Kendrick Lamar is back with his newest LP, GNX. Suffice it to say, it is truly something we’ve never heard from the Compton MC yet in his legendary career. Without further ado, let’s dive into the album.
“Wacced Out Murals” Sees Kendrick Come Out Firing
With “Wacced Out Murals,” Kendrick comes out swinging on GNX, which is easily the most bar-heavy and aggressive cut to start the record. The song’s title comes from a real-life incident, where a Compton mural depicting his various eras was vandalized with “OVO” graffiti. Lamar flips this into a reflective ode to his current status in the industry and where he’s going post-beef. There are a litany of splashy moments and name-drops, but none of them feel cheap. In truth, many of those brought up are integral to the Compton MC’s upbringing as an artist.
See his reference to Snoop Dogg, who famously “passed the crown” to Kendrick yet amplified Drake’s “Taylor Made Freestyle,” or Lil Wayne’s disappointment regarding Kendrick playing the Super Bowl. Further in the track, Kendrick utilizes the song to spin out his feud with Drake into an overarching criticism of the music industry: “Exterminate ’em right now, make Katt Williams and them proud, the truth ’bout to get loud.” The weaving storytelling on this one is compelling while the focus remains laser sharp. It’s more of a “clearing the air” than a tone-setter for what GNX brings.
Indeed, “Squabble Up” is about as straightforward of a banger as you’ll get in the Kendrick Lamar catalog, and it comes one song later on GNX. Paying off the teased snippet at the beginning of the “Not Like Us” sample, Lamar mashes up some hyphy Bay Area production and an early ’90s dance sample for a beat you’ll struggle not to bop your head to instinctively. Some Kung Fu Kenny off-kilter vocalizations and cadences further drive home the celebratory air with this one. The “I feel good, get the f*** out my face” chorus lands as a fully realized version of the animated persona he first tested out on a song like “ELEMENT.” SZA also steps back into the KDot universe just one track later for “Luther,” another instance where no-frills songwriting leads to massive gains, their already iconic chemistry on full display atop a classy Luther Vandross sample.
A More Traditional Format Nets Massive Results
This brings us to the critical innovation of GNX. Previous records like To Pimp A Butterfly or Good Kid Maad City were so groundbreaking because of their structure. They’re deep concept albums where Kendrick tightropes between each song as a cog in a larger narrative. Each is a solid piece of work in its own right. This is not to say they weren’t exceptional or failed to hit the mainstream. But, it’s almost refreshing to see Kendrick succeed within the bounds of a more down-the-line LP.
To be sure, there’s no shortage of trademark, conceptual moments on GNX. “Reincarnated” is an unceasing delivery of double entendres and near-parables. It weaves both a Tupac sample and Tupac impression, essentially, into a conversation with God a la “Mortal Man” and parallel narratives about how he carries the weight of iconic artists before him. “Man At The Garden” delivers another extremely weighty moment. He combines real-life reflections about his day-to-day and his “living legend” status with the cogency he achieved on Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers. Finally, “Gloria,” the closer, divulges a ton of detail about his connection to his artist process and how it helped him through countless personal trials. The track is positioned as a more traditional “Bonnie & Clyde” style love song.
The point isn’t that GNX isn’t dense. Instead, it’s that KDot places those entirely serious spots alongside ones where he’s letting his hair down. While To Pimp A Butterfly is (rightfully, in this writer’s opinion) regarded as one of the best rap albums ever, there’s no way the already-viral “MUSTARD!” cry from “tv off” would ever fit within its bounds.
Kendrick Lamar Adopts Looser Persona For GNX
In part, this was a switch telegraphed far ahead of time, particularly with Kendrick’s work with Baby Keem, producing true anthems like “Family Ties” and lighthearted, futuristic fare like “The Hillbillies.” However, it feels like the success of “Not Like Us” and a broad audience’s willingness to accept a G-Funk, West Coast Kendrick Lamar was the actual catalyst for GNX. Putting on his city is almost as much of a focus as anything else on the album. Nearly every single one of the features hails from California. Many of them will be unknown to the A-list audience for the project.
The title song, penultimate in the tracklist, operates as a posse cut to accomplish that. It swaps its “tell ’em Kendrick did it” hook to fit each MC as the track draws on. The spotlight of these underappreciated artists is a big risk in and of itself. But, it caps off a year where Lamar has time and time again championed his hometown. It brings that signature sound back to the forefront in a way it hasn’t been in years.
If nothing else, Kendrick Lamar is an innovator, ensuring that each successive project subverts mainstream expectations. Ironically, that’s part of the reason he reached the A-list status he continues to excel with. GNX will certainly elicit further breakdowns and deep dives as it grows longer in the tooth. However, even at just a few days old, it feels great to say that Kendrick is back in the consciousness in full-length fashion.
Steam GNX and everything Kendrick Lamar wherever you get your music.
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