Kendrick Lamar shocked the world—and claimed GOAT status—with his new album, GNX.
Released Friday afternoon (Nov. 22) as a complete surprise, Lamar—who’s continues a dominant 2024 following his “elimination of Drake” this past summer—sounds volatile, confident and hungrier than ever on the follow-up to 2022’s Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers.
At 12 tracks long and featuring appearances from SZA (“Luther,” “Gloria”) as well as a trove of West Coast talent such as Roddy Ricch, Lefty Gunplay (“TV OFF”), Dody6, Azchike, Peysoh, Hitta J3, Dot’s sixth studio album includes production from Mustard (“Not Like Us”), Scott Bridgeway (Baby Keem), longtime collaborator and TDE producer Sounwave (who has credits on every track) among many others. Check out the full guest list here.
Ahead of Lamar’s Super Bowl Halftime performance in February, King Kendrick left no stone unturned on GNX. Named after the car his father drove him home from the hospital in (a 1987 Grand National Buick Regal GNX), the album addresses many of the narratives following K-dot post-beef. Taking time to fire off more bars against Drake (“I just strangled me a GOAT” or “I’ll never peace it up, that sh*t don’t sit well with me”), Lamar seems to squeeze every kill shot into the album’s intro “wacced out murals.”
The song is well on its way to achieving Hot 100 acclaim, becoming the fastest song to reach No. 1 on Apple Music in 2024. Addressing the situation with Lil Wayne, who Lamar was chosen to perform the Super Bowl in New Orleans over (Wayne’s hometown), the AI-generated “Taylor Made” freestyle that Drake dropped, Snoop Dogg’s response and the subtle Lefty Gunplay refrain (“crazy, scary, spooky, hilarious”), Dot was on demon time throughout the entirety of GNX—not wasting a breath on anything not worth saying.
The music cuts deeper than it appears on first listen. Sampling Nas on “man at the garden” and releasing the SWV-sampled “heart pt. 6,” in spite of Drake’s attempt to squander his acclaimed song series, Lamar is at his best when the beast inside him is awakened. “Dot is a dangerous man right now,” Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith wrote on IG. “Everything I thought [Kendrick] would be when he was 16 years old is here right now. Everybody stand down. I promise you.” Top’s words fueled speculation that another K-Dot album is on the way. Stemming from the song teased in the GNX trailer not being found anywhere the album, its local LA presence gives off a more mixtape vibe.
Highlights like “wacced out murals,” “tv off,” “hey now,” “luther” with SZA and “squabble up,” which is the full version of the snippet Dot previewed at the beginning of the “Not Like Us” music video, this isn’t a typical Kendrick Lamar album—not one that fans may have to listen to 10 times before they get it. It’s a banger tape, threaded together by authentic Los Angeles bounce and viral moments alike (listen to the meme-worthy MUSTAAAAAAAAAARD here).
GNX is on pace to becoming one of Kendrick’s best albums in his catalog. Overwhelmingly securing the rap MVP of 2024—and the most GRAMMY-nominated rapper of the year—just know K-dot is nowhere near finished showing the culture he’s “the greatest of all time.”
Listen to ‘GNX’ below!