Kendrick Lamar is getting us ready. Friday, March 13, his track, "King Kunta," leaked online and is building anticipation in fans excited for his forthcoming album, To Pimp a Butterfly.
Lamar recently announced that the release date for his sophomore album, To Pimp a Butterfly would be March 23. With the release date and cover art revealed, fans can now enjoy "King Kunta," before the full album is released.
According to Billboard, Scott Vener, former Entourage music supervisor, first mentioned "King Kunta" in October through a string of tweets. Vener said the track is "unapologetically black and AMAZING," Billboard reported.
The racially charged, funk and passion-infused track begins with Lamar stating, "I got a bone to pick" and ending with Lamar remarking, "I remember you was conflicted, misusing your influence."
Lamar has certainly been influential throughout the years and many are tuned in to hear what his sophomore album has to offer. In an interview with Complex last year, discussing the success of Good Kid, M.A.A.D City, Lamar revealed what it was like to visit his former high school after the influence of his debut album.
"When I went back to my old high school, all these kids looking at me like I'm the real big homie, the same way I look at Jay Z, Nas, or Dr. Dre," Lamar revealed to Complex during his cover shoot. "You would've thought Michael Jackson walked through that joint off the excitement that they had."
Terrence "Punch" Henderson, president of Top Dawg Entertainment, shared with Complex just how meaningful Lamar's debut album to hip hop really was.
"Good kid set the bar," Henderson told Complex. "Today, that's the album that you gotta compare your album to. Illmatic would be the comparison — it didn't sell the most records, but that was the standard."
Listen to "King Kunta" via Audiomack below:
