On Nov. 22, Kendrick Lamar surprised fans by releasing a teaser for his then-upcoming album “GNX” — only to drop the full album a few hours later. Understandably, it sent the internet on fire, being Lamar’s first album since his public feud with Drake this past summer. In the 44-minute set, Lamar lays out his newest 12 songs discussing everything from showing thanks to his past to his current beef with other rappers. All the while, Lamar brought on board various artists to assist him — including SZA and Mexican mariachi artist Deyra Barrera — to create one of the most hyped rap albums of the year.
“wacced out murals”
Opening the album with intensity, “wacced out murals” seems like a fiery fist-fight with Lamar’s haters. The track alludes to moments from his beef with Drake and his new drama with Lil’ Wayne over Lamar being chosen as the first-pick to perform at the Super Bowl LIX halftime show, describing those who fuel the drama as “fake loyal” and continuing with the line “Okay, f— your hip-hop, I watched the party just die.” The track is an elaboration of Lamar’s September surprise track “Watch The Party Die.” He starts the album off by repeating that he is rapping for the love of the game rather than to become a sell-out.
“squabble up”
This song feels like noise. Have I heard worse before? Yes. But “squabble up” was a disappointing follow-up to “wacced out murals,” and I think this would be an easy skip if I ever listened to the album again. The intro — which debuted on the widely-acclaimed music video of “Not Like Us” — garnered hype for the track, only for the rest of the song to become a compilation of Kendrick repeating “squabble up,” cussing and not providing much substance behind his lyrics. The beat also feels better suited to guide a fitness CD than on the track of a major West Coast rapper, with the funky groove being a nice idea but struggling to hit home in execution. Overall, this track had a great chance to blow up from its debut on a Billboard Chart 100 number one hit, but all that came up was a puff of smoke.
“luther”
This song confuses me. Lamar opens the track by mumbling, “Hey, Roman numeral seven, bae, drop it like it’s hot,” combining the sacred connotation of the number seven with a flirtatious allude to Snoop Dogg’s 2004 track “Drop It Like It’s Hot.” The result is a laid-back romance vibe, different from the fiery flows that we have become accustomed to from Lamar. That, in its own right, is not a bad thing; some of my favorite tracks from hip-hop legends set the macho image aside for once — such as Eminem’s “Mockingbird,” Tupac Shakur’s “Dear Mama” and Nas’ “I Can” — but I don’t feel that same impact from “luther.” Lamar has time to experiment with his style — perhaps he can make something legendary in his seventh album — but for now, “GNX” went from a sharp high to a mild meh.
“man at the garden”
This track continues Lamar’s war with the music industry. In “man at the garden,” Lamar states that he believes he deserved all his success. Coming from his childhood streets of Compton to superstardom in the hip-hop scene, the track is a blend of Lamar hyping himself up and calling back to those he grew up with in Compton. This includes him thanking his mother for his upbringing as he pridefully states that he “put a smile” on her face. Lamar continues hoping that his son will “take it further” in his future career, not only giving thanks for everything that built up the Kendrick Lamar image but also encouraging the future growth of the Lamar family. After mentioning his continued faith as a reason he “deserves it all,” Lamar closes the track by mentioning that the Compton Kendrick is still under the famous Kendrick. Overall, it’s not a bad track for the middle of “GNX.”
“hey now”
This track — once again — is not bad. It begins with what Lamar describes as a laid-back “therapeutic flow” that ramps up in tempo as the track continues. The standout element here is Lamar’s vulpine wordplay that made me a fan of his in the first place. Verse three, featuring rapper Dody6, especially has that 2010’s Lamar vibe, with twisting rhymes that build the song from a calm trance into an inferno as Lamar holds the matchbook throughout.
“reincarnated”
As I mentioned in my review of “luther,” I adore 90’s hip-hop, holding especially high regard for Tupac Shakur’s ability to blast into the mic without pulling any punches. So, it is fitting that Compton-native Lamar samples the instrumental of Shakur’s “Made N—-z” for my favorite track of the album yet. The inferno that I felt was left out of many of the previous songs bursts forth here as Lamar verbally twists and turns through the stories of his past lives, culminating in a conversation with the Father — God— as he begs for peace. The track starts with Lamar stepping into the persona of R&B guitarist John Lee Hooker, narrating his rise to glory in segregation-era America and ending with the line, “I manipulated power as I lied to the masses.” Lamar barely pauses for a breath as he continues with the story of “a female Chitlin’ Circuit vocalist” — believed to be Dinah Washington, describing her battles with heroin addiction that led to her downfall. The third chunk of the song is a conversation in his current life as Kendrick Lamar, where he debates with God, asking, “Father, did I finally get it right?” In the conversation, he further argues that he said “no” when the “vultures” — likely the alleged corrupt music industry — came.
Lamar’s following conversation with God is, hands down, one of my favorite verses from his discography. In it, Kendrick raps to himself, playing both mortal and God, as he tells himself that he managed to put “100 hoods on stage” after his “The Pop Out — Ken & Friends” concert last summer resulted in West Coast hip-hop artists performing together on stage. God replies that Lamar still likes war and elaborates that there will always be a push for hate until Lamar can put forgiveness into his heart. In all, the verse is a peak example of what makes Lamar truly special as an artist — from the beat, lyrical play and even the storyline.
“tv off”
The Lamar hype train continues with “tv off.” Hearing teasers of Lamar yelling “Mustardddddd!” all over social media does not compare to hearing it as a cry of celebration during the track. Lamar cements his legacy in the rap scene as he references everything from biblical texts to his upcoming Super Bowl performance, stating that he will “walk in New Orleans with the etiquette of L.A., yellin.’” Lamar did not censor anything while writing this, and I thank him for that. The sheer emotion of celebration behind Lamar’s voice has me hyped up for February alongside this being a perfect climax for “GNX.”
“dodger blue”
Lamar has adopted and, in places, reinvented the West Coast style. That is what makes “dodger blue” special. Lamar namedrops famous Los Angeles landmarks from Interstate 10 — dividing Hollywood up north from many local neighborhoods in the south — to the Compton and Westchester neighborhoods at the heart of the city’s culture. While it is not groundbreaking in the world of music, it is still a great nod to Lamar’s roots before stardom.
“peekaboo”
This track sticks to your ribs. It might not be the most iconic track of the album, but it easily is hearty in its job as a song. From a repeating but catchy chorus to an oddly high amount of references to food, “peekaboo,” on the surface, is nothing profound. Some verses do fall a bit flat, but the song performs well as a whole piece with an incredibly punchy beat-flow relationship to help recover the track. Overall, the track has a catchy charm that will have me grow to love it more after a few more listens.
“heart pt. 6”
Again, this track is nothing groundbreaking but still should not be overlooked for the more popular tracks on the album. “heart pt. 6” is, at its core, a rap about staying close to your heart — a message preached by Lamar in various styles throughout the album — with a chillwave beat in the background. It is fundamentally what I love about Lamar’s work: it twists and turns the listener up, down, left and right. It has Lamar reflecting on those who directly contributed to his success as his career continues to ride the coattails of his fame from even before the debut of “good kid, m.A.A.d city,” and it is a bittersweetly beautiful track in that regard.
“gnx”
A trend throughout the album has been Lamar’s love of featuring other artists in his music, using “gnx” to add three more to that count. The track is — again — not groundbreaking. It honestly feels stale compared to some of the other tracks in the album, with my favorite part of the entire track being the heavily-defined beat booming behind the lyrics. As the album’s namesake song, it, by far, falls flat; as a song overall, it is not bad.
‘gloria’
On the second go-around with SZA, Lamar sticks the landing. Where “luther” feels like it was recorded right after a long night, Lamar sounds sober-minded and alert in “gloria,” where he creates an impactful close to “GNX.” Using metaphors of love toward his pen, “gloria” creates a beautiful sense of romantic nostalgia going through Lamar’s love for writing through his pains. Without the metaphor, the song stands beautifully as a track of love; with the metaphor, the song becomes a staple of Lamar’s discography. Lamar has addressed everyone who has impacted him in his life — from his role models in “reincarnated” to his family in “man at the garden” to now the pen that allowed him to express himself since day one — truly a great close to an album of masterpieces and misses alike.
