Kendrick Lamar Addressed it All on ‘GNX’

Sometimes you just gotta pop out…with a new album.

Kendrick Lamar shocked the world with the surprise drop of GNX , his sixth studio album and his first not released under the TDE banner. (The album is out via pgLang and Interscope.)

GNX is lean and mighty—12 tracks and under an hour long. With the exception of SZA and producers like Sounwave, Jack Antonoff, and Mustard, the album mostly highlights newer, underground voices like Dody6, Hitta J3, and others.

It's an interesting move from Kendrick. After a year where he bested Drake in a rap battle, released the No. 1 rap single of the year , and cemented his place as top dog by getting the Super Bowl halftime performance slot, Kendrick could have gone bigger, more mainstream with this release. But instead of crafting a glossy, commercial album, he chose to focus on something more local—an album dedicated to his city, full of regional sounds and cultural callbacks.

In short, GNX is more "pop out" than Super Bowl.

Even the album's release signaled something understated: Kendrick teased GNX on his YouTube and finsta on Friday morning, sharing a snippet of a song that doesn’t even appear on the final tracklist. By the time fans processed the teaser, the full album had already dropped, with K.Dot sending out the link.

GNX is Kendrick's first release since Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers , and it represents a complete 180 from that album. While Mr. Morale was long, complex, and introspective, GNX is stripped-down, confrontational, and to the point.

After spending some time with the album, here are 10 key takeaways.

Drake's name doesn't get uttered...but he does get mentioned

Rap has been so dominated by the ongoing beef between Drake and Kendrick Lamar that it's hard to hear any bar on GNX with negative connotations and not immediately think of a jab at the 6 God. Take your pick—there are plenty to choose from. On the album opener "wacced out murals," Kendrick raps: “Niggas from my city couldn’t entertain old boy / Promisin’ bank transactions and even bitcoin / I never peaced it up, that shit don’t sit well with me.” It’s a clear shot at Drake, who was reportedly looking for dirt on Kendrick.

On the very next track, "squabble up," the mere mention of a “squabble” instantly recalls the beef between them. Kendrick raps: “I got friends, I got foes, but they all sittin’ ducks / Hit his turf and get crackin’, double back like a deluxe.” Later, on "hey now," he raps about “strangling a goat”—which, do we really need to spell it out?

Despite being the biggest hit of his career, “Not Like Us” isn’t on the album. Maybe part of the reason is Kendrick didn’t want Drake’s name on the album?—Will Schube

Kendrick heard all the Super Bowl talk

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Kendrick Lamar has been relatively quiet since announcing his Super Bowl halftime performance. Of course, following the announcement, there was plenty of chatter and drama, especially with Lil Wayne expressing frustration over not being picked to perform, even though the event was in New Orleans.

Kendrick took notice of the conversation and responded on “wacced out murals.” Despite his frustration, Wayne has been careful not to directly diss Kendrick, instead suggesting that larger forces—cough, Jay-Z and Roc Nation —were at play. However, that didn't stop Kendrick from addressing Wayne directly in his verse, rapping:

"Used to bump Tha Carter III, I held my Rollie chain proud / Irony, I think my hard work let Lil Wayne down / Whatever, though, call me crazy, everybody questionable / Turn me to an Eskimo, I drew the line in decimals."

Later, Kendrick rapped, "Won the Super Bowl and Nas the only one congratulate me," a subtle reference to J. Cole's 2013 track "Let Nas Down."

Later on, Kendrick also raps: "Old-ass flows, tryna convince me that you they favorite," a bar that could be interpreted as a diss to Wayne and the social media campaign that began once it was clear he wouldn't be performing at the Super Bowl.

Kendrick and Wayne have a long history of mutual admiration, so it will be interesting to see where their relationship stands moving forward. One thing is certain: don't expect Wayne to make a surprise appearance during Kendrick's set in February. —Dimas Sanfiorenzo

Jack Antonoff came with some slappers

One of the surprising moments from the Drake and Kendrick beef came when it was revealed that pop producer Jack Antonoff helped produce "6:16 in LA." At the time, fans speculated that it might have been a subtle response to Drake’s lines about Kendrick needing Taylor Swift for a hit. (Antonoff is one of Swift’s most reliable producers.)

But it turns out there may be more to it than that. It looks like K.Dot and Jack have an actual solid creative relationship. Antonoff co-produced 11 of the 12 tracks on the album—except for “Peekaboo.” It’s a stunning revelation, especially considering that, before this summer, there was no public indication of any ties between the two.

What’s even more surprising is that Antonoff doesn’t have a long history in hip-hop, aside from his production work for artists like Brockhampton and Tierra Whack. To Antonoff’s credit, he brought some serious West Coast heat to the project. —Dimas Sanfiorenzo

The importance of the Buick

GNX the album is named after the car that K.Dot has plenty of ties to. GNX comes from Buick and stands for “Grand National Experimental.” The car is considered a unicorn. It was released only in 1987—the same year Kendrick was born—and only 537 were made . The car is featured in the cover art for the album, which shares a resemblance to Lil Wayne’s Tha Carter II artwork. (Maybe another Weezy shot?)

Back in March, Kendrick took to Instagram in a since deleted post and shared photos of his new purchase at the time—a Buick GNX. He wrote in the caption: “Aye life get real tricky. No matter where you at with it. i never pick and choose what stories to relate to. all of them is relative. like my momma say tho. different strokes for different folks. a good ol saying can snap you back into reality sometimes. but in the moment of confusion, the best thing you can do is find a gnx. make you realize the only thing that matters in life is that original paper work."

In a 2012 conversation with Complex , K.Dot revealed that his father brought him home from the hospital in a Buick Regal. "My pops put me on to rap," he said. "When I was born, I came home from the hospital in an '87 Buick Regal while my pops was bumping Big Daddy Kane."?—Will Schube

“Reincarnated” is the emotional centerpiece

Religion, specifically Kendrick’s Christian faith, has consistently made its way into his work. It was a focal poin t of Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers, on which Kendrick used the tenets of Christianity to explore his personal life, reckoning with his sins, his marriage, and his children. On GNX, the references aren’t always so explicit, except on “Reincarnated,” which serves as the spiritual soul of the album. Whereas plenty of other songs concern themselves with shit talking and beating the living pulp out of his competition, “Reincarnated” is comparably a downright devotional.

On the song, which samples 2Pac’s “Made Niggaz,” Kendrick ties his struggle with faith with the temptations that come with his day job, spitting:

“Truth be told, I've been battling my soul/ Tryna navigate the real and fake/ Cynical about the judgment day/ I did bad, slight progression last year and it fucked me up/ Reincarnated on this earth for a hundred plus.”

He also reckons with his place in the industry and how it’s in many ways at odds with his definition of faithfulness. He adds: “I was head of rhythm and blues/ The women that fell to they feet, so many to choose/ But I manipulated power as I lied to the masses/ Died with my money, gluttony was too attractive, reincarnated.”

By the end, though, he tweaks the thesis, concluding: “And I'm ashamed that I ever created that enemy/ Then let's rejoice where we at/ I rewrote the devil's story just to take our power back, ’carnated.” ——Will Schube

The “MUSTARRRRRRRD” at the beginning of “tv off” sounds like a nod to the year they’ve had together

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Is “tv off” the new “Not Like Us?” Well, let’s not overreact, but it does appear to be the next in line after the all-time diss in terms of Kendrick collaborations with Mustard. Though the producer is all over GNX, he doesn’t get a sustained shoutout quite like he does on “tv off,” which begins with a sultry horn line and dusty drums. Kenny busts out his “Backseat Freestyle” flow, practically screaming into the mic. After part one, Kendrick yells: “MUSTARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRD.”

It’s a celebration of the duo’s relationship, and it makes sense to put it on this track, considering “tv off” features Mustard’s hardest beat on the album, in addition to some of Kendrick’s most powerful bar-for-bar punches. The song feels like a culmination of the duo’s massive year, a victory lap to end all victory laps after “Not Like Us” dominated rap culture for 2024. —Will Schube

This is Kendrick’s most LA album yet

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K.Dot has always held allegiances to the West Coast, specifically Los Angeles and his hometown neighborhood of Compton. On GNX, though, he ups the ante to the nth degree, giving plenty of the spotlight to rising rappers from his city. On “dodger blue,” named after his hometown team, he raps: “What school you went to? Gardena, Compton/ Westchester, King/Drew, then we function.” Shortly after, he adds: “Bitch, I’m from the LAnd/ Don't say you hate L.A. when you don't travel past the 10.” The song also features Sam Dew, Ink, Roddy Ricch, WallieTheSensei, and Siete, making it an LA hometown affair of the highest order.

Every time a younger, lesser known artist steps up to the mic, they absolutely crush the opportunity. On “hey now,” Dody6 goes bar for bar with King Kenny, trading lines with him like he's a seasoned vet.

The title track, which was completed this week, is another opportunity for young stars to shine. The song features Peysoh, Hitta J3, and YoungThreat. Kendrick is helping to introduce the next crop of LA stars, in part, it seems, because he’s disenchanted by the old wave. On opener “wacced out murals,” he responds to Snoop Dogg’s endorsement of Drake's " Taylor Made Freestyle, " which he re-posted on his Instagram Stories. Kendrick raps: "Snoop posted 'Taylor Made,' I prayed it was the edibles/ I couldn't believe it, it was only right for me to let it go."

Snoop didn't seem to pressed about the line, later saying that it was, indeed, the edibles . — Will Schube

"heart pt. 6" is the story of TDE

One of the more emotional moments of Kendrick Lamar's Pop Out concert was seeing the rapper reunite with his original TDE crew—Jay Rock, ScHoolboy Q, and Ab-Soul—presenting a united front. In some ways, that moment felt like a TDE sendoff.

But we were wrong. "heart pt. 6" is the actual end TDE sendoff. On the track, Kendrick tells the story of the label's journey. In the first verse, he paints a vivid picture of what early sessions were like—plates of Jack in the Box, Pepsi, weed smoke—with the priority at the start being Jay Rock.

"Everything I had was for the team, I remained patient," he rapped.

As the song progresses, Kendrick details how his ambitions grew. By the third verse, he's thinking bigger than rap—about becoming a black executive, which conflicts with his role in the group.

"I guess my motivation was the yearning for independence.Poured everything I had left into the family business/ Now it’s about Kendrick, I wanna evolve, place my skillset as a Black exec," he raps.

He then reveals what why we never got the full Black Hippy experience.

"I jog my memory, knowin' Black Hippy/Didn't work 'cause of me.Creatively, I moved on with new concepts in reach."

The song obviously continues Kendrick's "Heart" series which Drake tried to jack . But, clearly that didn't quite work for him. —Dimas Sanfiorenzo

Deyra Barrera's presence throughout the album

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The first voice you hear at the beginning of “wacced out murals,” is that of Deyra Barrera, a Los Angeles-based mariachi singer. She appears on three tracks on the album, also “reincarnated” and “gloria."

Rolling Stone reached out to Barrera and she told the publication: “My skin gets goosebumps because all of this happened so quickly for me...It’s magical. I want to cry.”

So, what is Kendrick’s connection to Barrera? What’s the Easter egg that reveals something deeper? In classic Kendrick fashion, the deeper meaning isn’t entirely clear, but he’s certainly working an angle with hidden layers of meaning.—Will Schube