Just to be clear – there’s no rush for Kendrick Lamar to follow up on 2015’s acclaimed To Pimp a Butterfly, especially not after last year’s surprise untitled unmastered compilation. Nevertheless, it feels fair to dream of what might come next from hip hop’s current undisputed champion.

At age 29, Kendrick Lamar has firmly positioned himself among the hip hop greats, proving to be one of the most innovative and exciting artists of his generation. Whether it be the undeniable beauty and breathtaking vision of his first three studio albums or his ability to own every single guest appearance he makes, Lamar has executed a perfect landing on every attempt he’s taken since calling his own shot on Big Sean’s “Control”.

The proper follow up to Butterfly will likely take some time. That album, full of sonic and lyrical weight, still feels just as fresh and relevant as it did when it dropped two years ago. Whether Kendrick’s next move is another solo venture, a rumored project with J. Cole, or something else entirely, we’ll be waiting with bated breath for the next installment from the new king of rap.

“What is competition? / I’m tryna raise the bar high / Who tryna jump and get it? / You better off tryna skydive”

by Kiel Hauck

Kiel Hauck is the editor in chief at It’s All Dead. Over the past decade, he has been a contributor for multiple online and print publications and was most recently an editor at PopMatters. Kiel currently resides in Indianapolis, IN with his wife and their imaginary pet, Hand Dog. You can follow him on Twitter.