Original Artwork The Xavierite
It seems that Christmas came early this year, with Kendrick Lamar gracing us with a long awaited new album. On Nov. 22, Lamar surprised the world with the release of “GNX”. This came as a huge shock to fans as there was little to no promotion leading up to its release.
The album’s rollout began when Lamar posted a snippet to his alternate Instagram (IG) account @jojoruski. Most of us believed this was the start of the rollout for a potential new album. However, just minutes later, we’d be pleasantly surprised to find out that the album had already been released on all streaming platforms.
The 12-track album’s original description read, “He asked us to “watch the party die,” but only so he could resurrect it.” This was in reference to an untitled song Lamar posted to his IG on Sept. 11, where he talked about “burning down” the rap industry and starting it over.
GNX doubles down on this sentiment and Lamar’s anger at the industry as a whole. In the album’s first track, “wacced out murals”, Lamar speaks of his belief that the industry has turned against him after his beef with Drake, including his idols.
In the song, Lamar name-drops Lil Wayne, saying, “Used to bump Tha Carter III [Wayne’s album], I held my Rollie chain proud/ Irony, I think my hard work let Lil Wayne down”. This was in response to Wayne’s comments about being upset at Lamar being chosen to perform at the 2025 Super Bowl halftime show in his hometown of New Orleans rather than himself.
Lamar also mentions his disappointment at seeing another of his idols, Snoop Dogg, endorse Drake’s “Taylor Made Freestyle” in which he used AI to channel 2Pac and Snoop himself in a diss towards Lamar. He exclaims “Snoop posted “Taylor Made,” I prayed it was the edibles”. Lamar felt betrayed, as Snoop was one of the legends who previously passed him the torch of the next “king of the west-coast”.
Upon first listen, my favorite tracks were “man at the garden,” “reincarnated,” “tv off,” “heart pt. 6,” and “gloria.” To me, GNX feels like a love letter to hip-hop, as not only does Lamar pay tribute to his idols, but he also takes it upon himself to shine light on some of California’s untapped artists.
The track “man at the garden” is an interpolation of Nas’s “One Mic”, so it’s no surprise that the song feels like its spiritual successor.
The song has similar themes of self-reflection. Similar to Nas, Lamar reflects on the impact his music has had on listeners. However, Lamar’s song feels like an inner struggle to convince himself that he’s deserving of success, repeating the words “I deserve it all.”
Later on in “reincarnated”, Lamar pays tribute to Pac, who he has long credited as a huge source of inspiration. Lamar samples Pac’s “Made N—z” and raps with a similar aggressive flow to that of the hip-hop legend.
In the album’s final track, “gloria”, Lamar adds his own contribution to hip-hop’s memorable history of storytelling through the use of personification. In “gloria”, Lamar’s frequent use of the words “my b—h” makes the listener assume he’s talking about his woman and the ups and downs they’ve been through.
However, in the last verse, Lamar reveals that this “woman” is a personification of the pen he writes his raps with, saying, “My woman and my right hand, my saint and my sin/ Ain’t no b—h like my b—h ’cause “that b—h” been my pen.”
The song is a reflection of the power that Lamar’s lyrics hold. He states, “My baby boo, you either heal n—s or you kill n—-s/ Both is true, it take some tough skin just to deal with you.”
Lamar’s music has had a therapeutic effect on many lives with him touching on themes of emotional healing, self-reflection, and social commentary. However, Lamar has never been someone to stray away from competition, which we learned from his beef with Drake this past summer. In this line, he references the beef, suggesting that his lyrics “killed” Drake’s career.
In a review from Uproxx, they called GNX a “hometown affair”. GNX has features from Cali rappers AzChike, Dody 6, Hitta J3, Lefty Gunplay, Peysoh, Siete, Wallie The Sensei, and Young Threat.
For these artists, being featured has not only given them exposure, but also their first entry into the Billboard Hot 100. With this move, Lamar puts the baseless claims that he “never puts underground Cali artists on the map” to sleep.
In sum, as if the “Pop-Out: Ken & Friends” concert wasn’t enough, GNX feels like another victory lap for Lamar after an unforgettable year. Lamar continues to ride a wave of momentum and has no problem sharing the spotlight with his fellow Californians.
With these star-making performances, plus the exceptional singing from Mariachi singer Deyra Barrera and SZA throughout the album, Lamar made yet another remarkable addition to his unparalleled discography. In what has been a great year for music, somehow GNX easily cements itself as a top contender for album of the year.