1988 is the sequel to Knxwledge’s official debut album, Hud Dreems. The same year Hud Dreems was released, Knx worked with Kendrick Lamar on To Pimp a Butterfly, which earned the producer his first Grammy. A duo with Anderson Paak, called NxWorries, formed around the same time. Their single "Suede" became a viral hit, propelling the singer to R&B stardom, and their album Yes Lawd! delivered on that song's immense promise. Knx and Paak have quietly continued to collaborate, and some of their new work is featured on 1988. A prolific artist in the extreme, Knxwledge continues to redefine instrumental hip-hop almost in real time with an incessant stream of beats by the hundreds on Bandcamp and video remixes on Instagram.