Untitled Unmastered

In December 2014, while preparing for the release of his third album To Pimp a Butterfly (2015), Lamar performed an unreleased, untitled track as a musical guest on The Colbert Report.^[2] In January 2016, he performed another untitled track on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. Following his acclaimed performance at the 2016 Grammy Awards, which incorporated elements of another new untitled track, Lamar revealed that he had a substantial body of material left over from the To Pimp a Butterfly sessions. He explained that various factors, including sample clearance issues and timing constraints, prevented some songs he valued from being included on the album.^[3]

Material performed during several of Lamar's televised appearances was later incorporated into Untitled Unmastered. His performance on The Colbert Report featured "untitled 03 | 05.28.2013." with an added coda, while his set on The Tonight Show included "untitled 08 | 09.06.2014." along with the closing portion of "untitled 02 | 06.23.2014.". Elements of "untitled 05 | 09.21.2014." were also used during his performance at the 2016 Grammy Awards. Prior to its official release, the Tonight Show performance circulated under the informal title "Untitled 2". Additionally, a portion of Lamar’s verse from "untitled 08" had previously appeared in remixes of Funkadelic's song "Ain’t That Funkin’ Kinda Hard on You" (2014).^[4]

Producer Swizz Beatz revealed that his and Alicia Keys' son Egypt, then five years old, contributed to the production of "untitled 07" and also played a significant role in shaping "untitled 01" and "untitled 02" through the use of uncredited samples. TDE producer Sounwave slso confirmed that Egypt was responsible for producing the latter half of "untitled 07".^[4] The track "untitled 06 | 06.30.2014" features uncredited vocals from CeeLo Green^[5] and was produced by Adrian Younge and Ali Shaheed Muhammad of A Tribe Called Quest.^[4]

Fuse described the project's tracks as untitled compositions marked by deliberate imperfections, presenting Lamar in his "rawest form while shedding insight into his creative development over the last three to four years."^[5] In an interview with Complex, Sounwave explained that Lamar chose not to master the recordings, aiming to preserve a fully authentic sound.^[6] Writing for The Independent, Christopher Hooton suggested that, despite differing from Lamar's previous studio albums Good Kid, M.A.A.D City (2012) and To Pimp a Butterfly, the project was more structured than a typical mixtape and maintained a sense of cohesion throughout, comparing it to Kanye West's The Life of Pablo (2016).^[7]

Speculation about a new project grew after hints from Top Dawg Entertainment, along with public encouragement from LeBron James directed at label head Anthony Tiffith to issue Lamar's untitled recordings.^[11] On March 4, 2016, Untitled Unmastered was first released on Spotify,^[21][8] and was officially released on the iTunes Store later that day.^[8][9] Later that day, Lamar confirmed that the tracks were unfinished demos from To Pimp a Butterfly.^[4] In an interview with Spin, vocalist Anna Wise revealed that she had been aware of the compilation for some time prior to its release and had been asked to keep its existence confidential.^[22] Untitled Unmastered was released to digital retailers and streaming services on March 4. The physical CD release of its explicit edition followed on March 11 and an edited version was released on March 18.^[23] On March 23, "untitled 07 | levitate" was released as the album's lone single.^[24]

More information Aggregate scores, Source ...

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
AnyDecentMusic?	8.2/10[25]
Metacritic	86/100[26]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[27]
The A.V. Club	A−[28]
Chicago Tribune	[13]
The Guardian	[17]
NME	4/5[1]
Pitchfork	8.6/10 [29]
Rolling Stone	[20]
Spin	8/10[30]
Vice (Expert Witness)	A−[31]

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Untitled Unmastered received widespread acclaim from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 86, based on 31 reviews.^[26] Evan Rytlewski of The A.V. Club argued that the album stands on its own merits rather than being considered leftovers, showcasing a strong example of Lamar "working at peak creativity."^[28] Writing for Tiny Mix Tapes, Brooklyn Russell highlighted the contrast between energetic and introspective moments, noting that the album continues to reflect Lamar's distinctive artistic vision and ambition.^[12] In The Guardian, Alex Macpherson suggested that the understated nature of the release allows different aspects of Lamar's abilities to come into focus.^[17] Greg Kot of Chicago Tribune observed that the songs grapple with themes such as race, identity, and self-worth, presenting human experience as fluid and evolving rather than fixed.^[13]

Kellan Miller, writing for Drowned in Sound, described the album as stylistically fluid, blending disparate ideas and experimental tendencies into a cohesive whole, ultimately emphasizing the intensity and unpredictability of Lamar's artistry.^[14] In The Boston Globe, Julian Benbow noted that, despite lacking the structured narrative of Lamar's previous work, the material remains tightly constructed.^[10] In NME, Larry Bartleet emphasized the density and nuance of the album's themes,^[1] while Will Hermes of Rolling Stone concluded that even Lamar's scraooed material demonstrates a high level of artistry, with an intimacy that elevates the project beyond a simple compilation for fans.^[20]

In the United States, Untitled Unmastered debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, earning 178,000 album-equivalent units for the week ending March 26, 2016. 142,000 came from traditional album sales. The compilation album gave Lamar his second chart-topping set in less than a year.^[32] The album additionally topped the Indie Store Album Sales^[33] and Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts.^[34] By the end of 2016, the album was positioned at number 82 on the Billboard 200^[35] and number 10 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts.^[36] It additionally peaked at number 5 on the Top Rap Albums around that same time.^[37] It has sold 205,000 copies domestically as of April 30, 2016,^[38] and has sold 320,000 copies within the United States.^[39]

In the United Kingdom, the album charted at number 7 on its Official Albums Chart^[40] and ultimately peaked at number 2 on the R&B Albums Chart.^[41] It also sold 37,059 copies within its first week,^[42] and was later certified Silver by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) after selling a total of 60,000 certified units.^[43] In New Zealand, the album charted at number 5 on the New Zealand Albums Chart,^[44] and was later certified Gold by Recorded Music NZ (RMNZ) after selling a total of 7,500 certified units.^[45] In Belgium, the album charted at number 12 on the Ultratop chart in Wallonia^[46] and peaked at number 11 on the Ultratop chart in Flanders.^[47] By the end of 2016, the album was positioned at number 134 on the Ultratop chart in Flanders.^[48] The album also topped the Canadian Albums Chart^[49] and Danish Albums Chart,^[50] and peaked within the top 10 of charts in Australia,^[51] the Netherlands,^[52] Ireland,^[53] Norway,^[54] and Switzerland.^[55] Additionally, it appeared in charts from Austria,^[56] Finland,^[57] Germany,^[58] Hungary,^[59] Portugal,^[60] and Sweden.^[61]

Notes

• ^{^[a]} signifies an additional producer.
• All tracks stylized in all lowercase letters.

Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes^[62]

• List of number-one albums of 2016 (Canada)
• List of Billboard 200 number-one albums of 2016
• List of Billboard number-one R&B/hip-hop albums of 2016