Kendrick Lamar new album To Pimp A Butterfly breaks Spotify streaming record

US rapper Kendrick Lamar has broken a Spotify record with his new album To Pimp a Butterfly with the LP clocking up more than 9.6 million streams in just one day.

The Swimming Pools star's second album was released early on Sunday (15 March) and within just 24 hours, it had received the most listens in Spotify's history based on first day streams.

A spokesperson for Spotify confirmed the news via Twitter this week, writing:

It could be a generous pay day for Lamar, 27, as Billboard has estimated that a record with that amount of streams could have earned approximately $44,160 (£30,118) in a single day. Canadian singer Michael Buble previously held this record with his Christmas album generating 9.5 million streams in December 2014.

Lamar's album has so far received positive reviews from critics with The Guardian and Hip Hop DX describing it as "ambitious," while GQ magazine hailed it an "extraordinary record". ABC News declared the LP "better and more compelling" than Lamar's 2012 debut, Good Kid, m.A.A.d. City.

Kanye West is among Lamar's supporters as he tweeted his praise for the album on Monday (16 March):

Surprisingly, Taylor Swift also complimented the hip hop star on his new release, tweeting:

Lamar had been due to drop To Pimp A Butterfly on 27 March and Anthony Tiffin, CEO of Lamar's music group Top Dawg Entertainment, claimed record label Interscope released it early accidentally. Tiffin tweeted earlier this week: "I WOULD LIKE 2 PERSONALLY THANK @Interscope FOR F*****G UP OUR RELEASE... SOMEBODY GOTS 2 PAY 4 THIS MISTAKE !!!! #TOP. This is the kraziest s**t ever."

Due to the sudden release, the album was temporarily removed from outlets such as iTunes on Monday but was made available again just hours later.