Anderson .Paak and Cordae have announced a joint album, Heavy Is the Crown, due out on 23 October via Apeshit/Mass Appeal/Empire. The pair have a long-standing creative partnership, having first collaborated on "RNP" from Cordae's 2019 debut The Lost Boy, and have worked together frequently since; the new record marks their first full-length collaboration together.

The album's cover art reportedly draws inspiration from the 2008 comedy Step Brothers. It arrives two years after Cordae's last solo album, The Crossroads (2024), during which time .Paak has stayed prolific, releasing a second NxWorries record, touring as an opener for Silk Sonic bandmate Bruno Mars, and featuring on tracks with Fred Again.., Amber Mark, Summer Walker and Disclosure.