Kendrick Lamar and J. Cole Album Release Date Latest: TDE President Asks for Patience
Last year was definitely a massively successful year not only for Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE) but most especially for Kendrick Lamar, and recent reports suggest that the release date of a new album will soon be announced, which probably pushed an executive to speak up about the highly anticipated collaboration.
Since 2013, the rumors have been hot on a joint album from Lamar and J. Cole, another rapper who, just like Lamar, is considered a god in the industry. The collaboration is something that fans have been requesting for but has not yet happened for the past few years.
In an interview with MTV News, TDE President Dave Free asked fans to understand that it won't be easy to put something together — especially from two of the industry's biggest names.
"A joint album does sound great, but people need to understand, these are two geniuses...It takes a long time for one of them to get in a space to create a song...it takes a lot of time and energy. It all has to be a singular project, but it can't just happen overnight," he explained.
Free further explained that while some song writers and singers can come up with good songs with limited time, he reminded fans that there are some who need proper timing to create a song that won't disappoint the masses.
Last year, Lamar acquired 11 nominations at the Grammy Awards for "To Pimp a Butterfly," and it's getting more obvious that the rap sensation isn't slowing down. Free admitted that the rapper is "always working," which is probably one of the reasons why the collaboration with J. Cole was never completed even if planning already started years back.
It would be unfair to say that it was Lamar's doing that has been causing the delay of the project and Free said there are a whole lot of good music that TDE will has prepared for fans this year, including new albums from Isaiah Rashad, Q, and SZA.
For now, fans can just sit back and relax while tuning in to the songs from other great rappers and music-makers, allowing for Lamar and J. Cole to give enough time for their project to become a reality.