The rollout of Kendrick Lamar’s sophomore album To Pimp A Butterfly (peep the full production credits here) confused many.
The album was released a week in advance of its original release date of March 23 on iTunes but only the clean version was available to purchase for the first two hours. The explicit version followed but most fans were still having difficulty in downloading it for some unknown reason.
Early next morning, both versions of the album disappeared for a short period from Apple’s store, leaving fans disappointed. But it was still playing in full bloom on streaming giant Spotify.
My theory from the beginning of the whole episode has been that the release was no “accident”. This tweet from Interscope employee Reza Sarrafieh clearly hinted that Interscope (and most probably both Aftermath and TDE) had planned to liberate it early and wasn’t done by mistake.
This. Is. Not. A. Drill ALBUM AVAILABLE NOW! One week earlier than expected, Kendrick has blessed the… https://t.co/bnIw1ifqMQ
— Reza Sarrafieh (@RezaRanian) March 16, 2015
But here’s when things get more interesting. The CD version of the album is now available at all major retailers in the U.S. and in Europe, including Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart and HMV in the UK. Above is a photo from the HMV store in London clicked by our writer Akaash when he went to inquire about Kendrick’s stellar album. It’s an open secret that retailers usually receive copies of an album a couple of days in advance of the street date in order to fulfill all formalities for the timely release. But in his case, To Pimp A Butterfly has been available to the general public at least 6 days in advance of the earlier announced March 23 date. We can all connects the dots.
This following note on the Amazon UK site supports our case (click to enlarge):
Update 16 March, 2015: New Early Release Date
The release date for Kendrick Lamar’s new album To Pimp a Butterfly has been brought forward by one week to 16 March, 2015. If you have pre-ordered the album you will receive your copy prior to 23 March, 2015.
TDE’s CEO Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith’s tweet where he blasted Interscope for “fu*king up” Kendrick’s release made major headlines but guess what, it was quietly deleted yesterday.
I WOULD LIKE 2 PERSONALLY THANK @Interscope FOR FUCKING UP OUR RELEASE… SOMEBODY GOTS 2 PAY 4 THIS MISTAKE !!!! #TOP
Well, accident or no accident, planned or unplanned, the album is creating waves around the world for its quality and expected commercial performance. Stay tuned to HHNM for the first week sales and our official review.
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