On Nov. 22, 2024, I woke up and checked my phone, planning to scroll through social media as I do every morning. The first thing I saw on Instagram was a repost of a Kendrick Lamar YouTube video, posted earlier that morning. The video, simply titled GNX, was a small precursor to the surprise album Kendrick would release shortly after. That day marked the release of his fifth studio album GNX, a love letter to the West Coast and the culture that’s defined him. Since then, I’ve had it on repeat.
The Highlights
The second track, “squabble up” is the one song listeners had heard a piece of before the release of the album. Featured previously in the beginning of the “Not Like Us” music video, fans waited eagerly to hear the rest of the track. Unsurprisingly, it’s one of the best and biggest from the album. It’s also the only track so far to get a music video, which showcases various aspects of Californian and African-American culture. This song is deservedly one of the biggest, with a cheeky chorus similar to what we’ve heard on songs like “Element” in the past.
The biggest song on the album currently, “luther (with SZA),” absolutely deserves its top spot. It features one of the smoothest beats on the album with a sample from Luther Vandross and Cheryl Lynn’s duet, “If This World Were Mine,” that fits both SZA and Kendrick perfectly. While I’m talking about the production, I’ll take the time now to point out the majority of the songs on GNX were produced (in some aspect) by the longtime Taylor Swift producer, Jack Antonoff. Learning that really changed my perspective on him as a producer, and I hope to see more exciting work from him in the future. Back to the song, for me, this duet solidifies SZA as one of Kendrick’s best collaborators. This track is SZA’s first feature on GNX, also appearing later on “gloria (with SZA)” to close the album. The two artists have worked together in the past on multiple songs, “All The Stars” being one of the biggest, and are continuing their partnership in 2025 with the Grand National Tour.
The track “reincarnated” is easily my favourite track on GNX. It embodies the heart of this album. Kendrick raps over a Tupac beat and speaks through the eyes of various musical legends that helped make him the musician and person he is today. He pays homage to figures from his culture, utilizing a variety of deliveries reminiscent of his verses on “The Blacker The Berry” in order to portray the different characters present in the track. The first verse makes allusions to famous blues singer and guitarist, John Lee Hooker, while the second is more ambiguous in who specifically it is speaking about. Some have linked it to Dinah Washington, a vocalist from the Chitlin’ Circuit in the Midwest, which was a network of underground theatres that allowed black artists to perform in the era of segregation. This song has Kendrick embodying these artists with a flow reminiscent of Tupac, going back and forth with himself in the final verse as both Kendrick Lamar and God. This song gives us a glimpse into Kendrick’s spirituality and his relationship with himself, resulting in a track that’s hard to deny as a masterpiece.
The DJ Mustard-produced “tv off (feat. lefty gunplay)” is the anthem of GNX. “All I ever wanted was a black Grand National” is one the most direct references to the namesake of the album, the Buick Grand National. With under 600 of these cars being produced, it’s become an iconic collector’s vehicle that was, at one point, one of the fastest cars in the world, which earned it the honour of being the title of a Kendrick album. The ability to purchase the car and fulfill a lifelong dream is a testament to Kendrick’s commercial success (which he flaunts at times on this album; especially on this track).
Seeing the title, “heart pt. 6” got me really excited for a couple of reasons. One of those being the fact that a song in the “heart” series likely means there’s more music releasing soon. The second reason is a bit pettier; it’s great that now when people search for this song it’ll show up before Drake’s closing diss, which was a waste of the title and an embarrassing end to their beef. The last reason is that after listening to it, I knew immediately that it was an amazing song; if not for “reincarnated”, this would no doubt be my top track.
Final Thoughts
GNX is the final nail in the coffin that solidified 2024 as Kendrick’s year. After a historic rap beef with Drake (that Kendrick undeniably won, let’s get that straight) that resulted in one of Kendrick’s biggest hits to date, “Not Like Us”, and even being announced as the Super Bowl LIX halftime performer.
GNX debuted at No. 01 on the Billboard Hot 200 chart, making it his fourth solo album to do so. Last year was Kendrick’s year, but the momentum he’s gathered over the course of 2024 seems to be continuing straight into 2025; the snippet featured in the announcement video for GNX wasn’t featured on the album, leaving fans questioning when we’ll get to hear the full track. With the line Hit his turf and get crackin’, double back like a deluxe on “squabble up”, and the presence of a song in the heart series appearing on this album, I feel confident saying there is likely more music to come prior to Kendrick’s Super Bowl performance.
Overall, this album is another very solid entry in Kendrick’s flawless discography. While in the past his albums have served as capstone moments or summaries of his feelings spanning years of his life, GNX is a little snapshot of a very specific time in his career. That’s a big reason why I love this album as much as I do. Kendrick is once again proving he can make hits while maintaining the high level of artistry he’s exuded throughout each of his projects with songs like “reincarnated” and “gloria” that stand shoulder to shoulder with his other best works. Many of the features on GNX are smaller West Coast rappers, showing Kendrick’s commitment to the cities and people that helped him become one of the biggest artists in the world today.
GNX closed out 2024 with yet another great album that stands out even among the plethora of stellar projects released by other artists this year, and still, Kendrick’s creative momentum shows no signs of slowing down.