In 2024, Kendrick Lamar became the master of the anti-rollout: Since the start of the year, he’s turned 12 words’ worth of X posts and a couple of tracks accompanied by still images to Instagram into an era-defining rap beef, a number-one single, and a booking to perform at the Super Bowl LIX halftime show, in New Orleans. Between his guest appearance on Future and Metro Boomin’s “Like That” and his chart-topping victory lap “Not Like Us,” Kendrick seized the country’s attention by lobbing diss after diss at its most commercially dominant rap star, not quite deposing Drake, but certainly leaving a permanent stain on his image, accusing him of sex trafficking, pedophilia, and cultural colonization.
The beef simmered, after Drake’s half-hearted and occasionally confusing response “The Heart Part 6,” as Kendrick made his moves strategically, showing out for his Pop Out concert, “Not Like Us” video, and Super Bowl announcement. This morning, however, Kendrick uploaded a cryptic, minutelong snippet titled “GNX” to YouTube, and, even more unexpectedly, dropped his entire sixth studio album just before noon. The new LP is more accessible than 2022’s complicated Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers, harkening back to the pop of 2017’s DAMN. and dabbling in bouncy West Coast club slappers and slick synth-pop across a relatively tidy 45-minute experience. Further exploring the nervy, Drakeo the Ruler-inspired flow that made the punchlines on “Not Like Us” so memorable, he’s also brought a new generation of SoCal upstarts along for the ride, tapping local emcees like AzChike, Peysoh, and YoungThreat for collaborations. Here are five takeaways that stood out while spinning GNX the first few times.
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After ushering in summer 2024 with an all-out offensive against the OVO camp, Kendrick spares Drake the ire (or satisfaction) of another name-drop on GNX, but that doesn’t mean he’s taken a pacifist turn. With opener “Wacced Out Murals,” he comes out swinging, taking quick shots at those who’ve aligned with the opposing side. Spitting venom over sirens and staccato strings, Kendrick puts his former heroes in the crosshairs, reflecting on the disappointment Lil Wayne expressed when Kendrick was selected to play the Super Bowl halftime show in Weezy’s hometown, and calling out Snoop Dogg for posting Drake’s AI-assisted “Taylor Made” diss to Instagram upon release. GNX may not be a major mobilization in the war between Aubrey’s Angels and TDE’s disciples, but there’s just enough pot-stirring to fuel discourse through Thanksgiving.
Getting Hyphy
Despite the single’s litany of quotable punchlines, it was arguably Mustard’s production on “Not Like Us,” which arranged a stuttering Monk Higgins sample over railgun kick drums, that kept audiences hitting replay well beyond its release date. His work set the tone for the menacing hyphy sound that dominates much of GNX. Mustard was enlisted to produce two tracks on the record, “Hey Now” and “TV Off,” and the club-ready cuts “Squabble Up” and “Peekaboo” were clearly produced with “Not Like Us” in mind. (“Squabble Up,” of course was already previewed in the “Not Like Us” video.) There’s still plenty of room for quiet contemplation on GNX, but there’s no shortage of party playlist fodder either.
