Kendrick Lamar is the talk of the town. Dropping “The Heart Part 5” about a week ago he set the world ablaze with his cutting edge video. He has since released his final studio project Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers with his former label Top Dawg Entertaiment.
The initial release of the album was done on Tidal and was made available via other streaming services the following day. As of May 13, 2022 Lamar set the one day record for streams with Apple Music so far this year.
“Shout out @kendricklamar.
K-Dot’s ‘Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers’ had the
most first-day streams for an album released so far in 2022.“ tweeted Apple Music
The anticipation of Lamar’s final release with TDE is one of the driving forces behind this surge. Unlike many of his peers, Lamar takes long breaks during his releases taking time to sharpen his craft and live his life away from the public eye.
With that said he popped his head out of hiding in 2021 with a blockbuster feature on “Family Ties.” The single is by Baby Keem, who happens to be Lamar’s cousin. It was also one of the first releases from Kendrick’s new venture pgLang. pgLang is a multi-disciplinary media company founded by Kendrick Lamar and his high school friend Dave Free.
The industry is abuzz regarding this latest release. It’s sparking conversations around serious topics such as molestation, homosexuality, racism and masculinity. The way Lamar frames his albums is a reflection of his growth as an individual and takes the listener along for a ride through his mind. The fact that he was able to break a one-day streaming record isn’t that surprising considering how long people have been waiting for new music from him.
Artists like Drake and Ye have been ruling the streaming services as of late. Lamar has tossed his hat into the ring and doesn’t seem to be leaving anytime soon.
I fully expect this to continue as the album continues to flourish in the public space.
