In 2024, Kendrick Lamar has become the master of the anti-rollout: Since the beginning of the year, he's turned X 12 words worth of posts and a few tracks accompanied by still images on Instagram into an era-defining rap beef. number one single and a Super Bowl LIX halftime performance booking in New Orleans. Between his guest appearance on Future and Metro Boomin's “Like That” and his chart-topping victory lap of “Not Like Us,” Kendrick captured the nation's attention by lobbing diss after diss on the most commercially dominant his rap star, not deposing Drake, but certainly leaving a permanent stain on his image, accusing him of sex trafficking, pedophilia and cultural colonization.
The beef has been simmering since Drake's half-hearted and occasionally confused response to “The Heart Part 6,” as Kendrick made his moves strategically, appearing for the Pop Out concert, the “Not Like Us” video and the Super Bowl announcement . This morning, however, Kendrick uploaded a cryptic, subtle snippet titled “GNX” to YouTube and, even more unexpectedly, dropped his sixth studio album in its entirety just before noon. The new LP is more accessible than the complex 2022 Mr. Morale & the Big Steppersreminiscent of 2017 pop DIME. and taking hard-hitting West Coast slappers and sleek synth-pop into a relatively tidy 45-minute experience. Further exploring the edgy, Drakeo the Ruler-inspired flow that made the flicks on “Not Like Us” so memorable, he also brought a new generation of SoCal frontmen along for the ride, using local emcees like AzChike, Peysoh and YoungThreat for collaborations. Here are five takeaways that stood out while spinning GNX the first times.
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After kicking off the summer of 2024 with an all-out assault against the OVO camp, Kendrick frees Drake from the wrath (or satisfaction) of another name. GNXbut that does not mean it has taken a peaceful turn. With “Wacced Out Murals” open, he swings out, firing quick shots at those aligned with the opposing side. Spitting venom over sirens and staccato strings, Kendrick takes aim at his former heroes, reflecting on the disappointment Lil Wayne expressed when Kendrick was chosen to play the Super Bowl halftime show in Weezy's hometown and calling out Snoop Dogg for posting his Drake's AI-assisted 'Taylor Made' Disc Instagrams After Release GNX it may not be a major mobilization in the war between Aubrey's Angels and TDE students, but there's enough of a stir to fuel the conversation through Thanksgiving.
Download Hyphy
Despite the single's long litany of chatter, it was undeniably Mustard's production on “Not Like Us,” arranging a stuttering Monk Higgins sample over railgun drums, that kept audiences hitting replay well beyond its release date. His work set the tone for the menacing hyphy sound that dominates much of it GNX. Mustard was brought in to produce two tracks on the record, “Hey Now” and “TV Off”, and the finished tracks “Squabble Up” and “Peekaboo” were clearly created with “Not Like Us” in mind. (“Squabble Up,” of course, was already featured in the “Not Like Us” video.) There's still plenty of room for quiet reflection on GNXbut there's no shortage of party playlist fodder.
