GNX: the return of the boogeyman.
All he ever wanted was a Black Grand National.
At 11 a.m. on November 22, 2024, Kendrick Lamar posted on X for the first time in over two months. In September, Lamar was on top of the world. The rapper was riding high after claiming victory in a public feud with Aubrey “Drake” Graham. The public, too, believed that Lamar had won. He was seemingly unstoppable. Lamar’s final diss track “Not Like Us” nullified the common complaint that his music can’t appeal to mainstream fans and hip-hop heads alike. But this wasn’t enough. He continued to attack Drake by hosting The Pop Out: Ken & Friends in Los Angeles. A celebration of West Coast life and culture, tens of thousands attended the event and millions more watched online. Soon after, Lamar released the highly anticipated music video for “Not Like Us.” Then, as suddenly as he appeared, Lamar vanished from public view. His fans were left with nothing but a short snippet of a new track at the beginning of the “Not Like Us” music video. Fans speculated online. Would we get yet another Drake diss? More hopeful fans thought this could be the start of an album rollout. But as the weeks dragged on and we heard nothing, many began to lose hope. Then, on September 8, notifications of a new post appeared in the inboxes of Lamar’s 12 million X followers. “Super Bowl LIX. New Orleans.” Again, speculation ran wild. Would Lamar release a new project before the Super Bowl? Again, hope turned to resignation as the months passed. Then, on a seemingly mundane Friday in November, Lamar posted three simple letters – “GNX.”
It’s no surprise that Lamar chose the Buick Grand National Regal GNX as the visual and spiritual representation of his latest project. Like Lamar, the GNX was born in 1987. Never meant for widespread production and distribution, only 547 cars were ever produced. As years passed and Buick’s Regal line slowly faded out of production, the GNX became a highly sought after collectible. With a minimalistic design highlighted by a dark exterior, the GNX perfectly represents Kendrick Lamar’s place within hip-hop. A classic figure of muscle car culture, the GNX stands above not only its contemporaries, but its predecessors too, while still paying homage to the long line of cars that helped influence its design. The car isn’t flashy, but it isn’t dull. Its dark paint reveals its hidden depth to the viewer, just like this album. The GNX, like Lamar, is difficult to understand, but something about it captivates us. In a 2012 interview with Complex, Lamar remarked that his father drove him home from the hospital in his own GNX. In 2024, Lamar chooses to instead get behind the wheel and take us to that same home—Compton.
GNX is Kendrick Lamar’s 6th studio album. His first release under pgLang since leaving the premier LA-based Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE), Lamar chooses to embrace, not abandon, his West Coast roots on this project. Even former TDE labelmates take turns driving us around in GNX, with SZA delivering two outstanding features on “Luther” and “Gloria.” Likewise, Lamar’s longtime collaborator, Sounwave, helped produce every track on the album. Other prominent artists on the project include Jack Antonoff, Sam Dew, Mustard and Roddy Ricch. While this ensemble of performers is quite notable by itself, what truly differentiates GNX from Lamar’s previous albums is his inclusion of relatively unknown West Coast talent. Lamar brings in artists with little national recognition and allows these future stars to shine in the spotlight. From the awe-inspiring vocals of mariachi performer Deyra Barrera to dody6’s infectious flow and ability to trade lines with Lamar, GNX puts amazing West Coast talent on the world stage.
Like Buick’s GNX, this album isn’t only an homage and celebration of legacy and culture—it’s built for performance, too. Throughout GNX, Lamar makes it clear that he hasn’t forgotten those who have wronged him. Using a haunting tone throughout the first track, “wacced out murals,” Lamar opens the album by reciting:
Yesterday, somebody whacked out my mural
That energy’ll make you niggas move to Europe
But it’s regular for me, yeah that’s for sure
The love and hate is definite without a cure
All this talk is bitch-made, that’s on my Lord
I’ll kill ‘em all before I let ‘em kill my joy
I done been through it all, what you endure?
It used to be “fuck that nigga,” but now it’s plural
In the aftermath of his months-long feud with Drake, it seems that Lamar still harbors resentment towards those in the hip-hop community who didn’t fully take his side. Lamar, no fan of sneak dissing, calls out two of his heroes, Snoop Dogg and Lil Wayne, for their own transgressions: the former for reposting Drake’s AI-assisted “Taylor Made Freestyle” and the latter for ambivalence (or as Lamar suggests, jealousy), towards his headlining of Super Bowl LIX. These moments immediately set the tone for the album. Never has Lamar opened a project with such unflinching animosity towards his peers. “wacced out murals” forces the listener to reckon with the fact that we’ve come a long way from 2022’s Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers. Instead, Lamar is here to aggressively show off his skills while retaining his legendary pen.
A sonic and spiritual blend of Lamar’s most mainstream album, DAMN., and recent tracks “Like That” and “Not Like Us,” GNX contains a plethora of high energy crowd-pleasers for 2025’s Grand National Tour. For fans of R&B powerhouse SZA, “Luther” instantly draws comparisons to DAMN.’s Rihanna duet “LOYALTY.” and the Black Panther soundtrack smash “All The Stars” with SZA. GNX’s “heart pt. 6” conjures memories of DAMN.’s “DUCKWORTH.” Upon first listen, these two tracks share little in common sonically, with “DUCKWORTH.” sampling 1970s soul classic “Be Ever Wonderful” and “heart pt. 6” utilizing R&B group SWV’s “Use Your Heart.” What connects the two tracks, though, is Lamar’s staple storytelling. Retelling the formative years that led to his arrival at TDE and eventual success, Lamar reminds us yet again of the power of personal choice and the fruits we can reap when we dare to sow. Elsewhere, plenty of other tracks live in the same universe as “Like That” and “Not Like Us,” including “hey now” and “squabble up.” Both incorporating West Coast hip-hop production elements, including a resonating bass drum, high hats, snares, and, in the case of “squabble up,” an intriguing utilization of synthesizers, these tracks offer infectious music that you just can’t help but dance to.
Buick’s GNX not only inspires this album, but it allows us to navigate our very way of understanding its place among Lamar’s work. Like its namesake, GNX honors the long line of artists that helped shape and mold its creator. It is the culmination of its respective cultural identity, being the child of love and labor from an impassioned creator. But a question remains. Buick’s GNX has held up for nearly 40 years. With a diehard fan base and rich history, the GNX is legendary. This album, on the other hand, is remarkably young. With rich production, storytelling, lyricism, and flows, you could argue for GNX’s place as a top three album in Lamar’s nearly flawless catalog. Critics and fans alike will continue to listen to GNX to determine if it will truly age as well as good kid, m.A.A.d city, To Pimp A Butterfly, and DAMN. For now, I reckon that it will.
edited by Kristen Wallace.
album artwork believed to belong to either the publisher of the work or the artist.
