Kendrick Lamar drops surprise new album GNX

US rapper Kendrick Lamar has released a surprise new album called GNX.

The 12-track album, which is the performer's sixth studio release, dropped on his social media pages at around 17:00 GMT on Friday.

It features contributions from American R&B star SZA as well as Kamasi Washington, among others.

GNX is Lamar's first album since 2022’s Mr Morale & The Big Steppers, and comes ahead of his headlining performance at the Super Bowl halftime show in February.

There had been rumours for months that Lamar, who has won multiple Grammys and the Pulitzer Prize for Music, was working on a new project.

Early reviews of the album have been mostly positive, with fans also taking to social media to praise his new offering.

"Whatever comes next, the Pulitzer Prize winner has written another thrilling chapter in what remains the most fascinating longform story in hip-hop," wrote AP News.

The news outlet called Lamar "an ambitious and searingly talented poet from Compton working through his - and the world’s - contradictions on the biggest stage, forever discomforted by his crown".

Rating Game Music said the album "reminds us why he’s one of the greats", but added: "Overall, this album doesn’t feel like a monumental release - it’s more like a creative purge, a way for Kendrick to get a few ideas out of his system."

"My guess? The real project is on the horizon".

Some had speculated that Taylor Swift would make an appearance, but the pop sensation does not appear to have made it on.

The pair have worked together before, when the rapper appeared on Swift's track Bad Blood from the album 1989.

However, SZA lends her voice to two tracks, luther and gloria.

Lamar and SZA recently sat down for an interview with Harper's Bazaar, which covered a wide range of topics from spirituality to mental health.

Other tracks include tv off, dodger blue, peekaboo, and gnx.

On the opening track, wacced out murals, Lamar refers to his upcoming Super Bowl performance.

The coveted gig takes place in the middle of the NFL season finale and has a massive audience among Americans. However, it caused some upset among Lil Wayne fans who thought he should have been picked instead.

"I think my hard work let Lil Wayne down," the Compton rapper sings.

"Won the Super Bowl and Nas the only one congratulate me."

The new album also follows a long-running spat with Drake, which goes back years, but it escalated to new levels earlier this year, as the two rappers traded insults in a flurry of new songs.

The feud resulted in some huge tracks, notably Lamar's Not Like Us.

Powered by an irresistible DJ Mustard beat, Not Like Us broke Spotify records, becoming the hip-hop song with the most plays in a single day.

It went on to top the US charts, and reached number six in the UK - making it Lamar's biggest hit as a solo artist.