Rapper Kendrick Lamar Duckworth, better known as Kendrick Lamar, is one of the most beloved hip-hop artists of the 2010s and 2020s. His 2012 album, “Good Kid, m.A.A.d City,” is still treated by many as one of the greatest rap albums of all time for its unique storytelling and lyricism. His 2015, Jazz-Funk-Hip-Hop fusion, “To Pimp A Butterfly,” has transcended hip-hop since its release, now being considered one of the greatest albums of all time, due to its political commentary on black history, and the current state of black culture and social issues throughout the world. His 2017 album “DAMN.” and his 2022 release “Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers” are widely praised as well, with “DAMN.” being the first non-classical piece of music to ever win a Pulitzer Prize.
Kendrick new album “GNX “, released in November, is one of his best. His feud with Toronto rapper Drake, which began nearly a decade ago, came to a head with Kendrick’s feature verse on Future and Metro Boomin’s “Like That,” ending a few months later with the track “Not Like Us,” which saw Kendrick’s decisive victory in the battle.
Something ever present in Kendrick Lamar’s music is his love for the West Coast’s culture. It’s quite visible in “Good Kid, m.A.A.d City”, with commentary on his childhood in Compton, and music that takes inspiration from gangster rap that was more prominent at the time. The West Coast has always been influential in hip-hop, especially with the rise of many rappers such as Tupac, Snoop Dogg, and Dr. Dre
“GNX,” despite sharing one overall influence, sees multiple concepts present. The opening track, “Wacced Out Murals” is a dramatic, almost cinematic track that has Kendrick talking about the aftermath of his feud with Drake, and how the rap industry reacted to it.
The second song in the album, “Squabble Up” is an authentic, west-coast club hit with a similar style to “Not Like Us”. It opens with a segment teased in the “Not Like Us” music video, sampling Debbie Deb’s “When I Hear Music” in portions of the song. While “Squabble Up” often lacks the lyrical depth of some of Lamar’s previous work, the style of the track alone serves as a message about his love for west-coast hip-hop. Other songs on this album, like “Hey Now,” “TV Off,” “Peekaboo,” and the title track “GNX” all serve a similar purpose, with Kendrick showing his love for the West Coast by featuring much smaller, underground rappers from the region.
Track four “Man at the Garden,” sees clear influence from Nas’ “One Mic,” in terms of its style, with Kendrick reflecting on his achievements and everything he’s done over the years, all summarized in the track with him repeatedly saying “I deserve it all.”
The sixth song on the album, “Reincarnated” easily takes a spot as one of Kendrick’s best songs ever. It tells the story of Kendrick, who claims to be a reincarnation of two influential musicians in history, John Lee Hooker and Billie Holiday. The final verse has him telling his own story, conversing with someone else, who many have interpreted to be God, The Father, due to Kendrick mentioning his own father at the beginning of the verse. This track alone has received many interpretations, with a popular one being that Kendrick is claiming that he, and the other two artists he references, are reincarnations of Lucifer, being reincarnated as several artists to redeem themself.
Moving out of track order, two songs in the album feel quite similar, and a bit weird in the context of the rest of the album, yet they serve it quite well. “Luther” and “Gloria” both see features from newly-popularized rapper Sza. “Luther”, the moment you begin the song, is revealed to be a reference to Luther Vandross, sampling parts of his song “If This World Were Mine.” “Gloria” sees Kendrick talking about his pen, treating it like his love. Both of these songs stand out for good reason. The emphasis on strings in both, and the duet between Kendrick and Sza in “Luther” make for two beautiful tracks that are just nice to listen to.
Another standout song on “GNX” is “Heart Pt. 6”. the sixth song in his “The Heart” series, songs that usually release before an album, sort of like teasers. The final song released in Kendrick’s beef with Drake was a song titled “The Heart Part 6,” which saw Drake (poorly) attempting to deflect the allegations against him. When many saw “Heart Pt. 6” on “GNX”, they expected it to be a diss, yet it isn’t. “Heart Pt. 6” is Kendrick reminiscing about his time in Top Dawg Entertainment, his former label, and his rap group Black Hippy, which he eventually left.
Overall, Kendrick Lamar’s “GNX” is a beautiful tribute to the West Coast. Alongside Tyler, the Creator’s “Chromakopia,” the West Coast’s music scene has seen a significant revival this year, arguably beginning when Kendrick united the West Coast in his battle with Drake. For its unique musical styles and lyrics that see Kendrick talking about the music industry, “GNX” earns a 9/10.
