The studio friendship that began with “RNP” now extends to a full-length record, with a physical rollout built around collectible formats rather than streaming-week visibility.
Anderson .Paak and Cordae are moving from featured verses to a shared record. Their joint album Heavy Is the Crown arrives Oct. 23 via APESHIT/Mass Appeal/EMPIRE, formalizing a working relationship that started with “RNP” on Cordae’s 2019 debut The Lost Boy and continued through “Two Tens,” “Summer Drop,” and a BET Awards appearance.
The album’s Step Brothers-inspired artwork underscores the dynamic: two artists treating collaboration as something closer to comedy-partner looseness than contractual obligation. The physical rollout reflects that same investment. Six retailer-exclusive vinyl variants, a zoetrope edition for direct-to-consumer buyers, a cassette, and a CD with a lenticular cover that shifts the image to .Paak and Cordae fighting all signal a release designed for collectors rather than streaming-week visibility alone.
For .Paak, the album follows renewed interest in Malibu, his 2016 record, which received a 10th anniversary vinyl and cassette reissue earlier this year. Cordae has been quieter; his last studio album was 2024’s The Crossroads. Heavy Is the Crown gives both a concrete reason to re-enter the conversation together, on their own terms.
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ROMBO Editorial Staff
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