surfaces Online". Pitchfork. March 3, 2016. Retrieved March 3, 2016.
  7. ↑ "Kendrick Lamar's surprise new album Untitled Unmastered is out now". The Verge. March 3, 2016. Retrieved March 3, 2016.
  8. ↑ Geslani, Michelle (March 3, 2016). "Stream: Kendrick Lamar’s surprise new album untitled unmastered". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved March 3, 2016.
  9. 1 2 Gordon, Jeremy (March 4, 2016). "Kendrick Lamar Releases New Album untitled unmastered.". Pitchfork. Retrieved March 4, 2016.
  10. ↑ Harley Brown (March 5, 2016). "Q&A: Anna Wise Imagined She Was a Robot on Kendrick Lamar’s ‘untitled unmastered.’". Spin. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
  11. ↑ Caulfield, Keith (March 8, 2016). "Kendrick Lamar Heading for Second No. 1 Album on Billboard 200 Chart With 'Untitled'". Billboard. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
  12. ↑ "untitled 07 l levitate - Single". iTunes Store (US). Retrieved March 27, 2016.
  13. 1 2 Benjamin, Jeff; Dionne, Zach; Lipshutz, Jason (March 4, 2016). "Kendrick Lamar's Untitled Unmastered. Album: Track-by-Track Review". Fuse TV. Retrieved March 4, 2016.
  14. ↑ Diaz, Angel (March 6, 2016). "Interview: Sounwave Details the Making of Kendrick Lamar's 'untitled unmastered.'". Complex. Retrieved March 17, 2016.
  15. ↑ Hooton, Christopher. "Kendrick Lamar surprise new album ‘untitled unmastered.’: First listen and impressions". The Independent. Retrieved 4 March 2016.
  16. 1 2 3 4 5 Russell, Brooklyn. "Kendrick Lamar - untitled unmastered review". Tiny Mix Tapes. Retrieved 7 March 2016.
  17. 1 2 3 Kot, Greg (March 4, 2016). "Kendrick Lamar's surprise 'Untitled, Unmastered' rarely sounds unfinished". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved March 4, 2016.
  18. 1 2 Miller, Kellan (March 7, 2016). "Album Review: Kendrick Lamar – untitled, unmastered". Drowned in Sound. Retrieved March 15, 2016.
  19. 1 2 Keith Nelson Jr. (March 4, 2016). "CeeLo Green Forgot He Recorded Song On Kendrick Lamar's "Untitled" Album". HipHopDX. Retrieved March 10, 2016.
  20. 1 2 3 4 5 Bartleet, Larry (March 4, 2016). "Kendrick Lamar's 'untitled unmastered.' – Track By Track First Listen". NME. Retrieved March 4, 2016.
  21. 1 2 3 4 Macpherson, Alex (March 6, 2016). "Kendrick Lamar: Untitled Unmastered CD review – offcuts shining with detail". The Guardian. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
  22. 1 2 3 4 5 Hermes, Will (March 4, 2016). "untitled unmastered.". Rolling Stone. Retrieved March 5, 2016.
  23. ↑ "Reviews for Untitled Unmastered by Kendrick Lamar". Metacritic. Retrieved March 14, 2016.
  24. ↑ Kellman, Andy. "untitled unmastered. – Kendrick Lamar". AllMusic. Retrieved March 7, 2016.
  25. 1 2 Rytlewski, Evan (March 7, 2016). "Kendrick Lamar is in peak form on To Pimp A Butterfly addendum Untitled Unmastered". The A.V. Club. Retrieved March 7, 2016.
  26. ↑ Kivel, Adam. "Kendrick Lamar – untitled unmastered.". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
  27. 1 2 Bartleet, Larry (March 7, 2016). "Kendrick Lamar – 'untitled unmastered.'". NME. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
  28. ↑ Chrisgau, Robert (March 18, 2016). "West Coast Warriors: Expert Witness with Robert Christgau". Noisey. Retrieved April 25, 2016.
  29. ↑ Ex, Kris (March 8, 2016). "Kendrick Lamar: untitled unmastered". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
  30. ↑ Ramirez, Matthew (March 4, 2016). "Review: Kendrick Lamar’s ‘untitled unmastered.’ Is a Bullet With ‘Butterfly’ Wings". Spin. Retrieved March 14, 2016.
  31. ↑ Benbow, Julian (March 5, 2016). "Rap star Kendrick Lamar sates Internet appetite with new EP". The Boston Globe. Retrieved March 5, 2016.
  32. ↑ Caulfield, Keith (March 13, 2016). "Kendrick Lamar's Surprise 'Untitled' Album Debuts at No. 1 on Billboard 200 Chart". Billboard. Retrieved March 13, 2016.
  33. ↑ "Hip Hop Album Sales: Rihanna, Kendrick Lamar & Flatbush Zombies". HipHopDX. March 21, 2016. Retrieved March 24, 2016.
  34. ↑ "Charts Don't Lie: April 30". HotNewHipHop. April 30, 2016. Retrieved April 30, 2016.
  35. ↑ "Kendrick Lamar’s ‘untitled unmastered.’ Project Features Jay Rock, SZA, Hit-Boy, DJ Khalil and Cee-Lo Green". XXL. March 4, 2016. Retrieved March 6, 2016. Update: XXL spoke with Sounwave of TDE, who said the production credits provided by Genius here are inaccurate. The complete credits are said to be available soon.
  36. ↑ RitzReynolds (3 March 2016). "Shouts to King Kendrick on untitled/ unmastered. I'm blessed to have done the music for 01." (Tweet).
  37. 1 2 Weiner, Natalie. "Terrace Martin Takes Us Inside the Making of Kendrick Lamar's 'Untitled Unmastered' & 'To Pimp a Butterfly'". Billboard. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
  38. ↑ terracemartin (4 March 2016). "Peace and love ..the musicians on untitled 5 are @SounwaveTDE on drums @Thundercat on bass @josefleimberg on trumpet & me on keys & sax" (Tweet).
  39. ↑ RitzReynolds (3 March 2016). "that's @telemarketer_ on live drums/ drum engineering. @drgnkingDOM on additional keys on outro." (Tweet).
  40. ↑ "Twitter".
  41. ↑ "Australiancharts.com – Kendrick Lamar – Untitled Unmastered.". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 12, 2016.
  42. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Kendrick Lamar – Untitled Unmastered." (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved March 17, 2016.
  43. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Kendrick Lamar – Untitled Unmastered." (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved March 12, 2016.
  44. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Kendrick Lamar – Untitled Unmastered." (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved March 12, 2016.
  45. ↑ "Kendrick Lamar – Chart history" Billboard Canadian Albums Chart for Kendrick Lamar. Retrieved March 15, 2016.
  46. ↑ http://hitlisten.nu/
  47. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Kendrick Lamar – Untitled Unmastered." (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved March 12, 2016.
  48. ↑ "Kendrick Lamar: Untitled Unmastered" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved March 13, 2016.
  49. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Kendrick Lamar – Untitled Unmastered." (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved March 11, 2016.
  50. ↑ "GFK Chart-Track Albums: Week 10, 2016". Chart-Track. IRMA. Retrieved March 12, 2016.
  51. ↑ "Charts.org.nz – Kendrick Lamar – Untitled Unmastered.". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 11, 2016.
  52. ↑ "VG-lista - Topp 40 Album uke 10, 2016".
  53. ↑ "Portuguesecharts.com – Kendrick Lamar – Untitled Unmastered.". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 16, 2016.
  54. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Kendrick Lamar – Untitled Unmastered.". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 12, 2016.
  55. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Kendrick Lamar – Untitled Unmastered.". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 16, 2016.
  56. ↑ "Kendrick Lamar | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart Retrieved March 11, 2016.
  57. ↑ "Official R&B Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 11, 2016.
  58. ↑ "Kendrick Lamar – Chart history" Billboard 200 for Kendrick Lamar. Retrieved March 13, 2016.
  59. ↑ "Kendrick Lamar – Chart history" Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums for Kendrick Lamar. Retrieved March 13, 2016.

External links

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