Kendrick Lamar could have hibernated for five years after dropping ‘Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers’, a record that will soon be mandatory listening in hip-hop’s vast syllabus. Instead, two years later, he’s spent 2024 far from keeping a low profile.
In March, he responded to what seemed like an innocent shout-out from J. Cole on ‘First Person Shooter’ with a verse on Future and Metro Boomin’s ‘Like That’, in which he stuck two middle fingers up at his peers and said: “Fuck rap.” It kicked off the biggest beef in the past 20 years with his longtime frenemy Drake, spawning a series of heated diss tracks like the record-breaking ‘Not Like Us’. This year’s rap MVP showed the world that he would die for his pride in the scathing battle, igniting the fearless insolence that seeps into his latest album, ‘GNX’.
Released without warning last Friday (November 22), ‘GNX’ is Lamar’s first record under his own label, pgLang. And, on his sixth album, it seems like Lamar is cruising around in his sought-after Grand National Buick, ready to purge whatever’s in his way to rebuild the rap world in his own vision.
This can be seen off the bat with ‘Wacced Out Murals’, a brutal examination of the aforementioned world Lamar sees. As one of hip-hop’s modern spearheads, this is his state of the union, establishing his new ethos: “Fuck everybody, that’s on my body / My blick first, then God got me.” He indirectly talks about the Drake beef (“I never peaced it up, that shit don’t sit well with me / Before I take a truce, I’ll take ’em to Hell with me”) but also calls out rap pioneers like Snoop Dogg and Lil Wayne, who didn’t side with him in the matter, for being “fake loyal”.
‘Squabble Up’ sees Lamar start to lean on the infectious signature West Coast sound of g-funk to get you up and moving. It’s prevalent, too, on other songs like ‘Hey Now’ – a fun track where the computerised percussion transports you to the hottest block party to show off your best C-walk – and the already viral ‘TV Off’. Produced by DJ “MUSTARRRRRRRRRDDD”, K. Dot shows off how he easily can swerve between being lyrically dexterous and a melody kingpin before Lefty Gunplay’s chant (“This shit get crazy, scary, spooky, hilarious”) cements the song as a lighthearted earworm that’s radio-ready – something ‘Mr Morale…’ was lacking.
Lamar made sure to call upon local heroes while making a record that reps his ends to the fullest. “Who put the west back in front of shit?” Kendrick asks on the album’s title track, which sees him go back and forth with some of LA’s most promising talent in Hitter j3, YoungThreat and Peysoh for a menacing and grimy tune dedicated to those whose urge to stand on business is unwavering.
This party energy shifts once we get to ‘Heart, Pt. 6’ – a pensive cut full of nostalgic wheezing synths and spacey electric guitar, recounting his early days at Top Dawg Entertainment. He rectifies Drake’s failed attempt at his own ‘The Heart, Part 6’ earlier this year, and – instead of using his popular ‘The Heart’ series as a platform to speak his mind and throw shade – offers a sultry track that tells us to “use your heart and not your eyes” while serving up advice on real conflict resolution. “If that’s your family, handle it as such / Don’t let the socials gas you up, or let your emotions be a crutch,” he preaches. “Pick up the phone and buss it up, before the history is lost.”
More of this vivid storytelling crops up throughout the record. ‘Man At The Garden’ feels like what Nas would say if he made ‘One Mic’ 30 years later, reflecting on how Lamar made it and became one of hip-hop’s biggest names. The imaginative ‘Reincarnated’ also sees the Compton rapper play on the concept of him being Tupac reincarnated, flipping the rapper’s iconic 1997 track ‘Made N****z’ to supposedly speak from the viewpoints of Billie Holiday, John Lee Hooker and Lucifer.
Elsewhere, SZA and Lamar flex their chart-topping chemistry on ‘GNX’ twice. First, the former labelmates join up on the debonair ‘Luther’, flipping the soulful stylings of the late soul legend Luther Vandross. Together, they revamp a traditional love ballad, hi-hats crashing against the racing strings and bass 808s, while the pair rely on their lofty registers to detail a modern love story. Later, they roleplay as husband and wife on ‘Gloria’, the song’s sole purpose to show the world how Lamar’s heart beats for his wife, Whitney Alford. The candid cut tugs on the heartstrings as romantic violins and strings soar sweetly to close out what is an easy contender for the rap album of 2024.
In a way, ‘Gloria’ is symbolic: ‘GNX’ starts off with such an ominous tone that doesn’t necessarily leave. But Lamar channels what could be interpreted as hate and negativity into a teachable moment, leading you to draw upon the purest emotion known to man: love. In a year that started with so much venom, Kendrick Lamar shares the antidote on ‘GNX’.
Details
Release date: November 22, 2024
Record label: pgLang
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