Released on Nov. 22, Lamar’s sixth studio album contains some of his best work, from earworms to earnest messages
Since April 2024, Kendrick Lamar has been dominating the hip-hop space. He continues to stay in conversation with his sixth studio album, “GNX,” which was a surprise release on Nov. 22. Since Lamar’s smash-hit song “Not Like Us,” as well as other singles relevant to his recent feud with fellow industry titan Drake, he has already cemented himself as one of the biggest voices of this year. With “GNX,” Lamar continues to prove his skill in songwriting and storytelling
The album’s namesake is taken from the Buick model released in 1987. The album cover shows Lamar leaning on this style of car, and the model is referenced multiple times throughout the record. Lamar actually references the car as the “Grand National” in the album, which serves as a double entendre to the car and to the U.S. Grand National Tour he announced on Dec. 3. The car has also been relevant to Lamar’s life in his youth and his adulthood, leading to its namesake.
The album begins with “wacced out murals,” an eerie-sounding, horn-fused track that starts off with vocals from Mariachi singer Deyra Barrera. Barrera provides vocals for three songs on the album, including lyrics in the post-chorus of “wacced out murals.”
The title of the song itself refers to an incident on Sept. 8 when a mural of Lamar residing in his hometown of Compton, Calif. was vandalized. The track discusses the hate and jealousy Lamar has received from other artists even mentioning fellow rapper Lil Wayne, who recently expressed discontent with Lamar being chosen to headline the Super Bowl LIX halftime show instead of himself.
“Used to bump Tha Carter III, I held my Rollie chain proud / Irony, I think my hard work let Lil Wayne down.”
The second track on the album, “squabble up,” was initially leaked as a snippet in the “Not Like Us” music video that many fans, myself included, hoped would eventually make its way to an official release. Now on “GNX,” the song is an absolute delight with an incredibly catchy start and sample from freestyle singer Debbie Deb’s “When I Hear Music.” “squabble up” reinforces the West Coast hip-hop roots of “GNX” that make up the DNA of this album, more so than any of Lamar’s previous efforts.
“I am reincarnated, I was stargazin’ / Life goes on, I need all my babies.”
From hard-hitting to floaty, the third track of “GNX,” “luther,” is a smooth and simply gorgeous track featuring R&B singer SZA with a sample of Cheryl Lynn and Luther Vandross’ “If This World Were Mine.” This is one of two appearances from SZA on this record, and her vocals complement Lamar’s in the most seamless way. “GNX” is the first collaboration between SZA and Lamar since their smash hit “All The Stars” from 2018.
The fifth track of “GNX,” “man at the garden,” shows Lamar at his most braggadocious and self-assured. Its instrumental is low-key and features all but aggressive delivery up until the tonal ramp-up near the end. When Lamar states he “deserves it all” in this track, he doesn’t just refer to himself but to his hometown and his own children.
“One hundred murals out in Compton / Remember me? I kept my promise / Yeah, we deserve it all / A better life for my daughter / Make my son take it further than his father.”
Track six, “reincarnated,” is the halfway point and emotional crux of “GNX” and serves as yet another legendary storytelling feat. Lamar is no stranger to experimental storytelling; however, “reincarnated” is entirely unique as it narrates Lamar’s believed “past lives.”
“Body after body, lesson after lesson, let’s take it back to Michigan in 1947.”
Based on the lyrics, fans have speculated that the two artists Lamar believes were his past lives, at least metaphorically speaking, are blues guitarist John Lee Hooker and jazz singer Billie Holiday. Lamar discusses how Hooker ultimately succumbed to his gluttonous desire for wealth and Holiday succumbed to her addiction to heroin.
Lamar discusses himself last, looking back to his youth when his father kicked him out of his home. Then, Lamar switches from talking about his father to referencing Father in a religious sense, pleading to God for answers as Lamar questions his own intentions in his music and actions.
“I’m yelling, ‘Father, did I finally get it right?’ Everything I did was selfless / I spoke freely, when the people needed me, I helped them.”
When listening to “reincarnated,” I was reminded of a single Lamar released on May 3 titled “6:16 in LA.” In that track, Lamar discusses his reservations about acting aggressively toward those he viewed as enemies.
“God, ah, my confession is yours. But who am I if I don’t go to war?”
(From “6:16 in LA”)
“I’m tryna push peace in L.A.”
“But you love war.”
(From “reincarnated”)
In the tracks following, “tv off,” “dodger blue,” “peekaboo” and the title track “GNX,” Lamar continues to feature lesser-known West Coast hip-hop artists. From Wallie the Sensei’s addicting chorus on “dodger blue” to the posse cut “GNX” featuring Hitta J3, YoungThreat and Peysoh, this album gives new artists an opportunity to be known and grow in the industry.
Moving forward to track 10, “heart pt. 6,” Lamar continues his iconic “The Heart” series of singles that he consistently releases preceding a new album. However, this time, “heart pt. 6” is an actual track on the album, which hasn’t been the case in the past. “heart pt. 6” features a fitting sample from R&B vocal trio SWV’s “Use Your Heart.”
“Use your heart and not your eyes / Baby, just relax your mind / If you got time and I got time / Free your thoughts and watch them fly.”
“heart pt. 6” reclaims this series as Lamar’s own, as Drake released a track with the very same title in May as a part of their feud. However, Lamar does not reference this at all in “heart pt. 6” as he uses the track to discuss his own life experiences, such as leaving his old record label “Top Dawg Entertainment” and his departure from the hip-hop group “Black Hippy.” These actions were rooted in Lamar’s desire for creative independence, a central theme of this track.
The final track of “GNX,” “gloria,” is another excellent bout of storytelling with vocals from SZA, making her second appearance on the record here. The lyrics would lead you to believe that Lamar is discussing a romance in his life; however, at the end of the track, Lamar reveals that he had been discussing his relationship to songwriting the whole time.
“My woman and my right hand, my saint and my sin / Ain’t no bitch like my bitch ‘cause that bitch been my pen.”
“GNX” may have not been the album most fans of Lamar expected, but there are so many meticulously crafted tracks alongside some of the greatest songs in Lamar’s discography. At first glance, “GNX” may seem to be less guided by storytelling compared to Lamar’s previous creative efforts, but this album is filled to the brim with iconic moments mixed with profound writing that continue to prove that Lamar is one of the greatest rappers of our time.
Edited by Molly Levine | mlevine@themaneater.com
Copyedited by Emma Short | eshort@themaneater.com
Edited by Emily Skidmore | eskidmore@themaneater.com
Editor’s Note:
A previous version of this article incorrectly identified Deyra Barrera as a “Spanish singer.” She is a Mariachi singer.