From a musical standpoint, 2024 has been the year of Kendrick Lamar. That honor has only been cemented with Lamar’s surprise sixth studio album, “GNX,” which sees the 37-year-old Compton, California native reflect on his origins, growth, relationships and themes of reincarnation.
Exactly nine months before the album’s release, Lamar opened lyrical fire on rappers Drake and J. Cole in Metro Boomin and Future’s “Like That,” starting one of the most commercially advertised rap beefs.
Lamar’s stamp on the saga, “Not Like Us,” is the most commercially successful rap song in the 35-year history of the Hot Rap Songs chart, breaking the previously held record with 21 consecutive weeks sitting at No. 1. Lamar took a six-month hiatus following the end of his beef with Drake before dropping “GNX” with little warning.
The only teaser came just minutes before the album’s release, with a one-minute video on Lamar’s social media accounts with the same name as the album. Just as outlets were catching wind and beginning to report on the video, Lamar released the album.
The opening track “wacced out murals” opens with an intro from Mexican singer Deyra Barrera, before shifting into a rather minimalist beat composed by two of the album’s primary producers, Sounwave and Jack Antonoff. Along with those two, DJ Mustard, who produced “Not Like Us,” contributed to many of the album’s tracks and consequently many of its viral moments.
The intro track sees Lamar boldly discuss his influence, idols and how he feels they have moved away from him. Specifically, he discusses how his selection to perform during the Super Bowl LIX halftime show upset Lil Wayne. Lamar also mentions the legendary Snoop Dogg posting Drake’s diss of Lamar, “Taylor Made Freestyle,” which featured an AI version of Snoop Dogg rapping, on his Instagram story.
The follow-up track, “squabble up,” was familiar to Lamar’s fans, as it was teased at the beginning of the “Not Like Us” music video. The track is loud and braggadocious, introducing the themes of reincarnation and enforcing Lamar’s confident sound on this record.
The third track, “luther,” is one of Lamar’s most pleasant singing tracks. It features a duet from frequent collaborator and former labelmate SZA and a sample from Cheryl Lynn and Luther Vandross’ “If This World Were Mine.”
Lamar reflects on his success in “man at the garden,” with the refrain “I deserve it all” scattered throughout the song’s verses. That sentiment shifts in verse three to Lamar’s family, referencing his mother and children. Over a spacey piano-centric instrumental, this is one of the more emotional cuts on “GNX.”
The fifth track on the album, “hey now,” features a darker sound and contributions from Los Angeles-based rapper Dody6. The chorus is simplistic and repetitive but catchy, with Lamar and Dody6 rapping confidently about their importance to the rap game.
The sixth track, “reincarnated,” is the emotional and performative climax of the album, featuring the same beat as a 1997 release from Lamar’s idol, 2Pac. The verses see Lamar reflect on what he believes to be his past lives.
Although Lamar doesn’t explicitly reveal who he’s alluding to throughout the verses, it is theorized that he’s talking about himself, legendary blues guitarist John Lee Hooker and legendary jazz singer Billie Holiday. The song concludes with Lamar talking to God, who confronts him about the error in his ways, most notably his unwillingness to forgive and practice what he preaches.
The following track, “tv off,” is another braggadocious cut featuring the most viral moment of the album: Lamar screaming a prolonged “Mustard!” over the beat. The follow-up song, “dodger blue,” is a melodic one, featuring Wallie the Sensei, Roddy Ricch and Siete7x, all of whom are from the Compton area.
Between two shorter bangers in “peekaboo” and “gnx,” the album’s third-to-final track, “heart pt. 6” is Lamar’s most reflective. It talks about how he inadvertently dismantled the Black Hippy group he was a founding member of to praise his friends and connections like Ab-Soul and Dave Free, and how they helped him get to his current point.
The closer, “gloria,” which also features SZA, rounds up an album with heavy themes, rapped and sung by Lamar, who seems to be more confident than ever in what has been the most commercially successful year of his career. While there were no expectations for the surprise album, few fans are going to walk away from “GNX” disappointed.
Score: 4/5
