While the world anxiously awaits Kendrick Lamar's new album, an heir of music royalty (and one of his friends) got an early preview of the project. Michael Jackson's son Prince posted a photo to Twitter of he and the Compton rapper with the caption, "Had the great honor of meeting Kendrick and hearing some of his new tracks for his upcoming album with @RealOBee."

Jackson's friend, Omer Bhatti, also had got in on the action, writing on Facebook, "Such a great pleasure meeting @kendricklamar last night and hearing him play some new tracks for his upcoming album. Humble guy and the Music is on another level." He noted with the "fire" emoji that the album was hot.

Meanwhile, Lamar and his camp have kept their lips sealed on details surrounding the project, which follows up his critically acclaimed major label debut, good kid m.A.A.d city. No title, release date, tracklist, or art has been revealed. However, the album is slated to drop sometime this year, if all goes to plan. So far the Grammy-winning rapper has dropped the self-love championing lead single "i" and the aggressive, socially charged "Blacker The Berry." He also debuted a new untitled song during his performance on The Colbert Report, however, it is not expected to land on the album.

Lamar has spoken vaguely about what fans can expect in various interviews.

"My enjoyment is creating the music. Once it gets pressed up, with bar codes on it, then it's not really fun anymore," he told Billboard in January.

Jackson and Bhatti aren't the only ones who've heard a chunk of the new project. Back in November Hot 97's Peter Rosenberg was given a private preview of four tracks.

He described the four songs he heard as "not anything like what you've heard from Kendrick before."

"If this album is anything like what I heard we are in for a treat," Rosenberg on an episode of The Realness. "Yes, Kendrick Lamar somehow has developed even more, gone to another level. He's talking about Black righteousness. He's talking about Africa. There's social commentary. There's all kinds of deep thoughts...There are deep thoughts throughout, however, it is upbeat music that is gonna thrive in the club and on the radio. However, just like good kid m.A.A.d city, you can hear there's no attempt to make club music."

He added: "This next album is gonna be as good as good kid m.A.A..d. city. It may be even on a different and higher level. Early 2015, new Kendrick album. And I promise you when these songs come out that I heard yesterday, you are all gonna say ...'Rosenberg, you got it right again.'"

One thing is for sure: this album can't come soon enough!

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