Best of 2024: Kendrick Lamar - GNX
by Nolan MAJEROWSKI
While New York City can forever claim the title of the birthplace of hip hop, the “mecca” of the genre is ever-changing. There is no single “capital” city of hip hop; whichever location discovers a new sound, brings in more listeners, and progresses the genre can claim the title at any point. NYC was the heart of the genre throughout the late ‘70s until the late ‘80s, when N.W.A. brought the title over to LA. In the early 2000s and the 2010s, Atlanta largely claimed the role, with the rise of crunk and later trap music. There have been movements from Virginia’s futuristic sound pioneered by Timbaland and the Neptunes to Chicago, with drill music spearheaded by Chief Keef, and even Detroit in the 2020s. However, I consider NYC, LA, and Atlanta to be the three true “capitals” of hip hop. The success of Travis Scott, Metro Boomin, Future, and Playboi Carti has continued Atlanta’s run at the top of the game. However, Kendrick Lamar and his LA contemporaries have done in 2024 what N.W.A. did in 1988. In 2024, the release of GNX has signaled that the flame of hip hop has crip-walked its way back to the West Coast.
Okay, the N.W.A. comparison from earlier is slightly egregious. Straight Outta Compton had far more potent and important subject matter, and a very real impact on culture as a whole rather than just pop culture. That being said, hear me out. Before 1988, hip hop’s most popular artists were Run-D.M.C., Eric B. and Rakim, Ice-T and Slick Rick. All from New York. Most of them were known for being expert lyricists, but N.W.A. did something different. They captured attention for being at the forefront of gangsta rap and putting violence in their music like no one had ever seen before. Their debut album sparked major controversy and got everyone talking. They were critiqued for being too harsh and too mean. Similarly, the public reaction to “Not Like Us,” was that it was the meanest diss track people had ever heard (outside of maybe “Ether” or “The Story of Adidon”). Where Ice Cube and Eazy-E rapped about killing people, Kendrick rapped about killing Drake’s career. They both expertly sent their respective messages while gaining immense popularity, and put the spotlight on them, and their hometown.
2024 has seen several notable Los Angeles rappers release projects, including but not limited to: ScHoolboy Q, Vince Staples, Tyler, the Creator and Ab-Soul. While all of these projects caught attention and critical acclaim, by far the biggest hip-hop story of 2024 was the feud between Kendrick Lamar and Drake. They each traded blows, but with the release of “Not Like Us,” Lamar had easily won. The song sees Lamar rapping over a West Coast beat reminiscent of Cali artists like SOB x RBE, Shoreline Mafia and 03 Greedo. He continues to utilize this style of beats on GNX with songs like “squabble up,” “hey now” and “tv off.” These beats, the Tupac instrumental he flows over on “reincarnated,” and other references to California rap legends, are the main reasons that this album feels so much more LA than the aforementioned projects.
The intro track, “wacced out murals,” is a great opener with an instrumental that continues to build on itself over its five-minute run time. It sees Lamar talking about the fact that his Compton, CA mural got vandalized and how he has been disrespected by fans and other hip hop artists like Drake and Lil Wayne. The theme of this track (and the album itself) is how, through it all, he will forever remain true to himself – something he hints that many of his contemporaries can’t do. This parallels themes on his 2022 album, Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers, where he talks about prioritizing himself.
The next track, “squabble up,” contains incredible production from Sounwave and Jack Antonoff, among others. It is a head-nodding cut that is not as lyrically dense as other cuts from GNX, but is still one of the best songs on the album. Kendrick’s flow is particularly awesome throughout the song, especially during the call and response during the middle. “Luther” is a lovely duet between Lamar and former labelmate SZA. They play off of each other nicely in the chorus and second verse. SZA also provides vocals on the outro track, “gloria.” Lamar talks about a relationship with someone, who he reveals to be his pen in the last line. While I think this is one of the stronger tracks on the album, the twist was a little bit underwhelming, and certainly did not have the same impact as Common’s “I Used to Love H.E.R.”
There are a number of features on GNX from fellow California artists like AzChike on “peekaboo” and Dody6 on “hey now,” who give great guest verses even if I find both songs to be lacking greatness. The title track is comprised of only guest verses, as Kendrick only provides his own version of the “Yeezy taught me,” skit. This is the worst track on the album for me, with a nauseating beat and no particularly outstanding feature verse.
The strongest lyrical cut on GNX is by far “reincarnated,” in which Kendrick embodies different musicians throughout the track. The first musician, a guitarist, is gluttonous and manipulates his power to make more money. The second musician, a singer, had critical success and fame, but whose life was taken by heroin addiction. In the third verse, Kendrick is reincarnated as himself and reflects on his (current) past life. He eventually has a back-and-forth with God, and ultimately realizes this life will be different. He will be disciplined to not jump into the pitfalls of his past lives. “reincarnated,” beautifully showcases what makes Kendrick Lamar an incredible lyricist and engaging storyteller. It adds to the narrative that Kendrick knows who he is, what his values are, and what he must do to see the other side, as he talks about in “man at the garden.”
I would be remiss if I did not at least bring up “tv off,” which is basically a sister song to “Not Like Us.” While both songs follow the same formula, courtesy of DJ Mustard, “tv off” has the now iconic, “MUSTAAAAAARRRRRD,” which legitimately made me laugh out loud when I first heard it, and continues to be funny every time.
I consider “Not Like Us,” to be my generation’s “Straight Outta Compton,” a track that grabs the attention of all hip-hop fans, and relocates the spotlight of the genre to a new location. Kendrick capitalized on the success of this track by releasing GNX and adding more songs that parallel his LA roots. The album has a mix of bangers, slow jams, and lyrically dense songs without losing its focus. Kendrick Lamar knows who he is, who he wants to be, and who he has to be. Overall, I view this album as more of an enjoyable filler project than something that can stand alone among the behemoths in his catalogue. Kendrick has set the bar so high for himself that I have come to expect a more focused narrative. With GNX, Kendrick Lamar is acting as Hip hop’s Prometheus; simultaneously passing the flame of hip-hop from Atlanta to LA, and passing the torch to fresh underground West Coast contemporaries.