General Background:

“GNX” is the sixth studio album by hip-hop artist Kendrick Lamar. It was released on Nov. 22 at noon in a surprise release. It contains 12 tracks with a runtime of 44 minutes. Notable featured artists include SZA, Sam Dew, Roddy Ricch and many other West Coast rappers.

How I Rated the Songs:

I listened to this first front to back before I sat down to write it, and I paused after each song to provide my analysis and review. Similar to “Chromakopia,” songs are graded out of 10 on a decently arbitrary scale. If a track receives a low score, it doesn’t mean it’s unlistenable, it’s just subpar for the album.

All opinions are entirely subjective and there are obviously spoilers.

Tracklist:

1. wacced out murals

The song begins with a choral background and a Spanish sample that translates to “I feel your presence here last night and we start to cry, ” reflecting the dark mood that begins the track. Lamar raps over cinematic strings about how he is frustrated with the rap scene as a whole and claims that his image can never be spoiled while he is an active rapper. The chorus of the song argues that reinforcement, both positive and negative, can be disingenuous and distracting. He aired grievances with artists such as Snoop Dogg and Lil’ Wayne for actions he feels have betrayed him in regard to his selection as the 2025 Super Bowl halftime performer. I do agree with his point that the older rappers who are still making music have had their work decline in quality and the talent today should be more highlighted. The final verse seems to be about Donald Trump or Drake, which is a very interesting choice. Though never mentioned by name, criticisms of the president-elect’s policies are mentioned multiple times. He also discusses the corruption in Hollywood, with sexual violence and race scandals being culturally prominent. I think the song serves as a list of complaints Lamar has with society, and he does it quite well, although I can’t pretend to understand every reference. It’s a solid opener for the album, although a little subpar compared to his previous intro tracks.

Rating: 8.5/10

2. squabble up

This song is straight up fun. It was originally released as a snippet on Lamar’s Instagram page, but a sample from “When I Hear Music” by Debbie Deb elevated it. The production is strange but bouncy and very West Coast, which I enjoy. Lamar doesn’t do much lyrically here but I don’t think he needed to. The song has the same call-and-response pattern as “Not Like Us”,  which is a nice touch. It’s a fun song that shouldn’t be taken too seriously.

Rating: 9.5/10

3. luther (With SZA)

This song provides a cool contrast to the previous track. The beat is much lighter and Lamar raps and sings about wanting to provide a better world for his lover. SZA’s background vocals provide a nice segue to the chorus which is a duet between Lamar and her. She sounds great on this song and it’s just a sweet song overall. The sentiment is similar to “LOVE.” from Lamar’s previous album “Damn.” I really like this song.

Rating: 9/10

4. man at the garden

The production of this song borders on annoying but just stays on the tenable side. The song talks about the praise Lamar has received for his career, with the refrain “I deserve it all”. He brags about his dedication to art in an uncharacteristically arrogant piece. I can’t see myself saving this to a playlist but it does continue the theme of bold self-confidence in the album. I’m interested to see how this connects with the rest of the album.

Rating: 6.5/10

5. hey now (feat. Dody6)

The production of this song is haunting but is also very intriguing. I like the motif of west-coast drum patterns being present on the album; it reinforces Lamar’s commitment to Los Angeles’ rap scene. This song is very much a foil to “squabble up” with a similar flow and beat but a much darker production. I appreciated the reference from Kendrick of Magneto and it seems like this song is an indirect continuation of the Drake beef. The different vocal inflections Lamar hits are cool and the melodic bit is cool but the song does lack some direction. It seems like there are three bridges in the middle of the song. Dody6’s feature doesn’t do much for me. I hadn’t heard of him before and, while he wasn’t necessarily terrible, I can tell why.

Rating: 7/10

6. reincarnated

This genuinely might be the best song I have ever heard from Kendrick. Let’s start with the beat. It’s amazing. Containing a prominent sample of “Made N****z” by Tupac Shakur, Lamar references Drake’s use of an AI 2Pac voice to go at Lamar in “Taylor Made Freestyle.” It’s an excellent piano melody and consistent drum pattern that pays homage to the 1990s. I think this is indicative of the song’s message, which is that the spirit of flawed musicians will live on in each generation. By using his beat, Lamar is saying that he is continuing the legacy of controversy that Shakur had. He uses the example of two musicians, the first being a blues singer – likely Jackie Wilson – who manipulated and mistreated women and died of a heart attack from his medically questionable eating habits. The second could be Billie Holliday, a supremely talented singer who suffered from and eventually passed from drug addiction.

Lamar portrays himself as a spiritual successor to these and many more troubled musicians. His back and forth with the pitched-down voice could be a continuation of the character of Lucy (Lucifer) from “To Pimp A Butterfly.” He’s not tempted by money and substances like the previous musicians who fell victim to the devil, so his communal achievements are being discredited and undervalued. The last line says that he rewrote the devil’s story (e.g. Lucy) so that Lamar took Lucy’s power back and gave black artists a chance at success. The song is reminiscent of his unreleased track “Prayer” which, if you haven’t listened to, do yourself a favor and look it up on YouTube because it’s excellent.

Rating: 10/10

7. tv off (feat. Lefty Gunplay)

A considerable change from the depth of the previous song; this is just a banger. Lamar talks about the lack of quality in rap and that there needs to be more talent in the field, but it seems more like an excuse to make a fun track. The beat by DJ Mustard is great and Lamar yelling “MUSTARRRRD” (which needs about 50 more letters) was hilarious right after the beat switch. His flow at the end is great too. This is pretty much “Not Like Us 2”.

Rating: 9/10

8. dodger blue (feat. Wallie the Sensei, Roddy Ricch & Siete7x)

This album is so solid. This song unites a few West Coast artists for a chill song about the city that has a fun vibe with another amazing beat. The production is spectacular so far. It’s not that deep other than a potential hint that the Drake beef was the start of something bigger.

Rating: 8/10

9. peekaboo (feat. AzChike)

The intro of this song made me think it would be similar to “Otis” from “Watch The Throne” but sadly it was not. This track was quite like the other West Coast songs and felt lesser than the others. It just seemed like another tribute. The features didn’t do much for me either. This one could’ve been removed.

Rating: 5/10

10. heart pt. 6

This song is great in its production and lyrics that pay homage to Black Hippy (the brief supergroup between Lamar, ScHoolboy Q, Jay Rock and Ab-Soul). It’s so clear how impactful each member was on Lamar and the personal details he includes are endearing. This song is reflective and mature with a great hook that ties it together nicely. It’s a nice switch from the previous song and illustrates Lamar at his lyrical peak. Also, the fact he named it like this to remove the influence of Drake’s diss with a similar name is a nice touch. Overall, a very solid song that has a ton of replay value.

Rating: 9.5/10

11. gnx (feat. Hitta J3, Peysoh & YoungThreat)

This song is unlike any other I’ve heard from Lamar, but that’s not a bad thing. The beat is unique and bouncy, with some space for the vocals. I was surprised at how much I liked this song, and the features, who are all LA-based rappers, do a good job lyrically and flow-wise. The whispered outro is a bit unnecessary, and I think it detracts from the song. I’ve ended up playing this way more often than I thought I would.

Rating: 9/10

12. gloria (feat. SZA)

This is a beautiful outro to a great album. I loved the extended analogy of his pen being a romantic partner. The sentiment of growing up and maturing seen in “reincarnated” and “heart pt. 6” is also present in this song. I appreciated the older style beat and SZA’s hook is amazing. I didn’t even mind Lamar’s singing, which I’m usually not a big fan of. This track is a perfect summation of the growth seen in certain songs in the album.

Rating: 9.5/10

Final Thoughts:

This is a very good album with great lyrical content and production. While it doesn’t stack up against Lamar’s best, that was never the goal of the record. “GNX”’s goal was to highlight Los Angeles, and I think it did it perfectly. It’s a great mix of penmanship and bangers that make the most of the fun production. I will definitely come back to this project in the future.

Standouts from the album include:

• “squabble up”
• “luther”
• “reincarnated”
• “heart pt. 6”
• “gloria”

I didn’t love:

• “man at the garden”
• “hey now”
• “peekaboo”