Kendrick Lamar, GNX | 💿 Review

Grammy- and Pulitzer Prize-winning rapper Kendrick Lamar delivers another enjoyable, well-rounded sixth album with the more accessible GNX.  

Does Kendrick Lamar ever miss the mark? HELL NAH! The Grammy and Pulitzer-winning rapper is special, which is an understatement. After making a fine return with his 2022 album, Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers, he upped his game with the more accessible GNX.  Even though GNX has more bangers than Mr. Morale, Kendrick never sacrifices his prodigious pen.  From start to finish, he had delivered another tour de force in my humble opinion.

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“Wacced out murals”

“Yesterday, somebody whacked out my mural / That energy’ll make you niggas move to Europe.” GNX opens ambitiously and superbly with a five-minute-plus thriller, “Wacced out murals.” Part of the ambition is an unlikely collaborator: Mariachi and regional Mexican singer/songwriter Deyra Barrera sings the intro.  She also appears in two additional GNX gems: “Reincarnated” and “Gloria”.  The musical backdrop is distinct, with classical music elements. It can be described at times as dramatic and cinematic.  The orchestral sounds amplify the musicianship. Dahi, Frano, Sounwave, Jack Antonoff, Tyler Reese, M-Tech, and Craig Balmoris produced it. Of course, the topics Kendrick raps about are heavy, including gang violence and affiliation. Despite the threats made in the excerpted lyric from the first verse, he asserts, “But it’s regular for me, yeah, that’s for sure / The love and hate is definite without a cure / All this talk is bitch-made, that’s on my Lord.” Throughout “Wacced out murals,” he delivers his fair share of clever and intense rhymes, showing off a superb cadence and flow.  As the track progresses, it grows more hip-hop oriented in sound. The beat packs more of a punch, while Kendrick continues to step up his rhymes. “You ever ate Cap’n Crunch and proceeded to pour water in it? / Pulled over by the law, you ridin’ dirty, so you can’t argue with ‘em?” he raps, taking shots at a more privileged rapper (*cough Drake), continuing, “Then make it to be a star, bare your soul, and put your heart up in it? / Well, I did.” “Wacced out murals” is a badass way to kick off GNX.

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“Squabble up” 

“God knows / I am reincarnated / I was stargazin’ / Life goes on, I need all my babies.” Kendrick Lamar kicks off “squabble up” with a bang. “Squabble up” is fun and funky, and finds K-Dot impressive with his pen, personality, cadence, and flow: “Woke up lookin’ for the broccoli / High-key, keep a horn on me, that Kamasi / IP, ownership, the blueprint is by me / Mr. Get Off, I get off and mop feet.” Each line deserves decoding and annotation. Lamar produced it with Scott Bridgeway, Jack Antonoff, Sounwave, and M-Tech. “Squabble Up” earned a special distinction: it debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 100! Squabble up, Los Angeles lingo, has two meanings: to fight (square up) or to dance.  Kendrick captures both meanings superbly. At the end of the clever first verse, he asserts, “I got the money and the power both gyratin’.” The second and third verses continue to show how impressive it is. “I got friends, I got foes, but they all sitting ducks,” he asserts in the second, adding, “Hit his turf and get crackin’, double back like deluxe.” In the third verse, some colorful lines are addressing his beef with Drake: “It was woof tickets on sale ‘til I silenced it / Pipe down, young, these some whole other politics / Bitch with him and some bitch in him, that’s a lot of bitch / Don’t hit him, he got kids with him, my apologies.” The crème de la crème is the chorus.  It is infectious lyrically, while the personality K-Dot shows:

“I feel good, get the fuck out my face

Look good, but she don’t got no taste

I walk in, walked out with the safe

Mando, let me know what the play.”

Kendrick killed it, PERIOD!

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“Luther” (with SZA)

“She a fan, he a flop, they just wanna kumbaya, nah.” Ooh-wee! Kendrick Lamar keeps the momentum going on GNX with one of its best songs, “Luther”. Lamar taps fellow Grammy winner, friend, and “fan,” SZA, for the assist on this lush, smooth, melodic rap cut.  Why is the song named “Luther?” It samples the 1982 Cheryl Lynn cover, “If This World Were Mine”, where she duets with Luther Vandross. Stitching up “Luther” are six producers: Sounwave, Jack Antonoff, Roselilah, M-Tech, Scott Bridgeway, and saxophonist Kamasi Washington.  The instrumental is chill, cool, intimate, reflective, and soulful in sound. “Luther” ultimately spent a dominant 13 weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100.

Kendrick melodically raps the first verse. “Hey, Roman numeral seven, bae, drop it like it’s hot / If this world was mine, I’d take your dreams and make ‘em multiply.” Word.  SZA arrives in the chorus, singing, “In this world, concrete flowers grow / Heartache, she only doin’ what she know / Weekends, get it poppin’ on the low / Better days are comin’ for sure.” She joins forces with K-Dot in the second half, where they describe how they’d change the world.  The second verse is more collaborative, focusing on love, sex, and drip (“‘Rari (red), crown (stack), wrist (stay), froze”). The third and final verse continues their collaboration in all of its glory: “I trust you, I love you, I won’t waste your time / I turn it off just so I can turn you on.” Ultimately, “Luther” is nothing short of a surefire V-I-B-E.  

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“Man at the garden”

“I deserve it all,” Kendrick Lamar repeats this lyric throughout another triumphant GNX cut, “Man at the Garden”. Sounwave, Jack Antonoff, M-Tech, Craig Balmoris, and Tyler Reese produced this stellar track, which features a distinct, sickening beat – one of the best to grace the LP. The minimalist, reflective sound is part of the charm. As always, his bars are golden, transcending the simple, often-repeated phrase. “Everything Heaven allowed us, bitch / I deserve it all,” Lamar asserts in verse one, showcasing one of many instances Biblical and spiritual references are incorporated. In the second verse, he incorporates prayer: “Pray for those who prayed against me.” Amen…

Notably, there are three verses, each of which has its fair share of memorable moments. “‘Cause my intentions was pure / Even when you wasn’t sure,” he spits in the second verse, adding, “Even with every allure / How much temptation you endured?” In a wise moment, K-Dot informs us, “I see you as a human first / Even when you didn’t understand your worth.” Powerful! The third and final verse is far more profane. “Keep these bitch niggas away from me / Keep all my blessings faithfully,” he bites, adding, “Keep my essence contagious, that’s okay with me  / I burn this bitch down, don’t you play with me or stay with me.” One more pointed lyrics catches the ear:  “Tell me why you think you deserve the greatest of all time, motherfucker.” Yet another ‘W’ for one of the best rappers to ever do it.

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“Hey now”

“Hey now, say now, I’m all about my yen / Big face Buddha, get my peace from within.” The hits keep on coming with “Hey now” featuring Dody6.  “Hey now” features sick, minimalist production initially (Mustard, Sounwave, and Jack Antonoff are behind the boards). The beat is I-L-L. Eventually, the sound grows fuller, more dynamic, and lusher.  As always, Kendrick Lamar drops plenty of captivating rhymes, including the excerpt above from the chorus that is also repeated in the first verse.  One gem from the same verse: “The black Noah, I just strangled me a goat.” Oh, snap!  A bright spot from the second: “It’s a green light, don’t get out of bounds, I’ma blitz / It’s a bird, it’s a plane, no, it’s all blue strips.” After two jam-packed verses by Kendrick, Dody6 appears on the back half of the track, trading bars with Kendrick Lamar initially in the third verse: “Who the fuck I feel like? I feel like Joke / Harley Quin up in the cut with a blower / Ayy, shit get spooky, every day in October / My torpedo even jumped out on smokers, J Cat.” Then, he takes the reins in the verse, serving up a fab cadence and flow as he concludes the highlight.

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“Reincarnated” 

“I rewrote the devil’s story just to take our power back, ‘carnated.” Lucifer, a fallen angel, became Satan, biblically. Kendrick Lamar parallels himself to Lucifer in “Reincarnated,” yet another highlight on a generally spotless album. Lamar, Sounwave, Jack Antonoff, Noah Ehler, and M-Tech produced it. The backdrop features a marvelous piano, bass, and drums groove. Notably, “Made Niggaz” by 2Pac featuring Outlawz is sampled. The guitar touches and various sounds accentuate. Later,  I love the addition of strings, which adds to the cinematic nature of this track. Once more, Mariachi and regional Mexican singer/songwriter Deyra Barrera sings the intro, reappearing from “Wacced out murals” (“Qué reflejan tu mirada / La noche, tú y yo”). As far as the star of the show, Kendrick is intense, assertive, and aggressive with his rapping approach.  In the first verse, he references blues legend John Lee Hooker (1917 – 2001): “But I manipulated power as I lied to the masses / Died with my money, gluttony was too attractive, reincarnated.” In the second verse, he references who appears to be beloved but tragic jazz vocalist, Billie Holiday (1915 – 1959), concluding, “I died with syringes pinched in me, reincarnated.” He also incorporates his hardships, including his relationship with his father… and Father. “My present life is Kendrick Lamar / A rapper looking at the lyrics to keep you in awe.” I love the third verse where Kendrick portrays not only himself but also Lucifer using different vocal inflections and effects.  He is one of the few rappers skilled enough to pull this off successfully.  He continues, “The only factor I respected was raisin’ the bar / My instincts sent material straight to the charts, huh.” A heady, thought-provoking cut, an entire essay could be written analyzing “Reincarnated,” one of the top-tier songs from GNX.

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“TV off” 

“All I ever wanted was a black Grand National / Fuck being rational, give ‘em what they ask for.” Ooh-wee! Thus begins “tv off”, one of the best songs from GNX. “TV off” is a two-part song produced by Mustard, Sounwave, Jack Antonoff, Sean Momberger, and Kamasi Washington.  Both parts are sleekly produced and go hard. In part one, Kendrick delivers the intro, choruses, and two verses. After expressing his desire for a Buick GNX, K-Dot delivers a killer chorus. He asserts, “Few solid niggas left, but it’s not enough,” speaking to the lack of good, trustworthy people.  One of the most spirited lines is, “Say you bigger than myself, but it’s not good enough (Huh) / I get on they ass, yeah, somebody gotta do it / I’ll make them niggas mad, somebody gotta do it.” He is relentless in the verses, too, memorably informing us in the second, “I hate a bitch that’s hatin’ a bitch and they both hoes / I hate a nigga hatin’ on them niggas and they both broke.”

Part two starts with Lamar’s enthusiastic shout-out: “MUSTARD!” From there, he delivers he infectious, unforgettable chorus: “Niggas actin’ bad, but somebody gotta do it / Got my foot up on the gas, but somebody gotta do it / Huh, turn his TV off, turn his TV off.” Unlike part one, there is only one verse. Rapping over the epic musical backdrop, Kendrick eats.  He delivers some potent, thought-provoking rhymes, delivered in the vernacular. “I’m in the city where the flag be gettin’ thrown like it was pass interference,” he spits, adding, “So when I made it out, I made about 50K from a show / Tryna show niggas the ropes before they hung from a rope.” Lefty Gunplay appears in the outro (“Shit gets crazy, scary, spooky, hilarious”). With a plethora of memorable lyrics, Kendrick Lamar kicks ass and takes names on “tv off”.

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“Dodger blue” 

“My neck on Tarantino, Alejandro, Spike Lee / Just know you took a scenic route if you stand by me.” Ooh-wee! Kendrick Lamar never ceases to impress with his rhymes.  At the end of the first verse of “Dodger blue”, he cleverly shouts out three visionary, Academy Award-winning directors/filmmakers (Quentin Tarantino, Alejandro González Iñárritu, and Spike Lee).  While all three filmmakers had roots elsewhere, they have been big in Hollywood and have connections to Los Angeles. “Dodger blue” (which references the Los Angeles Dodgers), despite its brevity, is jam-packed. Lamar enlists the services of Wallie the Sensei, Siete7x, and Roddy Ricch. All three artists appear in the melodic chorus, which only occurs once:

“So fly in this bitch

Fifty on me, don’t die tryin’ and shit (Ooh-ooh)

You know I’m up and down when I slide in this bitch

Dreamers and the Jets outside in this bitch

Westside, get the money, yeah, that’s fo’ sho’

Streets don’t love you, better respect the code

Ain’t no sleepin’ in on Sunday

If it’s ‘bout the money, then my niggas on go.”

From an instrumental perspective, the production (Sounwave, Terrace Martin, Jack Antonoff, Tane Runo, and Tim Maxey) is sleek.  The groove is infectious as hell, while the overall vibe is smooth… like butter, of course! Lamar shines with his sharp melodic bars.  He is confident: “When I walk in, oh yeah, bring that / It’s unanimous, how I pop shit.” Word. “Dodger blue” is shy of 2:15, but fab, nonetheless.

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“Peekaboo” 

“What they talkin’ ‘bout? They ain’t talkin’ ‘bout nothin’!” “Peekaboo” featuring AzChike, is one of the most fun songs from GNX. Why? The chorus (excerpted above) is repetitive, but memorable to the nth degree. Also, the repeated peekaboo(s) shine, too.  “Peekaboo, I just put them boogers in my chain / Peekaboo, eighty-pointers like a Kobe game,” Kendrick spits in the first verse. “Peekaboo” samples “Give Me a Helping Hand” by Little Beaver and “Blue Revery” by Grille-Chemand. Again, K-Dot has an ill beat to rap over. As always, he eats. Another unforgettable moment occurs in the third verse, arguably, the most viral moment of the song: “Bing-bop-boom-boom-boom-bop-bam / The type of shit I’m on you wouldn’t understand / The type of skits I’m on, you wouldn’t understand / Big-dog business, I would not hold your hand.” AzChike also brings the heat. In the second verse, Kendrick provides the peekaboo(s) while AzChike goes in (“Peekaboo, he on the ground, I praise God and start stompin’ feet / Peekaboo, I put ten on his face, bitch, my shooter playin’.”) In the fourth verse, AzChike remains hot, asserting, “Play that opp shit around me, I’ma tell you, ‘Turn it off’ /Heard what happened to your mans, not sorry for your loss.” Among the best moments of the record is how both rappers trade bars in the final chorus: “What they talkin’ ‘bout? They ain’t talkin’ ‘bout nothin’.”

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“Heart pt. 6”

The ride in the GNX continues without a hitch on “Heart pt. 6.” Once again, the production work is top-notch. The musical backdrop is lush, while the beat, albeit simple and old-school, provides a mighty anchor. Multiple elements of “Use Your Heart” by SWV are sampled, including the lyrics from the chorus. Once more, Kendrick delivers a marvelous cadence and flow.  He never misses. Smooth, sung vocals by Sam Dew during the chorus add warmth to this heartfelt track. I like the contrast (musically) that occurs during the second verse. It returns to the familiar after a change of pace. Once more, in the third verse, there is another musical contrast, keeping “Heart pt. 6” consistently engaging.

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“GNX” 

“Tell ‘em Kendrick did it.” “GNX” was recorded just days before the album dropped.  It references the short-lived (1987) turbocharged coupe, the Buick GNX (Grand National Experimental). Lamar owns the rare car, which was released the same year he was born. On this kick-ass banger, Kendrick is assisted by Hitta J3, YoungThreat, and Peysoh. Despite a minimal sound led by piano and 808s, there are five credited producers: Sounwave, Jack Antonoff, Rascal, Kenny & Billy, and Tim Maxey. “GNX” bangs from the beginning with K-Dot’s memorable chorus, which is Compton through and through.

“Tell ‘em Kendrick did it, ayy, who showed you how to run a blitz?

Tell ‘em Kendrick did it, who put the West back in front of shit?

…Hi, have you ever been a joint and you know it?

Have you ever had to flip your unemployment?

On the dead guys, nigga, I aint goin’.”

He sets the tone for the rappers who follow. Peysoh raps the first verse, referencing murder several times (“All of my killers on go, like, who said somethin’? / Redrum, all I think about when I see heads come”). Hitta J3 takes the reins in the second verse, recollecting four different ages: 13, 14, 21, and 25.  “Ayy, like it’s Iraq, shooter name Hussein / Ridin’ with the dirty blicky, switchy, make a new flame,” he spits, concluding, “She said I been a dog all my life, bae, can you change? / True to my religion, Cuban links, more than two chains.” YoungThreat is the final voice heard, dropping some mean pop cultural references including “Get on my Bob the Builder shit, get down with the pliers,” and “I’m with some rockstar bitches, they want Lizzie McGuire.” Woo! All silliness aside, he concludes by asserting, “I kept my mouth closed, and I ain’t never leave no witness / D.O.A. up on the scene, tell ‘em YoungThreat did it, nigga.” Kendrick and company bring fire to “GNX”, soundtracking the rare sports car and most of all, Compton.

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“Gloria” 

For one final time, Mexican singer/songwriter Deyra Barrera delivers her gorgeous vocals (“Sentado, Anita y tú”). “Gloria” concludes GNX stupendously. The production, once more, is on fleek – high quality and striking.  Among the sounds, the luscious, percussive beat stands out. Barrera’s vocals aren’t the only sensational vocals that reappear. SZA returns post-“Luther” showing off her angelic tone. “Scared of forever, you know nothin’ else is gon’ pass / I just gotta let you know,” she sings in the chorus, continuing, “Whenever you want me, you got me ‘til the end of time / Ooh, just gotta let you know.” With Barrera and SZA shining, the focal point, Kendrick Lamar, also brings it. He delivers some sensational melodic rapped vocals. Notably, he focuses on something very special: his pen, named Gloria, of course! In the third and final verse, he raps:

“Bitches getting’ marked out, they can’t erase our history

They margins ain’t big enough, they all led by bigotry

My woman and my right hand, my saint and my sin

Ain’t no bitch like my bitch ‘cause that bitch been my pen.”

Clever! SZA concludes the 12^th consecutive bop: “Gloria, I wanna take you to euphoria / Bitches want, but they ain’t strong enough /… I see you, you see me / Both see what we want.”

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The Verdict 👨🏾‍⚖️ 

Kendrick Lamar remains a force in rap music. GNX continues to show off his immense creativity and skill.  Much more accessible and engaging than Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers, Lamar doesn’t sacrifice his ability to make meaningful and thought-provoking rhymes. With 12 tracks running just over 44 minutes, GNX feels like the optimal length – just right. With no miscues or missteps, K-Dot puts his foot into this one. One of the best albums of 2024, easily.

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