TDE’s Punch Says False Kendrick Lamar Album Info Builds Anticipation

On May 10, Rap Radar reported the album title of Kendrick Lamar's good kid, M.A.A.D city follow-up would be United States Of A.L.A.R.M. and was releasing this September.

Hours after several hip-hop blogs reported the news, Rap Radar covered their tracks by saying the information was fake. The promotional flyer (seen above) was also verified as false because the photo of Kendrick was taken from a recent VIBE shoot, according to Karen Civil. As far as the September release date, it checks out so far since Anthony "Top Dawg" Tiffith revealed in a Billboard cover story a new Kendrick LP would drop that month.

However, a member of TDE's management team blasted several news outlets for the inaccurate reporting. "Whats up with these fake ass news stories. unless you see @dangerookipawaa talk about it, shit aint real. #TopDawg #TDE," retOne tweeted. "That goes for Interscope, news, blogs, etc...if u aint see it come directly from us #TDE dont believe em..."

Terrence "Punch" Henderson adds his thoughts on the matter, believing any leaked info on a project helps create more hype. "I don’t know where that came from. It’s crazy [Laughs].," he tells XXL. "I mean, everybody got access to Photoshop and they can do they thing. Do whatever they want. I just look at it as a positive. It builds anticipation. You know what I mean? If you are not getting those types of things, the album not getting leaked and all of that, it shows that there’s no anticipation."

TDE is expected to drop six albums this year. The label has been keeping their promise with three projects already in retail stores: Isaiah Rashad's Cilvia Demo, ScHoolboy Q's Oxymoron, and SZA's Z. While it seems Ab-Soul's These Days... is up next, Punch believes in keeping fans on their toes. "We gotta see. If you just look at our pattern, you can see what’s going on."

For now, you can expect 2014 XXL Freshman Isaiah Rashad to put out a full-length project soon. "He sent me some records that he did on the road," Punch says. "It’s hard for them to actually work, traveling that much. Once Q and him get done, I’m sure both of them will get back in."

Overly dedicated.