Kendrick Lamar, 34, gave his fans two surprises on May 11 – a new album cover and a new baby! The rapper showed off the artwork for his upcoming new album Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers, which featured him and his family, including his second child, a newborn that he kept private up until then, according to TMZ Hip Hop. In the pic, the doting dad held his two-year-old daughter as his fiancee Whitney Alford sat on a bed in the background and held the baby.
“Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers. Shot by @renellaice,” Kendrick captioned the epic and shocking photo. 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.
“2 KIDS!!!!” one fan wrote while another simply but effectively wrote, “WOW.” A third asked, “You have two children now?” and a fourth called the album cover “a beautiful idea.” Others expressed excitement over the album and even called it the “album of the year,” a release that they thought was sure to be “a classic.”
Kendrick’s new artwork and reported baby reveal comes as he and Whitney have continued to be in a devoted relationship over many years. The lovebirds met in high school and eventually started dating, but kept their romance private until they made an appearance together at the 2014 Grammy Awards. In addition to being his romantic partner, Whitney teamed up with Kendrick on his music when she lent her vocals to his song “King Kunta” from his To Pimp a Butterfly album in 2015.
Although it’s not clear exactly when Kendrick and Whitney plan on tying the knot, the loving fiance has called her his “best friend” and mentioned how much she meant to him, in a previous interview. “That’s my best friend,” he told Billboard. “I don’t even like the term that society has put in the world as far as being a companion–she’s somebody I can tell my fears to.”
“I’m loyal to the soil. At the end of the day you want to always have real people around you period,” he added. “Everybody that’s been around me has been down since day one and I can’t change that. I don’t change for nobody. I always show respect when respect is being given and people that’s been by your side, you supposed to honor that. That’s how you stand up.”