Photo Credit: NRK P3 / CC by 2.0
Three previously unreleased Kendrick Lamar tracks – “Computer Love,” “Pure,” and “Make Me Happy” – have leaked on Spotify and other platforms.
The unofficial songs’ streaming service arrival just recently entered the media spotlight, having been identified by multiple social-media users (some of whom are calling for the tracks to receive a proper release) and hip-hop blogs. Grouped together as “Morale pack” and featured on several playlists, the works in question are attached to “artists” named Marozy and, in a separate upload, Unnittm.
Additionally, the copyright information displayed at the bottom of the Unnittm version’s Spotify page suggests that an unauthorized third party (or parties) used a free distribution service to upload the songs on Monday, January 9th. And while Spotify has already pulled the tracks, they remained live on YouTube and Deezer at the time of this writing.
On YouTube, “The big stepper” is credited as the works’ writer. However, frequent Lamar collaborator DJ Dahi clarified in an Instagram Story that the demos at hand, despite their “album title” and the 2022 release of Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers, are actually four years old.
“Why are y’all leaking s—t from 4 years ago???” asked the 39-year-old, per a screenshot captured by Warner Music-owned HipHopDX. “We didn’t even bounce these records out. These kdot records are strictly demos. Y’all really dying of thirst out here lol.”
Notwithstanding the works’ relative age, certain listeners have pinpointed creative similarities to components of Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers as well as a 2021 release from Baby Keem (Kendrick Lamar’s cousin). Once again at the time of this writing, neither the Governors Ball and Bonnaroo headliner Lamar nor his manager appeared to have addressed the leak on social media.
Needless to say, though, that an as-yet-unidentified individual or individuals obtained and then leaked Kendrick Lamar’s music is problematic for a number of reasons. An ever-growing number of new projects are arriving on streaming platforms each day, and identifying unapproved uploads could become increasingly difficult as a result.
But the former Top Dawg Entertainment artist is hardly the only member of the music community who’s grappled with unauthorized releases as of late. Megan Thee Stallion is still working to determine who leaked Traumazine ahead of its official rollout last year.
Of course, the latter situation seems particularly significant because it involved the premature debut of a new project as opposed to music that was expected to remain shelved. Beyoncé’s Renaissance also made its way onto the web earlier than anticipated, possibly due to the overseas distribution of CDs.