Kendrick Lamar surprised the hip-hop world on Nov. 22 by releasing his sixth studio album “GNX”.
Kendrick was my “most listened to” artist of 2024, putting me in the top 0.5% of listeners – according to Spotify Wrapped, at least. With that being said, I feel confident saying Kendrick did not disappoint.
“GNX” features a multitude of highlights including an interpolation of a 2Pac record and sampling by Luther Vandross. The album also shined by blending aggressive and softer songs. Songs like “reincarnated” and “tv off” were more aggressive, while “luther” and “dodger blue” were softer.
Another unique aspect of the album I enjoyed is the implementation of Spanish vocals by Deyra Barrera – a Mexican singer who Kendrick met at a Los Angeles Dodgers game.
Barrera is featured immediately on the introductory track, “wacced out murals,” as well as later in the album on “reincarnated” and “gloria.”
The album features an array of underground, up-and-coming rappers primarily from the west coast.
The feature list includes SZA, Dody6, Lefty Gunplay, Roddy Ricch, Siete7x, Wallie the Sensei, AzChike, Hitta J3, Peysoh and YoungThreat. Each feature shined in its own way, but my favorite was SZA’s.
SZA is featured twice on the album on the tracks “luther” and “gloria.” Out of the two, I prefer “luther” due to the beautiful layering of SZA’s and Kendrick’s vocals over the Luther Vandross sample. “Gloria,” however, is another strong point on the album and was still enjoyable in its own regard.
Other features that I enjoyed include AzChike on “peekaboo,” along with Peysoh and Hitta J3 on “GNX.” Each of the three displayed a high level of energy, which complemented Kendrick well.
Another bright spot in the album is its production, partly due to Jack Antonoff engineering a large portion of the project. Antonoff is an established songwriter and producer, known especially for his work with Taylor Swift.
My three favorite songs include “reincarnated,” “heart pt. 6” and “dodger blue.” Currently out of the three, “reincarnated” reigns supreme.
In my opinion, “reincarnated” is the best song on the album. Kendrick displays his uncanny storytelling ability, walking listeners through what he believes are his past lives.
The first past life referenced is John Lee Hooker, a Michigan-based guitarist who broke out in the year 1948. The second was a female vocalist whom Kendrick noted as having an “angelic voice,” but struggled profusely with substance abuse. Kendrick then rounded out the song focusing on his current life.
On “reincarnation,” Kendrick sounded good while confronting complex topics – an underappreciated task. The production on the song also shined as it was a great complement to Kendrick’s 2Pac-influenced flow.
“Heart pt. 6” also showcases Kendrick’s storytelling ability, while paying homage to Ab-Soul, Top Dawg and Jay Rock throughout the song. “Heart pt. 6” also includes a 1996 sample by SWV entitled, “Use Your Heart,” which I enjoyed.
Although it may not carry the same weight as the other two, “dodger blue” is one of the songs I find myself going back to the most.
My favorite part of the song is Wallie the Sensei and Roddy Ricch’s verses because of how unique they are to the rest of the album. Their verses felt different since the majority of the remaining features had a harder, more abrasive flow.
Other songs I enjoyed include “tv off,” “luther,” “wacced out murals,” “squabble up” and “peekaboo.” As for the remainder of the album, there weren’t any songs that I flat-out disliked.
Although “GNX” is not a conceptual album like the vast majority of Kendrick’s work, it provided an enjoyable listening experience with a diverse array of songs. As of right now, I would rate the album 8.5/10.b
