Given the year Kendrick Lamar has had, a new album felt imminent. From starting his year with a show-stealing verse on Future's "Like That" and igniting his feud with Drake to the resulting success of "Not Like Us" to being announced as the next Super Bowl halftime performer, Lamar has been a force in hip-hop and popular culture for the entirety of 2024.
On Friday, the always enigmatic artist posted a one-minute video snippet on YouTube, sending fans into a frenzy. Social media was instantly abuzz, doling out hopes that it meant that his next album was on the horizon— little did everyone know, that album would arrive just 30 minutes later.
Surprising fans with GNX, named for the Buick Regal model featured on the album's artwork, Lamar delivers his most concise release yet, clocking in at just over 44 minutes across its 12 tracks. While it doesn't feature any songs from his back-and-forth with Drake, it very much exists in the cultural wake of that battle, with Lamar meditating on the situation and his relationship to fame and the music industry throughout.
This sentiment is felt instantly in the album's intro, "wacced out murals," which plays like a mission statement from Lamar following the feud while also a meditation on the aftermath, expressing a growing distaste for the machinations of the music industry. It's a sentiment that he'd already made clear by releasing "watch the party die" via Instagram on the night of the VMAs, but it's furthered here. He explores his feelings on the outcome of and reactions to the feud, having grown increasingly frustrated with his peers — notably expressing disappointment in Snoop Dogg for seemingly co-signing Drake's "Taylor Made Freestyle" and in Lil Wayne's recent comments surrounding the Super Bowl. He also acknowledges the strain that outside influences are putting on him as he looks back at the legacy he's building and his unfurling path forward.
"wacced out murals" also introduces Deyra Barrera, the Los Angeles-based mariachi singer Lamar sought out following her performance during Game 1 of the 2024 World Series. Also appearing on "reincarnated" and "gloria," Barrera's presence feels integral to the record's identity — GNX, while being a meditative epilogue to Lamar's feud, also serves as a celebration of L.A. and a love letter to its culture and sound.
GNX is undeniably the most that Lamar has leaned into the conventions of West Coast hip-hop, both old and new, in his career. That influence is evident in the soundscape, but also in his vocal delivery, as he pays homage to artists like Tupac ("reincarnated") or Drakeo the Ruler ("peekaboo") by invoking their tone or delivery, while also lacing his verses with subtle easter eggs and references to West Coast hip-hop. Beyond that, Lamar's choice of features is a who's who of L.A. hip-hop.
Lamar has used GNX much like his Pop Out Show earlier this year, to platform and promote artists from his city in a moment where he has more visibility than ever before. Artists like Dody6, AzChike (who also appeared on ScHoolboy Q's excellent Blue Lips earlier this year) and Lefty Gunplay get placements across the record. The album's title track is a posse cut that features verses from Hitta J3, YoungThreat and Peysoh, with Lamar solely lending a hook. It's a full circle moment for Lamar, feeling reminiscent of when he and Jay Rock were getting placements on the Game mixtapes early on in their careers, though this is obviously on a larger scale.
The two SZA-assisted tracks, "luther" and "gloria" are also standouts. The former is an ethereal jam, with the pair effortlessly weaving their lines together over a luscious, Luther Vandross-sampling instrumental. The latter is Lamar's ode to his craft, with the titular "gloria" being revealed as his pen by the end of the track, and serves as a beautiful closer to the album.
While these moments are great, the true highlights of GNX are the songs where Kendrick is either the sole performer or at the centre of the song. The bouncy and infectious "squabble up" is by far the catchiest moment on the record, as Lamar weaves his way through the Debbie Deb-sampling instrumental. The album's more introspective moments like "reincarnated" or "man at the garden" showcase a side of Lamar that we're familiar with, but at a new stage in his life and career as he reflects on both, delving into the hypocrisy of some of his actions and words.
The most surprising song here is "heart pt. 6," the sixth instalment in his long-standing "The Heart" series, as these songs are normally released as singles or teasers before an album. Regardless, the song sees Lamar reminiscing about the earlier days of his career and how they've impacted him over a very straightforward sample of SWV's "Use Your Heart." It's a tender moment, especially for longtime fans. Hearing Lamar rap about Ab-Soul with such reverence, or moments in label offices with Jay Rock, even admitting that he was the reason that a Black Hippy album came to fruition all feel warmly nostalgic, though the latter does sting a little bit.
Despite its short length, GNX is incredibly dense and manages to pull inspiration from different sounds and eras into one complete package, a love letter to the West Coast that's as dynamic as its muse. In a discography as impressive as Lamar's, GNX stands as a major highlight, sitting comfortably in the upper echelon of a rarefied body of work.