Kendrick Lamar “GNX” Evaluation

The duality in Kendrick Lamar’s catalog has been much more prevalent in his current outings. His albums, from Part.80 to Mr. Morale & The Massive Steppers, have usually explored the cause-and-effect of his environment. good child m.A.A.d metropolis detailed his upbringing in Compton and the issues he’s witnessed and skilled that knowledgeable his character. To Pimp A Butterfly, then again, delved into survivor’s regret as his star energy shined globally. Via these albums and past, the essence of the West Coast constantly permeated every venture. Nevertheless, the affect of Los Angeles has by no means been extra pronounced than it’s on his sixth studio album, GNX. After a triumphant summer season that noticed Kendrick Lamar unify the streets of Compton on one stage and singlehandedly change the notion of hip-hop’s greatest star, GNX is a return to the stomping grounds that celebrates the previous, current, and way forward for Los Angeles.  

Let’s be clear, although: GNX isn’t a victory lap, neither is it completely devoted to doubling again on his feud with Drake, regardless that that power is felt throughout each tune. Greater than something, this album ushers in a brand new period for Kendrick Lamar the place the burden of essential acclaim and numbers really feel secondary to his artistic imaginative and prescient, particularly as his first post-TDE venture beneath pgLang. With that in thoughts, the album begins with an enormous center finger to the business and people who’ve shed an oz of doubt on him. The sparse horns and glitchy synths of “wacced out murals” grow to be a canvas for Kendrick to launch the strain from the months of narratives that adopted his victory in opposition to Drake and people who’ve tried to smudge his legacy. It’s a broader portray of the potential implications of the feud; a retort to critics; and a declaration of his coveted place on the prime of the meals chain. Sonically and thematically, “wacced out murals” is as blistering as it’s cathartic, tying in every thing from Snoop Dogg co-signing “Taylor Made Freestyle” and the allegations from “6:16 In L.A.” to Lil Wayne’s quite entitled response to shedding out on the Tremendous Bowl Halftime present. Regardless of a historical past of displaying like to those that got here earlier than him, it’s a second the place he forces the dynamic to shift between himself and people who’ve influenced him.

Nonetheless, the core of the album could possibly be finest summarized in a single line within the intro: “F*ck a double entendre, I would like y’all to really feel this sh*t.” Though there are greater than sufficient double entendres to sink your enamel into, GNX largely carries the environment that he set this summer season with “Not Like Us.” “squabble up,” the extremely anticipated snippet from the “Not Like Us” music video, delivers on all fronts–maybe, one of many few snippets in hip-hop historical past that lived as much as its hype. It’s a vibrant and animated West Coast banger that hyperlinks its current type with nods to bounce music that you’d doubtless hear Snowfall’s Skully listening to throughout an Angel Mud journey and West Coast’s wealthy musical tapestry, because of the pattern of Debbie Deb’s “After I Hear Music.” Equally, “hey now” ft. Dody6 transforms a husk and bassy manufacturing right into a sinister dance quantity with a nod to D4L’s “Scotty” for an instantaneous stand-out. 

For as a lot as this album departs from Kendrick’s regular theatrical ideas, it doesn’t lack in storytelling qualities. “Reincarnated” is a masterclass in storytelling, the place he masterfully channels Tupac Shakur’s cadence whereas detailing the story of the satan via three musicians. Then there’s the outro, “gloria,” an “I Used To Love H.E.R” homage that personifies Kendrick’s pen as a lady. Finally, GNX is a blended bag that encapsulates selection with out shedding its cohesion. As a lot as these information, together with “luther” ft. SZA (who additionally seems on “gloria”), and “dodger blue,” present lush soundscapes and velvety melodies that lower via the boisterous manufacturing throughout the album. 

Although there are many methods to dissect this album, its most essential attribute is its dedication to uplifting the West and carrying on custom. The ecosystem of Los Angeles’ rap scene is huge and complex with road politics, particularly as burgeoning abilities throughout town started making waves. The inclusion of artists like Lefty Gunplay, whose four-word outro is simply as a lot of an earworm as Kendrick’s new drop for DJ Mustard on “television off,” Peysoh, and Deyra Barrera, emphasize the theme of West Coast unity, particularly amongst Black and Brown communities. 

As Kendrick Lamar enters this new chapter in his profession, he ensures that he ties up free ends. “Coronary heart pt. 6”–a dig at Drake’s failed try and hijack a sequence devoted to Kendrick’s development–supplies followers with the kind of closure and clarification that they’ve been eager for, even earlier than Mr. Morale & The Massive Steppers. It’s a susceptible and trustworthy flashback to High Dawg Leisure’s humble beginnings that element their journey collectively however extra importantly, his determination to go away the label to determine pgLang alongside Dave Free. Whereas followers is likely to be saddened {that a} Black Hippy album isn’t within the playing cards, “coronary heart pt. 6” sheds mild on Kendrick’s aspirations. However that’s simply it–Kendrick’s development and elevation as an artist and enterprise requires sacrifices, even when it comes at the price of the expectations that his followers maintain over his head. GNX is an excellent first leap on this chapter of Kendrick’s profession the place he embraces the following era of stars, proudly carries the torch for the West Coast, and calls for the respect that he’s earned.