After two years since his last full album release , Kendrick Lamar has returned in full force within the last six months. In terms of pure popularity and his role in the zeitgeist, the rapper is now at a point he has never been in before, and, outside of a rare few, no other rapper has been in before. His latest album, “GNX”, currently sits at number one on the charts, and he holds seven out of the top 10 slots on the Hot 100, including numbers one through five, all with essentially no promotion. Based on the numbers alone, it is not crazy to say that he is the biggest rapper alive and one of the biggest artists overall in the industry right now.
How did he get to this point? Kendrick’s 2022 album “Mr Morale and the Big Steppers” performed well, both commercially and critically, but many fans viewed it as stale and boring and overall just a step back from a previously insane stretch of records. After two years without much buzz, Kendrick was immediately shot back into the spotlight with his beef with Drake. Following what many believed to be a victory over one of the biggest artists of the last decade, all eyes were now on Kendrick, anticipating his next move.
After a few months of what can best be compared to a victory lap, with Kendrick hosting a concert in Los Angeles and then the announcement that he would be performing at the Super Bowl halftime show, Kendrick’s real next move was confirmed when, out of nowhere, he released “GNX.”
Right off the bat, Kendrick showed he has no problem calling out those he feels are against him. On the opening track, “wacced out murals,” Kendrick discusses the idea of a legacy, including both his and, more controversially, that of others that he looked up to, in particular Lil Wayne. When Kendrick was announced to be performing at the Super Bowl, many felt that he did not deserve it and that the honor should go to Lil Wayne due to the event occurring in his hometown. Wayne himself even stated that he was disappointed in the choice, choosing not to support his longtime admirer Lamar. In the song, Kendrick references this when he states that his “hard work let Lil Wayne down” and that rapper Nas was “the only one to congratulate” him on the honor. Kendrick continues this sort of animosity, although to a much lesser degree, on the next track “squabble up.” In what is really a dance track, Kendrick repeats the title again and again, letting people know that he is not just playing around and is still willing to stand up for himself if need be.
The next track, which features SZA, is a stark shift from this mentality. Titled “luther,” a reference to the song’s sample, the song is an incredible melodic display from the two artists. There are two other tracks on the record that feature a similar vibe. This includes “dodger blue,” which is based around Kendrick’s love for his city of Los Angeles, and the album’s closing track, also featuring SZA, titled “gloria.” All of the songs contain a style of West Coast R&B, setting a very relaxed, laid-back tone at certain points throughout the album. One of the main reasons why these songs work so well is because they are placed opposite songs with a completely different feel to them. These include songs like “hey now,” “gnx,” and “tv off,” with the latter gaining significant popularity online for Kendrick’s very unique presentation of the DJ Mustard producer tag. The tracks are exciting and feature a side of Kendrick that is reminiscent of hits like “DNA.” from “DAMN,” or even some of the songs used during the beef with Drake. Kendrick’s energy is unmatched on these tracks, and along with the Sounwave-produced, west-coast-inspired beats, he creates a series of songs that show that Kendrick still has it.
However, just because he can make a few hit records does not mean that the album is devoid of the more introspective, personal tracks that have become synonymous with Kendrick. For example, a song like “heart pt. 6,” features Kendrick over a Sounwave and Jack Antonoff-produced G-Funk style beat, discussing his relationship with his former group, Black Hippy, and why the crew chose to go their separate ways professionally. On the track, Kendrick’s main point is that, despite how everything went down, he still remembers those early years fondly and will always love the people who were there for him when he was on the way up. “man in the garden” is another great example of this. Over a relatively relaxed, simple instrumental, Kendrick spends four minutes insisting that he “deserves it all” after years and years of hard work and sacrifice.
The album’s standout track, which is similar in vein to the above two, is the song “reincarnated.” The track begins, like several other songs, with vocals from mariachi singer Deyra Barrera. The beat, essentially a recreation of 2Pac’s “Made N**gaz,” sets the tone for the track and gives the audience a little hint about who he is referring to with some of the lyrics. The song’s first two verses apparently refer to blues singers John Lee Hooker and Dinah Washington. In the final verse, Kendrick embodies 2Pac, as the title suggests. He raps about the issues 2Pac faced throughout his career and how they relate to what Kendrick is going through in his own career and life as a whole.
Tracks like these comprise what feels like the heart of the album and the themes of the record and Kendrick’s music more broadly. While everyone likes a good song to dance to, including the people who make money off of it (if it does well), these types of songs are what makes people feel so attached to Kendrick. He bares his soul and gives people a glimpse into what’s really going on inside. Time and time again throughout the album, he proves that he is among the best in the genre.