In an unexpected move, Kendrick Lamar released his sixth studio album, “GNX” on Nov. 22, blending experimental and ambitious production choices with his iconic sound and lyricism in a highly successful expansion of his musical journey.
After the end of his beef with Drake almost half a year ago, Lamar has seen significant popular and critical success, receiving major acclaim at his one-off “The Pop Out” concert and becoming the headliner for the Super Bowl 59 halftime show. Now, Lamar has continued to ride this explosive wave of fame with the release of his new album, “GNX,” named after the 1987 Buick GNX coupe model. The album has 12 songs with multiple notable features, including SZA, Sam Dew, AzChike, and numerous up-and-coming West Coast rappers.
Lamar dropped the album without warning alongside a short teaser clip featuring Lamar and the Buick GNX, as well as an audio snippet of a possible future project. Within the next week, the album became massively popular, breaking numerous records. To name a few, it earned the highest first-week sales of any new rap album this year and became the biggest rap album debut in streaming history, with 363 million streams on Spotify in only a week.
The album opens with “wacced out murals,” a fierce, almost ominous song absolutely dripping with venomous lines as Lamar takes aim at his peers in the industry. At the center of the song’s vibe is a simplistic, dark three-note motif, repeated continuously as heavy bass kicks, electronic elements, and piercing sirens are added in, all combining to create a menacing atmosphere. Layered on top is Lamar’s confident and hard-hitting flow, combining to form what is effectively a manifesto of his competitive drive to take the top spot.
Meanwhile, Lamar makes bold, provocative statements with his lyrics, declaring his stance in lines like “F*** everybody, that’s on my body” or “N***** mad ’cause I decided not to pretend // Y’all stay politically correct, I’ma do what I did.” He primarily celebrates his recent claims to fame while making it clear that he is dedicated to establishing his position as one of the greats. Among his targets are Lil Wayne, who was expected to headline the Super Bowl but was upstaged by Lamar, and Snoop Dogg, who he laments may have accidentally supported Drake in an edible-fueled delirium.
Following is “squabble up,” by far the most hyped track on release, with a patented “Kendrick Lamar” flow, which brings a similar “club banger” energy to Lamar’s prior hit “Not Like Us.” In fact, the first 18 seconds of “squabble up” was teased as the opening snippet for the music video version of “Not Like Us.” On top of Lamar’s iconic lyricism, the song utilizes synthy and futuristic instrumentals mixed with 808s as well as subtle but effective ad-libs in the background, creating a solid groove and an intensely rich listen.
Next comes “luther,” featuring the return of Kendrick Lamar and SZA’s iconic pairing, which shows up in two songs on this album: the aforementioned “luther” and the final song, “gloria.” Both tracks provide the pair ample time to show off the perfect blend of their best traits, with SZA’s emotional, ethereal vocals mixing with Lamar’s stable, calming flow, typically in a call-and-response pattern. The two songs juxtapose each other beautifully as well, with “luther” depicting a loving, supportive relationship while “gloria” unveils a toxic one fraught with arguments and name-calling.
Not only is “gloria” a terrific display of Lamar and SZA’s vocal talents, but it is also one of many introspective songs on the album, a testament to Lamar’s ability to create emotional depth. Many of his past projects have featured self-reflection and serious themes, and this time is no different, with “gloria” in particular being a masterfully subtle representation of his all-consuming obsession with music. On the surface, the song’s lyrics tell the story of a dysfunctional relationship, but Lamar’s final line completely twists the narrative and recontextualizes the rest of the song as he reveals: “Ain’t no b**** like my b**** ’cause that b**** been my pen.”
However, out of all the contemplative tracks on “GNX,” the single most significant is “reincarnated,” which also serves as the album’s midway point. The song centers around a mixture of religious imagery and personal growth, as Lamar discusses numerous past lives which he has “reincarnated” through. Essentially, Lamar takes up the mantle of the “Black Messiah,” discussing the evils that plague his community — the hoods of L.A. — and explaining his purpose of cleansing sinful behavior.
Through what is effectively an internal conflict personified using himself and a disembodied voice called “Father,” Lamar comes to understand that his past actions were the result of his ego and sees forgiveness as the only way forward. Specifically, he references Isaiah 14, a section of the Bible depicting the fall of Babylon and the Lord’s promise to grant the Israelites their righteous home. This, combined with Lamar’s self-characterization as the Devil — in lines like “you fell out of Heaven ‘cause you was anxious” — depicts a future where he aims to change the prideful ways of his past to rehabilitate his community and build a “promised land” of sorts.
This identity as a champion of the West Coast manifests in his support of up-and-coming rappers and the undervalued parts of the production process. Lamar gives a shout-out to many of his co-creators, the most notable mentions being Kamasi Washington in “squabble up” and DJ Mustard in a literal “shout out” during the beat switch of “tv off.”
As for the underground L.A. rappers, Lamar dedicates much of the album to their features, giving them notable bars and numerous opportunities to shine. Excluding samples and Lamar himself, a total of 14 artists can be heard on the album, with an astounding nine of them being relatively unknown rappers from the West Coast: Deyra Barrera, Dody6, Lefty Gunplay, Wallie the Sensei, Siete7x, AzChike, Hitta J3, YoungThreat, and Peysoh. In fact, the most densely populated song on the album is the title song, “gnx” itself, which speaks to just how much Lamar values his community.
Unfortunately, these songs are some of the album’s lowest points, with “gnx” ironically having the least creativity and production value. In exchange for placing the spotlight on so many other artists, the musicality of each song is spread too thin, causing their overall quality to suffer. This trend is most noticeable in the lyricism and production value, which goes from experimental and fresh to stale and repetitive, as seen in the egregious overuse of the same “tell ‘em ____ did it” pattern in “gnx.” Worse, the presence of so many artists combined with the generic backing track causes the song to sound crowded and messy.
Ultimately though, “GNX” succeeds as a testament to Lamar’s desire to innovate and create music that inspires culture, best seen in the titular Buick GNX. The car’s full name, Buick Grand National Experimental, is a symbol of American culture and industrial development, perfectly representative of the album’s themes. At the time of its creation in 1987, the GNX was an icon of American muscle cars, a fundamental part of the nation’s identity, and its name bestows the album with a sense of cultural significance.
Even without the subtle creative genius involved, the album is, to put it simply, really good. There is plenty of musical flair in every song, and the majority of the album’s roster has great replay value, providing a balance of emotional weight and straight bangers. All in all, “GNX” is a fantastic album in all aspects, and it most definitely deserves a listen or two.
