34-year-old American rapper, Kendrick Lamar gave his fans two surprises on Wednesday May 11, and they are; a new album cover and a new baby.
On the cover for his highly-anticipated follow-up to 2017’s DAMN., Lamar, who is wearing a roped crown with thorns on his head, is seen holding his daughter, who’s now almost 3, while his fiancée, Whitney Alford is sitting on a bed, cradling a newborn.
While multiple reports hint that the baby in the photo is the couple’s second child, the couple has not spoken publicly about expecting another baby and Alford has not posted any photos of herself pregnant on social media.
“Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers. Shot by @renellaice,” Lamar simply captioned the post.
Once he shared the gem, fans quickly took to the comments section to share their thoughts. Many of them couldn’t believe he was reportedly now that father of two children and seemed excited about the great news.
In his new video for his latest single off the album, Lamar referred to his “kids,” plural, and his “wife.” While it’s unclear if Lamar and Alford have tied the knot, it does seem that family has been on the brain of the 34-year-old rapper.
The track isn’t just about family though, and the video for “The Heart Pt. 5” isn’t either. Throughout the visual, released Sunday, Lamar performs solo in front of a dark red backdrop.
After a few moments, as Lamar raps, the video them employs some impressive Deepfake visual trickery, as the artist’s face visually morphs into a number of other public figures, beginning with O.J. Simpson.
Throughout the track, Lamar morphs from Simpson to Kanye “Ye” West, then into Jussie Smollett. After transforming back to himself, he then pulls off another notable facial change as he turns into Will Smith.
The last two transformations see Lamar morphing into the late Kobe Bryant, before later becoming the late Nipsey Hussle, for a powerful and haunting conclusion to the evocative video.
Lamar’s forthcoming album marks his first since the release of his best-selling and critically acclaimed album DAMN., which came out in April 2017.
DAMN. went on to win Best Rap Album at the 2018 GRAMMY Awards, and became the first rap album to ever win the Pulitzer Prize for Music.