Heavy Is the Crown, the first collaborative album from Anderson .Paak and Cordae, comes out on Friday 23 October 2026 through APESHIT, Mass Appeal and EMPIRE. The Apple Music pre-release listing shows 11 tracks, and the cover art is modelled on the poster for the 2008 comedy Step Brothers. With nine days to go, here is everything confirmed so far: release date, formats, collaborators, the history behind the pairing and what is still unknown.
Heavy Is the Crown release date and label
NME and SPIN both confirm the 23 October release through APESHIT (.Paak's label), Mass Appeal and EMPIRE. SPIN reported the announcement on 19 August, and the album has been available to pre-save and pre-order since then. The Apple Music listing credits "APESHIT + EMPIRE / Hi Level + Mass Appeal", according to music site All Day Music Club.
Heavy Is the Crown tracklist: what we know
The full tracklist has not been published yet. The Apple Music page lists 11 tracks, and the only song it names so far is the video for "A Good Day". All Day Music Club reports that the announcement graphic names J. Cole, 9th Wonder, Conductor Williams and Swizz Beatz, but it does not say who raps, sings or produces. We will not guess at features until the official credits are out.
Formats: zoetrope vinyl and a lenticular CD
SPIN reports that the duo have gone big on physical editions:
Six retailer-exclusive vinyl variants, across Amazon and independent shops
An animated zoetrope edition, sold direct to fans
A cassette
A CD with a lenticular cover that flips the artwork into an image of .Paak and Cordae fighting
The Step Brothers nod sets a playful tone. All Day Music Club reads the title another way, as the weight both artists carry as providers and anchors for their families.
Anderson .Paak and Cordae: how the collaboration started
The pair first recorded together on "RNP", from Cordae's Grammy-nominated 2019 debut The Lost Boy. They reunited on "Two Tens" (2023) and "Summer Drop" (2024), both from Cordae's 2024 album The Crossroads, and have performed together at the BET Awards and on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.
.Paak's last full-length album was Why Lawd?, his second as NxWorries with Knxwledge, which won Best Progressive R&B Album at the 2025 Grammys and took his career total to nine Grammys, per NME. Earlier in 2026 he marked ten years of Malibu with vinyl and cassette reissues and released his first feature as director, K-Pops!, followed by its soundtrack in May. According to All Day Music Club, he is also opening Bruno Mars' The Romantic Tour as DJ Pee .Wee. Cordae, by contrast, has kept a low profile this year, SPIN notes.
People also ask: is there a Heavy Is the Crown tour?
Not yet. No tour has been announced. Watch the artists' socials and the EMPIRE pre-order page in release week for singles, the full tracklist and any live dates.
A crowded 23 October release Friday
Heavy Is the Crown lands on a busy Friday. The same day brings John Legend's Pharrell-produced Muse (https://www.thesundayprofile.com/john-legend-muse), Michael Kiwanuka's FUDGE (https://www.thesundayprofile.com/michael-kiwanuka-fudge), Josh Johnson's Animative on Nonesuch and Tony Iommi's From the Dark with Jorn Lande on BMG. For hip-hop and R&B listeners, the .Paak–Cordae record is the headline rap collaboration of the week.
Sources
NME (Max Pilley), "Anderson .Paak and Cordae announce collaborative album 'Heavy Is The Crown'" (26 Aug 2026). SPIN, "Anderson .Paak, Cordae Don New 'Crown'" (19 Aug 2026) — formats, label, collaboration history. All Day Music Club, Heavy Is The Crown album guide (8 Oct 2026) — Apple Music 11-track listing, "A Good Day", named collaborators. Apple Music pre-release listing. Tony Iommi official site (From the Dark, 23 Oct, BMG).