Kendrick Lamar has had a hell of a year. Love him or hate him, if you love Hip Hop or music in general, you have certainly heard about him this year. Kendrick fans have been clamoring for new music from him since Mr. Morale came out a couple of years ago. Since the release of that album, which was polarizing and not as beloved as some of Kendrick’s past works, he has left TDE and started his own music label, pgLang. Fans had been expecting something new from him since the announcement of this new record label, but we did not get any inkling of new music from Kendrick until earlier this year. Kendrick started his incredible 2024 with his verse on Future & Metro Boomin’s song ‘Like That,’ where he asserts he is the best rapper in the game and rejects the idea of a so-called “Big Three.” Both J. Cole and Drake reacted negatively to this, with both rappers almost immediately coming out with music of their own calling out Kendrick. J. Cole almost immediately bowed out of the beef, though, leading to Kendrick and Drake going back and forth with one of the most prominent Hip Hop rivalries in recent history. Both rappers dropped multiple songs dissing each other very vehemently. Nothing about this beef has been nice, with Kendrick calling Drake a pedo and Drake calling Kendrick an abuser. Ultimately, it is safe to say Kendrick dominated this beef. His tracks ‘Euphoria’ and ‘Not Like Us’ are among the most popular releases of the year. Anytime a Diss track gets nominated for a Grammy, you know it was great. In addition to this beef with Drake, Kendrick was also selected to perform at the 2025 Superbowl. This caused a lot of drama as well, as Lil Wayne reacted super negatively. Because it is being hosted in New Orleans, Lil Wayne expected to be the Superbowl performer; instead of Congratulating Kendrick, he threw a tantrum which honestly dampened his legacy a bit. With all of the hype around him, it made sense for Kendrick to try to drop a new full-length record before the Super Bowl happens. No one expected this record to randomly come on Friday, November 22, in the morning. This is when Kendrick decided to release his new album, GNX. Unsurprisingly, this is the hottest thing in Hip Hop right now. GNX has been taking over the game since it came out last week. Below, I wanted to give some of my thoughts on Kendrick Lamar’s GNX. Please let me know in the comments below what your favorite songs are from this record, and also comment on how you feel about the album as a whole!
A little disclaimer before I start this review. I am not going to go over every single bar here. If I did, this review would be like 20000 words. This album is full of so much great lyricism and so many callouts, and I will try to hit the highlights. If you want a more in-depth assessment of some bars, check out my video on GNX coming out next week. Kendrick gets GNX going on an ominous note with ‘wacced out murals.’ After a beautiful flamenco intro from Deyra Barerra, a haunting melody comes in. This melody is complemented by some sirens that come in and out, as well, which add to the freaky feeling of this melody. The beat on ‘wacced out murals’ builds as the song moves along, getting stronger and stronger the further in we get. Kendrick raps with a somewhat laid-back but very poignant flow and vocal style. Even though his vocals are not necessarily over the top in terms of timbre, the way he delivers these bars is very impactful. On ‘wacced out murals,’ Kendrick calls out all of his peers he has who have not supported him or been happy for his success. In particular, he calls out artists like Snoop Dogg and Lil Wayne for supporting Drake in the beef and not congratulating him for getting the Superbowl. He feels as if the bigger he gets, the more isolated he becomes. ‘squabble up’ is one of the many tracks from this record that has popped off online since it came out. It is not tough to see why so many people love this one. I have a feeling it is going to end up being one of the biggest songs of the next several months; I know this may seem premature, but I would not even be surprised if this one ends up being one of the bigger songs of Kendrick’s career overall when it is all said and done. ‘squabble up’ has an old school G-Funk sound to it that is so addicting. It is driven by a super groovy and dark melody which is derived from a sample of the track ‘When I Hear Music’ by Debbie Deb. Kendrick’s flow on this track is just as addicting as the instrumental. His tone and tempo drive the song along so smoothly and turn it into such an earworm. I have literally been walking about saying ‘squabble up’ constantly since this one came out. ‘squabble up’ is a braggadocious track where Kendrick calls out his opposition and states why he is the best out right now. After the audacious energy of the first two tracks, Kendrick calms down the mood a considerable amount on ‘luther,’ which features SZA. This is a calm and soulful track with a very soothing element to it. The melody, which samples ‘If The World Were Mine’ by Cheryl Lynn and Luther Vandross, has a super gratifying and sweet sound; the beat is pretty light, matching the energy of the instrumental nicely. Kendrick’s delivery is a bit softer on this track as well. He certainly relaxes his tone, leaning into the more feathery feeling of the instrumental. Unsurprisingly, SZA kills it on ‘luther’ as well. Not only does her tone work so well with this melody, but her chemistry with Kendrick is palpable and makes this song so inviting. On ‘luther,’ Kendrick and SZA sing about a world that is not so complicated, wishing they could make things easier for themselves, their peers, and their followers. ‘man at the garden’ is just as soft if not softer than the song that precedes it, but it is way more somber. Whereas ‘luther’ has a tone that is light and uplifting, this one has a tone that is heavy and downtrodden. The synths and vocal samples that drive this melody are so moody. The piano riff that comes in about a quarter through the track adds even more weight, making the song feel very full. Even though the beat is pretty subdued and slow, there is something about it that feels pretty pushy and impactful. Kendrick’s rap performance on ‘man at the garden’ is just as tranquil and weighty as the instrumental. Until the end of the track, when his tone gets higher and flow gets faster, he raps with a pretty even-keeled and low tone and flow. Somehow, this makes the song feel so strong, even if its sound is pretty easygoing. On ‘man at the garden,’ Kendrick calls out his accomplishments and compares himself to his peers. He is trying to prove to them and to himself that he deserves all of the good fortune that is coming to him.
‘hey now,’ which features dody6, brings back the raucous energy we got on ‘squabble up.’ Like that one, this track has been popping off online recently. ‘hey now’ has club banger written all over it; I would be very surprised if I do not hear this one frequently while out at functions for the next several months. The melody for ‘hey now’ has a 1990s EuroPop/Garage music element that is so funky and fresh. The synths driving this one are very shimmery and clean, but also pretty dim. ‘hey now’ has a sparse Funky Hip Hop beat that is so reminiscent of early 2000s Neptunes music; particularly the instrumentals that artists like Snoop Dogg or Clipse were rapping on. Kendrick and dody6 rap with fast and smooth tones and flows that match the energy of the instrumental perfectly. They both add so much life to the song and make it so fun to rap along to. On ‘hey now,’ Kendrick and dody6 rap about how they are all about money and accolades, and that no one is going to stop them from getting when they deserve. As great as some of the other songs are, ‘reincarnated’ is the one I have been drawn to the most since this record came out. Frankly, this is because of its similarities to Tupac, who, if you know me, I absolutely love. There is so much about this track that is reminiscent of Tupac. For one, the melody is an interpolation of the song ‘Made N****z’ by Tupac. In fact, the instrumental for this one is very similar to the original, with there being subtle differences in the drum patterns and the mix, but that is about that. Throughout this track, Kendrick raps with a flow and tone that is completely reminiscent of Tupac, so much so it is almost as if Tupac is rapping through him. On ‘reincarnated,’ Kendrick speaks from the perspective of two classic artists who suffered many struggles in their lives, John Lee Hooker and Billie Holliday. He raps from their perspective, telling the story of their trials and turmoils. At the end of the track, Kendrick raps from the perspective of himself as Lucifer, talking to God and debating him on the way he has impacted the world. ‘reincarnated’ is an extremely important song that will probably be dissected and analyzed for years; as great as some of the bangers on this record are, I would be surprised if ‘reincarnated’ is not the most impactful one at the end of the day. Kendrick brings back the raucous high energy we got on some of those previous bangers with the song ‘tv off,’ featuring lefty gunplay and produced by Mustard. This is a two-part anthem with each half being just as fun and impactful as the last. The first half of the song has a bit of a G-Funk Trap feeling to it; the melody is driven by bright horns that are complemented by a funky and gritty bassline, and the drum pattern is fast, groovy, and fun. The second half of ‘tv off’ is a lot more aggressive and harsh than the first half. Not only is it faster-paced but it is dirtier and tougher than the first half. ‘tv off’ does not have quite as much substance as a lot of the other tracks on this record, but that is okay. This is meant to be a quirky, high-key club banger. This is made pretty evident when Kendrick yells “Mustard!” at the beginning of the second half of the song(which has been stuck in my head since this album came out, by the way). ‘tv off’ is not the kind of song you want to try to analyze, as it is fun, light, and is what it is. ‘dodger blue,’ which features wallie the sensei, ‘siete7x, and roddy ricch, has a very laid back and soulful sound. This song is significantly different from anything else on the record to this point. It is kind of funny and strange to me that this one does not feature SZA because the instrumental reminds me so much of her. ‘dodger blue’ has a smooth, sweet, and nostalgic R&B instrumental that sounds like it came straight out of the 1990s. The melody for this one is so floaty and soothing, and the laid-back beat fits it perfectly. All of the vocalists on this song are great, adding something unique to the table. I really like the variance of tones that we get from the features, as not only do they contrast each other nicely but they also contrast what Kendrick is doing as well. ‘dodger blue’ is an ode to Los Angeles, with each artist praising the city and condemning anyone who moves there and does not embrace its true culture.
I swear, this album creates whiplash when you listen to it. We go back and forth between bangers and kickback tracks, so much so that one can not see what is coming next. ‘peekaboo,’ which features azchike, is another slick and sleek Trap banger. Like ‘hey now,’ this song is so reminiscent of the sparse instrumentals The Neptunes were making at the beginning of the 2000s. Particularly, songs like ‘Drop It Like It’s Hot.’ I am definitely glad that Kendrick is continuing to bring this song back on this record, as I have always thought it was super underutilized. There is nothing about the instrumental or even the vocals about this song that is intricate or intense, but their stripped-back nature is what makes the song pop. The thing about this song that stands out the most is the little ‘peakoboo’ ad-lib that we keep getting from Kendrick. When one thinks of this song, that is probably what they will think of. On ‘peekaboo,’ Kendrick states that no matter how much you may want to, you can never get rid of him. The boogieman is always alive and well. ‘heart pt. 6’ is the latest edition in Kendrick’s iconic “heart” song series. Over the course of his career, he has dropped songs as a part of this series to give some of his thoughts on his career and the state of the rap game as a whole. This edition may be more important than ever, as it reclaims the series from Drake, who tried to steal it earlier this year on one of his disses of Kendrick. The instrumental for this track is a very laid-back and Jazzy R&B melody that is derived from a sample from the song ‘Use Your Heart’ by SWV. This sample, which also drives the hook, is so silky and sweet; the beat is pretty soft and subdued, putting most of the focus on that sample and on Kendrick’s rapping, which is great. Kendrick’s flow on ‘heart pt. 6’ has a very even-keeled, storytelling element to it. This is the kind of rapping for people who love underground, sophisticated Hip Hop music. On ‘heart pt. 6,’ Kendrick discusses the end tenure with TDE and discusses how his Black Hippy peers, Schoolboy Q, Ab-Soul, and Jay Rock, have inspired him. It feels like it could be an end to the “heart” series, as Kendrick is thankful for all that his brothers from TDE have done for them. ‘gnx,’ which features hitta j3, youngthreat, and peysoh, is not more upbeat than the song that precedes it, but it is certainly more aggressive. This track has a mean and sort of anxious-sounding melody that honestly makes me think of anime. The melody for this track has the kind of tone that I would expect to hear during a battle scene in a show like Naruto. Unlike every other song on this record, Kendrick’s vocals are really not the focal point on this track. Instead, the focus is more shifted to the three young up-and-coming street rappers on this track. Hitta j3, youngthreat, and peysoh all kill it on this track, contributing a level of aggression and dominance in their own unique ways in a manner that really pops. On ‘gnx,’ each rapper talks about their success and their willingness to grind. They are asserting that no one is going to get in the way of stopping them from achieving what they want to achieve and getting to the top. Kendrick closes out the record on a soft and hopeful note with the song ‘gloria,’ which features SZA. After yet another beautiful intro from Deyra Barrera, we dive into a very warm and sweet R&B Trap instrumental. This instrumental is very light and easy-going. The melody is driven by a very cozy piano riff that is complemented by a guitar, some synths that come in and out, and some twinkling bell sounds. The beat for ‘gloria’ is subdued and slow. It does enough to drive the tempo of the song along but does not take away from its vibrant and balmy feeling. Once again, Kendrick and SZA’s chemistry is just awesome. There is something about their tones and overall vocal styles that just mesh perfectly. Both artists sound so natural, and bring out the best in each other. ‘gloria’ is a love song to Hip Hop, where Kendrick and SZA speak about the love and passion they have for their craft and how they love to do what they do. After a pretty intense and somewhat negative record, it is awesome to see this album go off on a glorious, introspective, positive note.
Before this album even came out, Kendrick was already having one of the biggest years out of anyone in Hip Hop. His beef with Drake garnered him some of the biggest hits of the year, getting him Grammy nominations and even helping aid in him getting picked to perform at the Superbowl. With GNX, Kendrick cemented himself in having the most successful year of any Hip Hop artist by far. The proof is in the pudding. This album is predicted to be the top Hip Hop album of the year in terms of sales, and it has already spawned multiple hits. As I stated in the intro, Mr. Morale was a bit polarizing, with a lot of people not loving its introspective, holier-than-thou elements. You get none of that on GNX. This album is brisk, cold, and to the point. Kendrick is out for blood, and anyone in his way can get it. He is not going to be mr. nice guy anymore; if you cross him, he will crush you. If there was any doubt that Kendrick is the best rapper of this generation, he squashed that with GNX. Frankly, this album has no skips. Every part of it is great, and a lot of moments rise to pure excellence. GNX is ultimately just an awesome Hip hop record, and it is easily one of the top albums of the year.
EAST SIDE VIBES 