Kendrick Lamar - GNX Review
Kendrick Lamar's GNX thrives on raw energy and West Coast pride.
There are only a handful of artists on the planet who can get the entire music industry to down tools and listen whenever they release a new project. Kendrick Lamar is one of them.
This is made all the more apparent by the fact that his album, GNX came as almost a complete surprise, with the only hype or promotion being a vague teaser on Kendrick’s Instagram 30 minutes before the album dropped. But when you consider the year Kendrick has had, you can see where this confidence and self-belief comes from. Drake vs Kendrick was a back-and-forth, heavyweight beef the likes of which the rap world hadn’t seen since Nas vs Jay-Z or Tupac vs Biggie. The social media momentum turned the feud into a global, mainstream story, fuelled by the fact that songs were getting dropped almost daily. While there are some dark, deluded corners of society that argue there wasn’t a clear winner, Kendrick’s The Pop Out – a one-off live show where Kendrick had rival gang members on stage dancing along to the 7th play-through of “Not Like Us” – felt like a pretty conclusive nail in Drake’s coffin.
The shockwave of the beef is clear to see on GNX, both stylistically and lyrically. Right from the get-go, on the opening track ‘wacced out murals’, Kendrick addresses the current state of things, both in hip-hop as a whole and in his own circle. He breaks down the divisions that have sprung up as a result of the feud – “won the super bowl and Nas the only one congratulate me” – and even names Lil Wayne and Snoop as “old souls” that he’s idolised in the past, but who have shown animosity towards him recently. He continues to take shots at Drake (“N****s from my city couldn't entertain old boy / Promisin' bank transactions and even bitcoin”), but not in a confrontational way. It feels more like someone reflecting after a hard-fought victory, and questioning why anyone would bother challenging them in the first place. On top of all this though, Kendrick calls out his peers for not staying authentic and true to themselves.
GNX feels like Kendrick celebrating his L.A. roots and the culture he comes from. A big indicator of this are the multiple beats throughout the record that are infused with the same bouncy, West Coast energy that made ‘Not Like Us’ one of the biggest songs of 2024. ‘Squabble Up’ even has a hook with a back-and-forth between Kendrick and the crowd similar to the iconic “O-V Hoe!” line. As the name suggests, ‘Squabble Up’ is aggressive and braggadocious, with Kendrick calling out other rappers for not having his level of work ethic and hustle. This same aggression can be felt on the two DJ Mustard tracks, ‘hey now’ and ‘tv off’. In the latter, Kendrick announces the ‘Not Like Us’ producer in style – the guttural “Mustarrrrrrrrd” at the beat-switch is one of the highlights of the record. Kendrick has always played around with shifting the pitch of his voice, and GNX is no different. The weird quirks to his delivery were what made some of his bars during the Drake beef so memorable, and it’s good to see he’s not shying away from it anytime soon.
For some, these West Coast beats may make GNX feel repetitive and one-note. But Kendrick finds ways to introduce a variety of other sounds and moods while still paying tribute to his city. ‘dodger blue’ – named after L.A.’s baseball team – is a lot slower and calmer, with Kendrick calling out the uninformed, superficial idea of L.A., while championing real neighbourhoods like Compton and Gardena. ‘reincarnated’ samples Tupac’s ‘Made N****Z’, and Kendrick is clearly emulating Pac with his flow.
On top of the obvious nod to his idol, ‘reincarnated’ has Kendrick opening up about his connection to icons from the past (speculation suggests it could be Billie Holiday, and maybe John Lee Hooker), examining their influence and how to learn from their mistakes. This goes to show that, aside from being an ode to L.A., GNX also sees Kendrick explore a multitude of themes in a relatively short runtime. ‘man at the garden’ is a paired-back, minimalist beat that allows Kendrick to return to the honest self-reflection that has featured throughout his career. He tackles his sacrifices, his ethics, his philosophy with his work and family, and concludes that, ultimately, “I deserve it all”. ‘luther’ is a sultry love song directed at Kendrick’s partner, with Kendrick and frequent-collaborator SZA finding a way to sing in unison that is surprisingly smooth. ‘heart pt. 6’ – a reclamation of his ‘The Heart’ series after Drake’s ‘The Heart Part 6’ – dives into the early days at Top Dawg Entertainment and has Kendrick admitting that “Black Hippy didn't work 'cause of me”.
GNX stands in stark contrast to Kendrick’s last release, Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers – a therapeutic, at times twisted double album that journeys through his past and his mental struggles. For some, this departure might be a disappointment. The abrupt nature of the release – along with the reports that some tracks were produced just days prior – might suggest GNX didn’t have the intensive preparation and craftmanship that made the likes of Good Kid, M.A.A.D City and To Pimp a Butterfly such beloved classics. But this rawness gives GNX a refreshing immediacy. It feels like Kendrick is doing things on his own terms. He’s still delving into complex, politically-conscious issues, but also allowing himself to have fun and make bangers that pay tribute to his city and culture. It just goes to show the level Kendrick is on that even if this is a half-baked, rushed project, it’s still leagues above the rest.