A Decade Later, Kendrick Lamar's 'Untitled Unmastered' Remains a Defining Surprise Release

Overview

• The eight-track collection arrived as a surprise digital drop on March 4, 2016 less than two weeks after his 58th Grammys performance.
• It debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with 178,000 equivalent album units in its first week.
• Reporting credits LeBron James with urging TDE chief Anthony "Top Dawg" Tiffith on social media to release the untitled tracks.
• Kendrick and producer Sounwave presented the songs without mastering to preserve a raw, intimate studio feel.
• Drawn from 2013–2016 sessions linking good kid, m.A.A.d city to To Pimp a Butterfly, the set highlights era collaborators and includes the noted Egypt Dean credit on "untitled 07."