Hip Hop Dose Staff
Anderson .Paak and Cordae have revealed the 11-song tracklist for Heavy Is the Crown, their first album billed to both artists as co-leads. The project is due Friday, October 23, with the announcement arriving one day before release.
The album runs approximately 32 minutes. Its sequencing opens with “58th Floor,” places the title track at number seven, and closes with “Godfather II.” That shape gives the project a compact frame, with the central “Crown” positioned as a pivot between two similarly titled songs: “Days Go By” and “Days Like This.”
Heavy Is the Crown tracklist
- “58th Floor”
- “Airbender”
- “I'm On”
- “A Good Day”
- “You're Mine”
- “Days Go By”
- “Crown”
- “Days Like This”
- “Karma Tax”
- “Helpless”
- “Godfather II”
At roughly 32 minutes across 11 songs, the album averages under three minutes per track. That runtime points to a concise listen rather than a sprawling collection, though the individual song lengths and arrangements will determine how much room each artist gets.
The placement of “Crown” gives the title a clear structural role. “Days Go By” leads into it, while “Days Like This” follows, setting up a sequence that may connect the album’s central idea to the tracks around it. The opener and closer also bookend the record with distinct titles, from “58th Floor” to “Godfather II.”
Credits name a wide roster, but assignments remain unclear
The tracklist announcement names J. Cole, Conductor Williams, 9th Wonder and Swizz Beatz among the collaborators and production credits. The wider list also includes FNZ, Hollywood Cole, Soul Rasheed, Caleb Oh and The Collective.
The announcement does not identify which contributors worked on which songs. Nor does it clearly separate the credited collaborators from producers on a track-by-track basis. No guest verses have been confirmed, so the names should not be read as a list of vocal features.
That distinction matters for a roster this recognizable. J. Cole produced Cordae’s 2019 breakout single “RNP,” while 9th Wonder and Swizz Beatz bring their own established production histories. But until the album’s detailed credits are available, their specific roles on Heavy Is the Crown remain unverified.
The credited names suggest a potential meeting point for sample-driven rap, live-instrument textures and contemporary production. That blend fits the musical ground the two artists have occupied in different ways. The album itself will show how those approaches are distributed across the 11 songs.
The project is presented through APESHIT and EMPIRE, alongside Hi Level and Mass Appeal.
“A Good Day” introduced the album’s sound
The sole single released ahead of the album, “A Good Day,” arrived September 16. Produced by Hollywood Cole, the track is built around a sample of Bill Withers’ 1977 song “Lovely Day.”
The accompanying video was directed by Dave Meyers and stars Jennifer Freeman. It plays as a nod to the 1995 film Friday, casting .Paak and Cordae as brothers competing for the same love interest. The film-inspired setup gives the single a visual connection to a familiar comedy, while the Withers sample supplies its musical foundation.
The song’s placement at number four puts it early in the album’s running order, after “58th Floor,” “Airbender” and “I'm On.” That positioning gives the project a known entry point before it moves into the remaining seven tracks.
The pairing has developed across several releases
The artists first worked together on “RNP,” from Cordae’s 2019 debut album, The Lost Boy. J. Cole produced the track, and .Paak and Cordae performed it together on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and at the BET Hip Hop Awards that year.
They reunited in January 2023 for “Two Tens,” produced by J. Cole and Dem Jointz. In August 2024, they followed with “Summer Drop,” produced by J. Cole and Free Nationals bassist Kelsey González. Both songs were released as Cordae singles featuring .Paak and later appeared on Cordae’s 2024 album The Crossroads.
Those earlier collaborations established a recurring connection, but Heavy Is the Crown marks a change in billing. Rather than a Cordae record featuring .Paak, this album is credited to the pair together as co-leads. It is the first project to present their partnership in that way.
.Paak’s catalog includes the albums Venice, Malibu, Oxnard and Ventura. He is also one half of NxWorries with Knxwledge and Silk Sonic with Bruno Mars. He is currently on the road as DJ Pee .Wee, opening for Mars on The Romantic Tour and joining him for Silk Sonic songs.
Cordae’s solo albums include The Lost Boy, From a Bird’s Eye View and The Crossroads. The artists’ experience across solo work and collaborations sets the context for a shared album, but the short runtime leaves a practical question: how much space will each artist have to stretch into the different sides of their individual catalogs?
That compact format could give the record focus and replay value. It also leaves less room for either artist to develop ideas at the length available on a full solo album. The tracklist offers the outline; the finished project will determine whether the concise approach feels like a deliberate strength or a limitation.
Cover art and physical editions
The cover art restages the poster for the 2008 comedy Step Brothers, with .Paak and Cordae wearing matching argyle sweaters. An alternate version depicts the two artists mid-fight, extending the film reference into a second image.
Physical editions include six retailer-exclusive vinyl variants, an animated zoetrope edition sold directly, a cassette and a CD. The CD’s lenticular cover flips between the two cover images, linking the alternate artwork to the physical format.
No album tour for Heavy Is the Crown has been announced. For now, the confirmed details are the 11-song sequence, the October 23 release date, the collaborators named in the announcement and the project’s first single. The track-by-track credits and any guest appearances remain unconfirmed.
