By: Sahil Muthukrishnan

Sports Editor

On Nov. 22, renowned American hip-hop artist Kendrick Lamar dropped GNX, the 17-time Grammy winner’s sixth studio album. This was Lamar’s first album after his split from his longtime label Top Dawg Entertainment. The album joins critically acclaimed albums like Damn, Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers, and To Pimp a Butterfly, for which he notably won a Pulitzer prize. 

Arriving more than two years after the rapper dropped his last album, Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers, GNX is named after the 1987 Buick Grand National Regal and features prolific rappers and R&B artists such as Roddy Rich, SZA, and Kamasi Washington. Lamar enlisted 11-time Grammy winner Jack Antonoff to produce the project. On this 12-track album, Lamar shows his West Coast roots with highly stylized production and flow. 

The album broke records early on despite no publicity beyond a one-minute teaser trailer Lamar released on YouTube 30 minutes before the drop, clearing 363 million streams on Spotify during its opening week. The album came after his highly public rap feud with Canadian rapper Drake, in which he released the hit single Not Like Us, which also features a West Coast style.

Critics deemed GNX a scrappy, ruthless album different from his previous and highly conceptual pieces like Damn and Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers. While GNX may not have the same elevated feel as earlier albums, songs like Reincarnated shine through with the rapper’s trademark storytelling. In Reincarnated, Lamar portrays himself as a vessel for past artists like Billie Holiday. On TV Off, featuring Lefty Gunplay, the rapper discusses the significant number of frauds plaguing the rap scene. Lamar and SZA’s Luther is a standout track, with SZA’s smooth vocals, a sample of Luther Vandross’s, if this world were mine, and a vision of a more just world. The track describes concrete flowers growing, representing how the greatest people can come from the roughest conditions. Lamar’s next track Heart Pt. 6 serves as a pseudo response to Drake’s diss track under the same name. Lamar does not address Drake in the track, instead reclaiming his signature naming scheme. Other tracks such as Gloria, Peekaboo featuring AzChike, and Squabble Up, which reached number one on the Billboard Top 100, have been well received by fans.

GNX is a testament to timeless West Coast-style rap. By diversifying his track list even more, the album helps cement Lamar as one of the greatest rappers ever. Lamar’s lyrical prowess shines through on every song. The rapper has joined the Beatles and Taylor Swift in history by claiming the entire top five songs of the Billboard Top 100 list. This is along with additional tracks in the top ten. With GNX, Lamar has proven Father Time has yet to take his musical talent; he is here to stay, an exciting prospect for fans already eager for the rapper’s next project.

(Sources: Billboard, Rolling Stone, Yahoo)