GNX
From feuding with Drake to surprise releasing his sixth studio album GNX, and now an upcoming 2025 tour with SZA, it’s been quite a year for Kendrick. GNX gives us a glimpse of Kendrick’s vulnerable side, while concurrently expressing his thoughts on the current state of society.
Following an interesting couple of months best characterized through diss tracks, and speculation of an album release, Kendrick Lamar released his sixth studio album GNX, as a surprise on November 22, 2024. Consisting of 12 tracks, the album features SZA, Dody6, Lefty Gunplay, Wallie the Sensei, Siete7x, Roddy Ricch, and many more. This album comes as a release to promote Kendrick’s upcoming Grand National Tour with SZA, starting in April 2025.
GNX album cover via Spotify © All rights belong to their respective owners. No copyright infringement intended.
GNX stands for Grand National Experiment, a special edition of the 1987 Buick Regal T-type, featured on the cover of the album. The artist makes recognizable references to the 1987 Buick in some tracks; coincidentally, 1987 is also Kendrick’s birth year. He’s also opened up about his personal connection to the '87 Buick, in an interview with Complex in 2012:
“When I was born, I came home from the hospital in an '87 Buick Regal while my pops was bumping Big Daddy Kane.”
GNX is an introspective journey that only furthers Kendrick’s legacy in the world of hip-hop and the music industry as a whole. It touches on themes of generational resilience and self-exploration through layered storytelling communicated in the composition of the tracks, as well as the lyricism. The album reflects Kendrick in a vulnerable light, while at the same time boldly critiquing society.
Amidst his feud with Drake, Kendrick released Not Like Us in April of 2024. While many speculated the true meaning and intent behind this song, he recently opened up about the real meaning behind the lyrics of the track:
“Not like us is the energy of who I am, the type of man I represent…. This man has morals, he has values, he believes in something, he stands on something. He’s not pandering.”
The first song of the studio album, wacced out murals, is probably one of the best opening tracks to an album I’ve heard. The track starts with an intro by Deyra Barrera, a regional Mexican singer and songwriter. Her vocals are featured on two more of the tracks on the album—reincarnated and gloria.
Siento aquí tu presencia
La noche de anoche
Y nos ponemos a llorarI feel your presence here
The night of last night
And we start to cry
The song’s significance takes on a very interesting perspective when looked at closely. July 16th, 2024, Gustavo Zermeño, a muralist, posted a video of a mural that featured Kendrick on the exterior of a restaurant in Compton. A couple of months later, the mural was vandalized by a Compton-based gang.
Pulled over by the law, you ridin' dirty, so you can't argue with 'em?
Then make it to be a star, bare your soul and put your heart up in it?
Well, I did
Whacked the murals out, but it ain't no legends if my legend ends
In the outro to the songs, Kendrick once again makes a reference to “whacked out murals” as a metaphor for the erasure of cultural icons, and simultaneously stating that without him there would be little to none enduring legends to honor. Additionally, he reflects on themes of permanence and its fragility.
luther, the third track on the album, features SZA and marks the 5th collaboration between Kendrick and herself. The title of the track comes from the sampled track by Luther Vandross If The World Were Mine. The song resonates deeply with me due to its beautiful instrumentals, alongside the lyrical exchanges between the two. Touching on topics of conflict and pain of the world, the song serves as a love ballad attributing the power of relationships and love in troubling times.
Hey, Roman numeral seven, bae, drop it like it's hot
If this world was mine, I'd take your dreams and make 'em multiply
If this world was mine, I'd take your enemies in front of God
Introduce 'em to that light, hit them strictly with that fire
The song includes a particular biblical reference, as the number 7 represents divine completeness and perfection in the Bible.
Top used to record me back when it was poor me
And now we at the round table for what assures me
I guess my motivation was the yearnin' for independence
Poured everything I had left in the family business
Now it's about Kendrick, I wanna evolve, place my skillset as a Black exec'
I jog my memory, knowin' Black Hippy didn't work 'cause of me
Creatively, I moved on with new concepts in reach
The sixth part of Kendrick’s ‘The Heart’ series is also featured on the album, on the track heart pt.6. Nearing the end of his feud with Drake, he released a diss track mocking Kendrick, titled THE HEART PART SIX. Regardless of the feud, Kendrick does not reference Drake and the situation in the track, but rather dedicates to the original idea of the series. In this part of the series, he discusses his beginning in the industry and his departure from Top Dawg Entertainment and Black Hippy.
Kendrick Lamar’s GNX is a masterful and deeply introspective addition to his already stellar discography, showcasing his evolution as both an artist and a storyteller. The album weaves personal history, societal critique, and bold experimentation into a cohesive narrative, cementing Kendrick’s role as a cultural icon who refuses to be confined by expectations. From the hauntingly poignant wacced out murals to the soulful collaboration with SZA on luther, GNXpushes the boundaries of hip-hop while staying true to its roots.
