Kendrick Lamar doesn’t care about conventions. While most artists announce an album weeks or even months in advance and gradually release new material to build anticipation, the self-proclaimed “greatest rapper” doesn’t need any publicity or hype.
On Nov. 22, Lamar made waves by simply posting a one-minute-long teaser video on his burner Instagram account and posting a link to his new album, “GNX,” on X. Despite the album’s surprise release and minimal promotion, it was streamed over 70 million times during its first day on Spotify.
The release of “GNX” is just another accomplishment in what feels like a world-conquering year for Lamar. This spring, he engaged in a no-holds-barred beef with Drake, trading disses back and forth until Lamar decisively defeated Drake with “Not Like Us” (2024), a song that reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Earlier this fall, Lamar announced that he would headline the Super Bowl LIX halftime show on Feb. 9, 2025 in New Orleans.
“GNX” immediately finds Lamar reflecting on this year’s success and calling out those still doubting him. On the intro track, “wacced out murals,” Lamar calls out rapper and New Orleans native Lil Wayne, who publicly expressed disappointment that Lamar will perform at the Super Bowl instead of him. On the track, Lamar points out the irony of being called out by a rapper he used to admire. He raps, “Used to bump Tha Carter III, I held my Rollie chain proud / Irony, I think my hard work let Lil Wayne down.”
Lamar isn’t just calling out Wayne on “wacced out murals,” though. He’s calling out the entire rap industry and their frustration with his success. “Won the Super Bowl and Nas the only one congratulate me / All these n***** agitated,” he spits.
Lamar again asserts his dominance on the track “man at the garden.” Throughout the song, he repeats the refrain “I deserve it all” while listing the sacrifices he has made throughout his career, the things he has accomplished and the hopes he has for his son and daughter. Lamar often operates at a level of humility and unabashed braggadocio — “man at the garden” is the synthesis of his past trials and tribulations, current successes and achievements and hopes for the future.
While the content of much of “GNX” is serious, it also features tracks with Lamar at his silliest. On “tv off (feat. lefty gunplay),” which features a bouncing, west-coast beat from Lamar’s producer Mustard, Lamar lets loose. He switches flows, changes his vocal inflections and shouts out his producer in an all-but-subtle way, screaming “Mustard” at the top of his lungs for five seconds. “tv off (feat. lefty gunplay)” is an LA-banger similar to “Not Like Us,” showing once again that Lamar can put out a hard-hitting song to play at the club just as well as he can put out an intricate, double-entendre-laden introspective track.
Two of the album’s more R&B-centric tracks, “luther (with sza)” and “gloria (with sza),” are standouts from “GNX.” Both songs feature Lamar’s longtime contributor, SZA. Throughout the tracks, Lamar and SZA trade verses and harmonize over lush vocals, imbuing the songs with a groovy, seductive feeling. On “gloria (with sza),” the album’s closing track, Lamar details a loving yet complicated and challenging relationship. The song is about his relationship with his mother, his wife and his “pen,” a physical manifestation of his art. He talks about how these relationships, whether they be with someone else or with one’s own craft, are worth the struggles because of the ethereal feeling only love can create.
Despite the minimal promotion for “GNX,” it’s not a minor work from Lamar. “GNX” is a deeply introspective album that is just as reflective as it is danceable. The songs range from serious to lighthearted, dark to euphoric. Like all of Lamar’s best work, “GNX” highlights his own complexities — he’s spiteful, loving, humble and proud, often at the same time.
