A new Kendrick Lamar album could be on the horizon following a few leaked snippets and a subtle change to his profile on Spotify. On Wednesday night (Oct. 20), the rapper’s fans recognized that his profile picture was changed on the streaming platform. The image hadn’t been updated in nearly four years, so fans immediately took to Twitter to share their speculations that the album is on the way.
“Kendrick has updated his Spotify profile….something is coming guys,” wrote Twitter user @landersthegoat.
“Kendrick Lamar changed his profile picture for the first time since 2017 on Spotify. New album might be dropping tomorrow,” added @godfree.
In another post, @iamMelSmith begged the Compton native to drop the album in time for his birthday.
Hours later, the flood of theories significantly increased when snippets of songs, including “Therapy Session#9,” were leaked. However, not everyone is convinced that a new project will follow.
In one tweet, Twitter user @mosthiphop questioned whether Kendrick would actually drop an album unannounced. “Just because new Kendrick Lamar leaks surfaced doesn’t mean he’s dropping his album on Friday, do y’all really believe he’s gonna just drop an album tomorrow night with no promotion?” he wrote.
@yodinoblemusic also highlighted the fact that the chatter around the album’s release date are just rumors, writing, “Kendrick Lamar could, also, not release his new album on October 22nd.”
The conversation surrounding K. Dot’s upcoming album comes after nearly 32 unreleased songs from the rapper were registered under ASCAP. With a scheduled performance at the Day N Vegas Fest next month and a headlining spot at the Super Bowl LVI Pepsi halftime show in February, fans believe the project may come as soon as tomorrow (Oct. 22), which is also the nine-year anniversary of Kendrick’s good kid, m.A.A.d city.
While Kendrick hasn’t mentioned plans of retiring, the rapper previously announced that his next project will be the last one released under his current label, Top Dawg Entertainment.
“May the Most High continue to use Top Dawg as a vessel for candid creators,” he said in an unforeseen message. “As I continue to pursue my life’s calling. There’s beauty in completion. And always faith in the unknown. Thank you for keeping me in your thoughts. I’ve prayed for you all. See you soon enough.”
Look below to see the reactions to Kendrick Lamar’s new Spotify photo and the subsequent leaks.