Jude Magnotti ‘26
EE Co-Managing Editor
As if we thought Kendrick Lamar could not get any more unpredictable, he went out and did it again!
With the surprise release of his 6th studio album (not counting untitled) “GNX”, the infamous K.Dot has once again subverted any and all expectations for what fans thought he was capable of.
After a career year in which he torched fellow rap superstar Drake, Lamar capped off this historic season with a not-so-composed victory lap around the rap industry.
Despite the deep and introspective style of music we have become accustomed to seeing from him, Lamar’s new project has served as a stark yet refreshing departure from this trend as it serves as his most loose and unserious compilation to date leaning more into the West Coast style of hip hop he has developed more recently working with figures like Baby Keem and DJ Mustard.
While some may see this as a bad thing, considering his most recent album was the highly introspective and intricate Mr. Morale And The Big Steppers, a less serious, more pure hip hop album proved to be exactly what fans needed (even if they did not necessarily know it).
Consisting of just 12 songs wrapped up into a concise 44 minutes, “GNX” serves as less complicated yet equally effective exploration of Kendricks’s career and accomplishments looking back. With songs like “man at the garden” and “heart pt. 6”, Lamar dives into both the successes and the tribulations during his time in the music industry.
While he normally refrains from making strong proclamations about his all-time status among fellow rappers, Kung-Fu Kenny holds nothing back affirming his status and his throne as the greatest rapper to ever walk the face of the earth.
With an earth-shattering mix of harsh west coast anthems such as, “tv off” and “squabble up”, Lamar gives the audience both barrels of his musical and lyrical genius rallying the soul of every hip hop fan and figure on the planet to get up and bang their heads.
Still, despite the overwhelmingly positive reception of the album, it is not to be said that this work of hip hop is definitely a masterpiece. As previously mentioned, some are upset with Lamar’s decision to stray away from his normal methodology of self-examining writing.
As catchy as “GNX” is, it lacks the core elements of music that separate Kendrick from his fellow rap game competitors such as J.Cole and Travis Scott. The album also lacks a cohesive flow, often jumping from one concept to the next with no real gradual transition of ideas.
Still, despite its faults, this type of album is what fans have been waiting for Kendrick to deliver for YEARS. No intense self-reflection, no triple entendres, just pure west coast hip hop and Kendrick rapping his butt off on every single track. Drake, Travis, Cole, all of them can try, but none of them will ever be able to claim the crown the one true king of hip hop: Kendrick Lamar.
Photo: Apple Music, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=78423443