Arguably one of the most anticipated albums this year is the hugely rumored collaborative album of Kendrick Lamar and J. Cole, which was first reported years ago.
Although fans of both rappers are eagerly waiting for any official announcement, no launch date for the much-awaited joint album of Kendrick Lamar and J. Cole has been confirmed yet. Earlier reports said it will be dropped last Christmas but to the disappointment of fans, nothing came.
Hopes were reignited, however, when early this year, Top Dawg Entertainment President Dave Free teased about the possibility of the new collaborative album.
Dave Free said in an interview with MTV News, "2016 is going to be an amazing year."
"Everything's a possibility," he added. "But I'mma say this, too; Kendrick and Cole are in a place in their careers and in their lives where they have to keep going. Of course, they're two of the biggest rappers out, but they still have to keep grinding. There's so much work that they have to continue to do."
Bitbag, on the other hand, thinks Dave Free's statement does not shed much hope about Kendrick Lamar and J. Cole's collaborative album. According to Bitbag, Lamar and Cole are both busy working on their solo projects and they have very little time to work and finish their joint album.
In other news, Kendrick Lamar just got a boost as a new Recording Industry Association of America rule where the agency decided to count and qualify streaming when tracking album sales. That means on-demand song and video streams are officially included in the Gold and Platinum certification rubrics.
"We know that music listening for both albums and songs are skyrocketing, yet that trend has not been reflected in our album certifications," RIAA CEO Cary Sherman said in a press release. "Modernizing our Album Award to include music streaming is the next logical step in the continued evolution of Gold and Platinum Awards, and doing so enables RIAA to fully reward the success of artists' albums today."
As a result of the new system, 17 more albums and artists are welcomed to the club, including Kendrick Lamar's "To Pimp a Butterfly" which is now boosted to a platinum status.
