Pimp pimp!… Hooray!

Three months into 2016 and hip-hop fans already have a new Kendrick Lamar record to listen to. Sort of.

The Compton native rapper released a collection of 8 previously unreleased demos on March 4 that originated during the recording of Lamar’s album “To Pimp a Butterfly“, with one going as far back as being recorded in 2013.

Entitled “untitled unmastered.“, the short collection of demo’s presents a lot of free experimentation from Lamar with sounds ranging from jazz, funk, and even a bit of modern day “trap-esque” beats (as featured on “untitled 02” and “untitled 07”).

Upon completion of his third studio album “To Pimp a Butterfly“, Lamar performed an untitled and unreleased track on The Colbert Report and recently in January he performed another untitled track on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.

These untitled tracks would later surface on “untitled unmastered.” after revealing at the 2016 Grammy Awards the existence of the collection of tracks that did not make the final cut of “To Pimp a 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,” Lamar said in an interview with Grammy.com.

That “chamber of material” finally saw the day of light as “untitled unmastered.” was quickly streamed in great numbers via sites such as Apple Music and Spotify.

The compliation album also features a few uncredited guest appearances ranging from artists such as Thundercat, SZA, and Cee-Lo Green.

Each track also features the date it was recorded on with “untitled 03” being the oldest of the 8 tracks.

“Untitled 03” was recorded in May of 2013 and showcases the transition of Lamar’s sound from the hard-hitting storytelling of Lamar’s second studio album “good kid, m.A.A.d city” to the jazzy political-driven “To Pimp a Butterfly“.

Perhaps the most significant track on this compilation album is “untitled 07” which opens up with the catchy chant of “Pimp pimp!… Hooray!” and features a smooth “trap-esque” beat that instantly bumps in one’s car or home speakers.

“Love won’t get you high as this/Drugs won’t get you high as this/Fame won’t get you high as this/Chains won’t get you high as this” raps Lamar on the first half of the track; assuming King Kendrick is stating that rappers talking about drugs and money and showing off their lavish lifestyles won’t get the people as high as Lamar’s politically driven lyrics that won him Best Rap Album of the Year at last month’s Grammy’s.

The second half of the track transitions to a jazzy beat produced by 5-year-old Egypt Daoud, the son of critically acclaimed hip-hop producer Swizz Beats and award winning singer/songwriter Alicia Keys.

Lamar raps rapidly with a strong fierce delivery proclaiming that he “feels like Pacino in Godfather” and that he “came into the game with a plan of beating the odds”.

Another notable track is the catchy up-tempo “untitled 02” in which Lamar expresses his feelings about how the world is becoming “brazy”, the way Blood-affiliated gang members say the word crazy.

Lamar uses a distinct vocal delivery on the first half of the track that makes on speculate if he is playfully making fun of the way rappers have been rapping as of late such as Drake.

“Get Top on the phone!” raps Lamar, referring to Top Dawg Entertainment’s CEO Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith, the label Lamar is signed to.

Lamar proclaims on the second half of the track that “TDE is the mafia of the west” and that he and Top are like a Kobe Bryant and Phil Jackson duo.

For a short compilation album, “untitled unmastered.” is heavy with lyricism yet also provides an unorthodox collection of sounds with the way it presents itself, with some critics comparing it to the unorthodox approach of Kanye West’s new album “The Life of Pablo“.

Regardless, “untitled unmastered.” has gained Lamar new fans and has long-time fans anxious to hear yet another album from King Kendrick in the near future.

You can stream the compilation album below via Spotify or purchase a physical CD release at retailers such as Walmart and Barnes & Noble.