Image credit: pgLang, under exclusive license to Interscope Records
Kendrick Lamar has returned after two years with GNX, an album on a similar scale to the prior, emotional Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers, but one interjected with raw melodies cementing our respect. GNX has unleashed a self-proclaimed, fearless version of Lamar and this 12-track experience seems to be the knockout punch to defeat any opposition amongst the greatest in the rap industry.
After his tumultuous and intense rap ‘beef’ with hip-hop/RnB mogul Drake over the summer, most notably delivering the Grammy-award winning ‘Not Like Us’, K Dot seems to have settled the conversation. 44 minutes of viciously crafted lyrics, funky beats and expertly selected features once again stirs up the debate – which is the best Kendrick Lamar album? The Compton-born rapper’s consistency is freakish. Beginning in 2011 with Section.80 and delivering Good Kid Maad City, To Pimp a Butterfly and DAMN over the decade, Lamar has masterly dominated mainstream hip-hop, seeing off Drake, J.Cole and even the great (but controversial) Kanye West in recent times. It seems too easy. But even Kendrick has had his struggles. On Mr Morale he opened up about mental health issues and relationship struggles, and it seems on GNX his vulnerability is ever expanding.
Boldness and assurance in his art is found in the opening track, ‘wacced out murals’. A hard-hitting, intense beat aligns with his resilience in the industry and admiration for hip-hop pioneers such as Lil Wayne and Nas, the latter of whom he claims is the only person that celebrated his Super Bowl appearance. Kendrick values respect and wants others to preach about his name. However, never before on this level have we seen this grand announcement of himself as the godfather of hip-hop, although there have been tasters in the past. The great ‘Sing about me, I’m dying for thirst’, on GKMC comes to mind, where he proclaims “My main concern, promise that you will sing about me”. Kendrick makes the importance of his presence the priority.
Frequent and long-term collaborator SZA teams up twice on K Dot’s new album, the first being ‘luther’, and the second “gloria”. Both lay out a relationship, with ‘luther’ describing Kendrick’s physical relationship with his lover and ‘gloria’ expressing a metaphorical journey of his love-hate relationship with hip-hop. Lush instrumentals champion SZA’s gorgeous vocals and Kendrick’s incredible songwriting, a highlight being the chorus on ‘luther’, one of the great moments in Kendrick Lamar’s discography.
“I deserve it all”. The fourth track on GNX, ‘man at the garden’ is forged with a sombre melody, centred by this lyric. God is a theme that has been exploited countless times by the West Coast rapper, but ‘man at the garden’ approaches the listener with a hypnotic flair, which climaxes in an transcendent, explicit fury that rises above normality. “A close relationship with God / Whisper to me every time I close my eyes / He say, ‘You deserve it all'”. Whether he poses as God or alongside, it’s cyclical from beginning to end, with Kendrick biblically entering the garden and by the next track ‘hey now’, leaving.
Another installment of ‘the heart’ series is also found in GNX, and it’s one of the best Lamar has recorded. Sampled from RnB trio’s SMV ‘Use your Heart’, ‘heart pt. 6’ comprises a relaxed, funky beat and sees Kendrick reminisce on times with his initial label, Top Dawg Entertainment. Nostalgia is found when rappers Schoolboy Q and Ab-soul are mentioned, taking the listener back to Lamar’s style early in his career. It strays away from the current pgLang label era, which Kendrick founded and owns.
Whatever style of music you’re into, Kendrick Lamar’s GNX is a piece of art that must grace your ears. Recollection and admiration for his achievements populate the album, and just like the Buick GNX Royal (the car found on the cover), every track is crafted with pure class.
9/10
