A Review Of…GNX By Kendrick Lamar

Kendrick Lamar released his sixth studio album, GNX on Nov. 22, a fiery, in-your-face tribute to West Coast hip hop, sparking controversy in the rap world. 

The album, which debuted number one on the Billboard Top 200 list, released in the wake of the very public, dramatic beef between rap superstars Drake and Lamar, in which the two rappers dissed each other’s musical ability, status in the genre and intentions for the culture. The beef climaxed with the release of “Not Like Us,” an aggressive, West Coast, grammy-nominated anthem that accused Drake of being a culture-vulture and a pedophile, among other things.  

In GNX, Lamar keeps up this energy, calling out Lil Wayne and Snoop Dog on the album’s first track, “wacced out murals,” and J. Cole and Drake throughout. Lamar does this by leaving some of his more intricate wordplay behind, opting for easier to grasp (for Lamar’s standard), poignant and catchy lyrics.  

Lamar intertwines these callouts with cocky, braggadocious bangers and catchy flows on songs such as “squabble up” and “t.v. off,” the latter producing the viral “MUSTAAAAAAAAAAAARD!” line that Lamar shouts halfway through the track.  

Other songs such as “reincarnated” and “man at the garden” present a more introspective side of Lamar as he reflects on his past, his intentions, his ego and status as a public figure. These passionate yet retrospective lyrics are joined with high-energy, West Coast beats that make each song unforgettable.  

The album also features some beautiful, melodic songs like “luther” and “gloria,” both featuring SZA, who delivers an incredible, angelic performance on both tracks and elevates Lamar’s reflective lyrics about relationships.  

GNX is an album of West Coast anthems, from the features, in which Lamar gives track space to various west coast rappers, to the G-funk inspired beats and classic L.A samples, such as 2Pac’s Made ******. The album is a dominate follow up to Lamar’s rap feud earlier this year.