Kendrick Lamar, 17-time Grammy and Pulitzer Prize winner, dropped a surprise 12-track album, “GNX,” on November 22, 2024. “GNX” was released with no rollout, delivered to his label only hours before the release; at noon, Eastern time, the album was a shock to fans and fellow artists alike. Fans expected Lamar to have an album on the way, as he’s been teasing it, but were delighted for it to be out so soon. He had been posting snippets on his Instagram account, in addition to being at one of his peaks. His stardom is at an all-time high, so it only made sense for him to continue his legendary 2024 run.
This 44-minute and 20-second album contains hit after hit. It includes larger features such as SZA, but more importantly, smaller artists who received their first ounce of fame – AzChike, Dody6, Hitta J3, Peysoh, Roddy Ricch, Siete7x, Wallie the Sensei, Lefty Gunplay and YoungThreat are among these small breakout artists. Different from any other artist, for a small artist trying to get a hit is near impossible and takes years of time. With many of these artists local to Los Angeles, Lamar’s hometown, it makes it so it’s even more personal to the idea of this album being about Los Angeles.
What makes this album so impressive?
The opening song, “wacced out murals,” has top-notch production and opens with Mexican singer & songwriter, Deyra Barrera. Known for her mariachi sound, she gives intense openings not only on this track but also “reincarnated” and “gloria.” Typically unusual for a rap song to open with mariachi themes, Lamar is far from usual and gives features to artists less seen on a rap song. This is what gives Lamar a superstar status in the hip-hop world: finding the hidden gems that will give your album a timeless taste.
Unlike past projects, “GNX” has less feel for storytelling. Compared to albums such as “good kid, m.A.A.d city,” “To Pimp a Butterfly” and “Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers,” this LP has more pop themes woven throughout the album. Songs like “tv off” and “squabble up” sound like they were made to be Billboard climbers. These two tracks specifically have a similar feel to a song like “Not Like Us” as opposed to songs such as “Sing About Me, I’m Dying of Thirst” off of “good kid, m.A.A.d city” or “Wesley’s Theory” off of “To Pimp A Butterfly.” This feel of a pop album isn’t different for Lamar on a single-song basis, but for a full album, it isn’t something he’s done before. Lamar does it exquisitely.
SZA is the most featured artist on this album. She and Kendrick Lamar have been a rap duo since 2014, since the song “Babylon.” This duo has been around for years and continues to produce many different styles of music. The two songs on this album featuring SZA met this goal. The songs being named ‘luther,’ the current top performer, and ‘gloria’, the final track on the LP, really show the incredible technical skill of this duo. SZA is also going to be present on the Grand National Tour, which Lamar announced over the past week. It will be the first time the duo has gone on tour together, and they plan to sell out stadiums. Getting tickets for the tour was easier said than done. I sat in my health class on December 4th at 10 am, refreshing my phone for 20 minutes just to buy the expensive seats.
“GNX” is one of the best albums of the year, which says a ton, as this has been the best year in hip hop since 2016. All the giants have released, and underground classics have been coming out faster than I can listen. “GNX” is an incredible and easy-to-digest project, and with rumors of Kendrick Lamar having another project still, I can’t wait to see what he comes out with.
