LOS ANGELES (AP) — Kendrick Lamar gave music listeners an early holiday gift Friday with the surprise release of a new album.

The Grammy winner’s 12-track “GNX” is his first release since then ‘Mr. Morality and the big steps” and his sixth studio album overall. It also comes just months after his rap battle with Drake.

Lamar first teased the album with cover art and a video clip of “GNX,” featuring multi-instrumentalists Jack Antonoff as co-producer on every song except ‘Peekaboo’. Other notable producers include Soundwave and DJ Mustardboth of whom contributed to the production of the hit “Not Like Us,” the ubiquitous diss track to emerge from the Drake feud.

Lamar’s former Top Dawg Entertainment labelmate SZA appears on a number of tracks, including “Gloria” and “Luther,” which also features sampled vocals from Luther Vandross and Cheryl Lynn through “If This World Were Mine.”

On the opening track “Wacced Out Murals,” Lamar raps about cruising in his Buick GNX (Grand National Experimental) car while listening to Anita Baker. He brings up Snoop Dogg posting Drake’s AI-assisted ‘Taylor Made Freestyle’ diss track on social media and Nas congratulates Lamar on his selection as headliner February’s Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show in New Orleans.

Lamar also shows admiration for Lil Wayne, who expressed his hurt feelings after he had been passed over as headliner in his hometown.

Lamar, 37, has enjoyed tremendous success since his debut album “Good Kid, mAAd City” in 2012. Since then, he has racked up 17 Grammy wins and became the first non-classical, non-jazz musician to win a Pulitzer Prize for his 2017 album ‘DAMN’.

The surprise release caps off a big year for Lamar, who was featured on the song “Like That” with Future and Metro Boomin – a song that spent three weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 this year.

Lamar is up for seven Grammys, sparked by “Not Like Us,” which earned critical acclaim for record and song of the year, rap song, music video and best rap performance. He has two simultaneous entries in the latter category, a first in his career: ‘Like That’ is nominated for best rap performance and also for best rap song.

“GNX” track list:

1. “Wacced Out Murals”

2. “Bickering”

3. “Luther” (feat. SZA)

4. “Man in the Garden”

5. “Hey Now”

6. “Reincarnation”

7. “TV off”

8. “Dodger Blue”

9. “Peekaboo”

10. “Heart Pt. 6”

11. “GNX”

12. “Gloria” (feat. SZA)