Kendrick Lamar quietly announced his new album on Monday by quote-tweeting the words “oklama.com” on a tweet from February that claimed he’s officially retired.
That’s one way to drop a new album. Lamar’s “Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers will be released on May 13.
It’s a long-awaited announcement for fans who haven’t heard a new album from the rap superstar from Compton since his Pulitzer award-winning album, “DAMN.,” was released in 2017.
“I brought kendrick lamar out of retirement,” wrote @raptalksk on Twitter, whose initial tweet was used for Lamar’s announcement.
On Instagram, comments like “KING HAS SPOKEN,” and “BABE WAKE UP KENDRICK DROPPING SOON!!!” flooded his post about the album, with musicians like Kevin Abstract and Denzel Curry celebrating Lamar’s return to music on Twitter.
Earlier this year, Lamar took the stage with Dr. Dre, Eminem, Snoop Dogg and Mary J. Blige to perform at the Superbowl halftime show with a set made to look like the houses of Compton and South LA
But that appearance didn’t seem to be enough for Lamar’s fans, with thousands tweeting about their excitement for his new album.
“KENDRICK IS BACKKKKKKK,” one fan wrote.
Some also took this moment to call out Frank Ocean and Rihanna for keeping their fans waiting for years for new music.
In 2018, Lamar won a Pulitzer for his album DAMN., with the group’s board calling the album a “virtuosic song collection” and saying it captures “the modern African American life.”
The closest precedent to Lamar’s win came in 2008 when Bob Dylan received an honorary Pulitzer.
With files from The Associated Press
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