I’d like to extend a heartfelt thank you to Drake for bringing Kendrick Lamar back into the game. Though Lamar did deliver us “Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers” in 2022, it wasn’t up to the quality we’ve come to expect from the 17-time Grammy winner. For a while there, we didn’t know if Lamar would ever give us something up to the level of “DAMN.,” “To Pimp a Butterfly” and “good kid, m.A.A.d city” (GKMC). That was until Kendrick unexpectedly dropped “GNX” last week.
Ok, maybe “GNX” isn’t on the exact same level as some of Kendrick’s classic albums, but it’s undoubtedly the highest quality music we’ve gotten from him — in any capacity — in the past seven years. What “GNX” truly does is remind us who Kendrick is as an artist; a Pulitzer Prize winning lyricist with an equally powerful voice. An egotistical maniac in the best way possible, if you will. Who else could start a song with “I deserve it all” while simultaneously calling another man a pedophile?
Even if you were to go into “GNX” blind, ignoring “Not Like Us,” “meet the grahams” and “euphoria,” the album will still give you something to listen to. Kendrick has become an unstoppable force in the rap game, etching his name up there with Jay-Z, Notorious B.I.G., Kanye West and Tupac Shakur, who Kendrick sampled on “Reincarnated.”
Another level “GNX” delivers on is in its length. It’s a 12-track, 44 minute album, something artists in general need to get back to doing. Perhaps this was a subtle shot at Drake’s most recent album, “For All The Dogs,” which was nearly two hours in length. Each individual track on “GNX” is equally intriguing and provides the listener with incredibly high levels of production — thanks, Jack Antonoff.
Kendrick’s entire career has been building to this moment. “GNX” is the magnum opus of his career. He is no longer the weed-smoking kid from southern California. He’s beyond his early mixtapes and even his GKMC and “DAMN.” eras.
“GNX” is a victory lap of sorts, a way to say “yeah, I called Drake a pedophile in all-time hilarious ways, so what?” His second Super Bowl appearance in four years will take place in February. He’s about to go on tour with SZA that will no doubt sell out, including a stop in Drake’s native Toronto. We are living in one of the highest peaks of hip-hop we’ve ever seen, and when the dust settles, it’ll be Kendrick Lamar on top.
5/5 stars
wjackso2@ramapo.edu
Featured photo courtesy of @kendricklamar, Instagram
