GNX is the sixth solo album from legendary Compton rapper, Kendrick Lamar, and his first album to not be released under Top Dawg Entertainment. The man has had quite a phenomenal career, and 2024 has been a victory lap. His beef with Drake was exciting to watch, and while Drake made some decent punches at Kendrick, compare it to K-Dot’s diss tracks towards him (mainly “meet the grahams,” and “Not Like Us.”), and it’s like watching a house cat go up against a lion. Riding high on the success of this beef, Kendrick decided to release this album. His last album, Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers, was a solid record, but I personally expected it to be better after 5 years without an album from him. Here are my thoughts.

    We start off the record with the track, “wacced out murals,” which has a dramatic minimalist instrumental. I love Kendrick’s flow on this track as he sounds aggressive and hungry. His punchlines are mostly good, but I don’t really understand why he’s going after Lil Wayne if I’m being quiet honest, but I think calling out Andrew Schulz was definitely the right move. “squabble up,” is a infectious club banger that was definitely made for the radio, it feels like a 90s west coast throwback, and Kendrick pulls it off exceptionally. I like the sample of “When I Hear Music,” by Debbie Deb, and I like the thumping synth bass incorporated on it. “luther,” is a low-key track with melodic flows from Kendrick and an absolutely beautiful chorus from SZA. When they collaborate they usually always make magical tracks together. I like the romantic vibe of the track as well as the soaring violins in the instrumental. “man at the garden,” might be one of the most under appreciated tracks on the album, in my opinion. I like the biblical analogy of “the garden,” being heaven. Kendrick’s basically rapping about how he feels he deserves all that he’s earned in his career because of the self-sacrifices he’s made and the hardships he’s overcome. “hey now,” featuring Dody6 is another bass thumping track that you blast in your car. Kendrick is the obvious star of the show on all of these tracks, but the artists who featured on this record helped elevate the tracks even more. “reincarnated,” has a great sample of a legendary Tupac song (the title of which I can’t say because I’m white). I like his connection he makes lyrically with John Lee Hooker. Sounwave is the main producer on this record and he did a phenomenal job with these beats. “tv off,” featuring Lefty Gunplay, is another favorite of mine. Some other standouts on the album are “dodger blue,” “heart pt. 6,” and “gloria.” “heart pt. 6,” tells a beautiful story about his early days as a rapper with his friends from TDE, as well as his regrets.

     This album is a strong return for Kendrick. Mr. Morale was by no means a terrible album, it just is hard to live up to in a discography that includes three legendary albums in GKMC, TPAB, and DAMN. This album isn’t as great as GKMC or TPAB, but it’s an incredibly consistent and strong effort from one of the most exciting artists in hip hop. Kendrick is making personal tracks,  radio-friendly bangers, and is overall on his a-game on this record. He’s been around for over 20 years, and released his first studio album 13 years ago. It’s amazing to see how far he’s come, and sure it’s hard to match the masterpiece status that Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City and To Pimp a Butterfly have, but I feel like this album is easily one of the best albums of the year, as well as the best hip hop album of the year. 

Overall Score: 9/10

Favorite Tracks: “wacced out murals,” “squabble up,” “luther,” “man at the garden,” “reincarnated,” “tv off”

Least Favorite Tracks: “GNX,”

Listen: https://youtu.be/fuV4yQWdn_4?si=iyulwkRceB7L64lk

Genres: West Coast Hip Hop/Hardcore Hip Hop