GNX, released on November 22, 2024, is the 6th studio album released by American rapper Kendrick Lamar. The album’s release was a complete surprise, perhaps even to Kendrick’s label. It caused immediate uproar among popular culture, as Kendrick had just lit up the world in his beef with Drake, particularly with his hit single “Not Like Us.” Nobody really expected an album, and yet there it was, debuting at number 1 on the billboard top 200. The album has a long feature list: AzChike, Dody6, Hitta J3, Peysoh, Roddy Ricch, Siete7x, SZA, Wallie the Sensei, Lefty Gunplay, and YoungThreat. Deyra Barrera, Sam Dew, and Ink also provide extra vocals throughout the album. GNX is primarily a Hip Hop album, with R&B being a big facet as well. The album serves as an evolution of Kendrick’s work as an artist, with GNX departing from some of Lamar’s earlier work. I have no problem with this, and the album creates its own identity among Kendrick’s discography.
The themes of GNX are pretty clearly laid out. A few I noticed were themes of change/evolution, greatness/superiority, and the rise/path to greatness. In tracks like “reincarnated” and “man at the garden,” we get a look at what Kendrick thinks of himself and of his greatness. He asserts that he is truly great, not just a flash in the pan. In fact, much of the album revolves around Lamar’s claim to greatness. He also highlights his own evolution in “heart pt. 6” and how he rose to who he is today. Overall, GNX is very thematic, and the themes are woven into the tracks well.
Standout Tracks
My standout tracks for GNX are: “luther,” “reincarnated,” and “heart pt. 6.”
“luther” stood out to me from my first listen as a generally good song. It’s a solid track that is particularly chill and easy to vibe to. The chorus sung by SZA is catchy and lifts the song up from a solid foundation to a genuinely great track. This song is a great example of how I feel about many songs on GNX, which is that they are generally good songs. “luther” was simply a step above all the competition.
“reincarnated” didn’t stand out to me particularly on the first listen like “luther” did, but it made up that ground substantially on subsequent listens. If you don’t listen to the lyrics at all, “reincarnated” still sounds great, with Kendrick giving a passionate performance and the beat supporting the verses well. But when I really focused on the lyrics, I found a very interesting and powerful story that elevated this song a lot for me. This is one of the rare tracks that I run across only once or twice an album where the song sounds good and is supported excellently by the story being told. “reincarnated” gets a very high score from me.
While the ratings might show that I graded “reincarnated” and “heart pt. 6” the same (9), I knew from the start that “heart pt. 6” was my favorite out of the two. It is a chill song that is easy to vibe with like “luther,” but it turned out to be better in most aspects. For one, the verses are incredibly fluid and pull the listener in easily. The chorus is also just as or more catchy than “luther,” and I would put “heart pt. 6” over “luther” in the chorus category just based on how much I like it. The song is fun and makes you want to listen to it, and while it might not come out of GNX as the most popular track, it is (in my opinion) the best song out of the bunch.
Stinker
My stinker for GNX is undoubtedly “peekaboo”. This track was the only one on the entire album that I actively disliked and did not want to listen to multiple times. “peekaboo” is simply a very awkward and weird song, and I started to get annoyed with it after multiple listens. This mostly comes from Kendrick’s insistence on saying the word “peekaboo” after every line in the 1st verse. The 2nd verse has the same problem but with “peekaboo” being replaced by “hey hey hey hey.” To add onto all of this, I of course need to highlight “Bing-bop-boom-boom-boom-bop-bam.” I laughed out loud when I heard Kendrick say this. The chorus on this track is nothing special either, and the beat is middle of the road. Overall, “peekaboo” is an underwhelming and awkward track that I have no reservations crowning as the stinker of GNX.
Song Ratings and 1-Word Descriptions
- “wacced out murals” – (7.5/10): Statement
- “squabble up” – (6.5/10): Interesting
- “luther” – (8.5/10): Vibe
- “man at the garden” – (8/10): Confident
- “hey now” – (7/10): Solid
- “reincarnated” – (9/10): Powerful
- “tv off” – (7.5/10): MUSTAAAAAAAARD!!!
- “dodger blue” – (7.5/10): Chill
- “peekaboo” – (4/10): Awkward
- “heart pt. 6” – (9/10): Excellent
- “gnx” – (6.5/10): Unimpressive
- “gloria” – (7.5/10): Singing
Conclusion
GNX impressed me with its consistency and quality. It has only one song (“peekaboo”) that I rated under a 6.5 which is an incredible feat by an album with 12 tracks. GNX starts strong with “wacced out murals” and stays strong over the entire album. Kendrick got to rap over some great beats in this album, so credit to the producers for that. GNX kept things interesting by switching up genres every once in a while, going from loud and powerful to chill and introspective. This kind of flexibility is a great sign when you are dealing with an already established star like Kendrick Lamar because it shows he is able and willing to explore and adapt. GNX shows consistency that is hard to find these days, as it not only has a minimal number of “bad songs”, but also has most of its songs at or over a 7. One of the only grievances I can see with GNX is that it doesn’t seem to have a song that has the potential to be a true “hit.” I liked many of these songs a lot, but I don’t think that any of them will get anywhere close to the popularity of “Not Like Us” or any of Kendrick’s other very popular songs. Essentially, there’s no track on GNX that I can listen to and say: “That one’s going to be a hit.” General popularity doesn’t influence my reviews however, so take that with a grain of salt. Now for my conclusion: GNX is incredibly consistent. It is a high-quality album produced by an artist who is at the top of their game currently. The beats, themes, choruses, lyrics, and most other qualities are all generally very good. While none of the songs absolutely blew me away immediately, the quality of GNX speaks for itself. 9/10.
