2024 might be the greatest year for an individual artist ever.

Kendrick Lamar proved to the world that he is not to be messed with. Through his viral online rap “battle” against Drake, another giant in the field, Kendrick asserted his position in the industry. He left the battle unscathed and instantly sold out his victory concert.

Kendrick followed up this success by revealing that he will perform for the upcoming Super Bowl and announcing an upcoming tour with fellow artist SZA. He ended the year with three #1 tracks, the most by a male artist in history. Then, on Nov. 22, Kendrick dropped a surprise album called “GNX.”

“GNX” was Kendrick’s way of shutting down anyone who still doubted him, shown through the large variety of genres and styles that the tracks on the album represent. While I’m not going to dive into every song on the album, we’ll look into a few of the tracks that define “GNX.”

“wacced out murals”:

Starting off as personal and profound, the song then uses an opera sample to transition into a more aggressive beat. While this composition is sonically pleasing, it also has deeper meaning. As the song ramps up, Kendrick’s lyrics and flow also become more self-confident, which may compare to his experiences throughout life.

This song symbolizes the album perfectly. Throughout the album Kendrick uses varying genres to communicate his story. Some parts are slow and raw while others are reminiscent of the artist’s more fast-paced music. “wacced out murals” incorporates both of these styles. Overall, “wacced out murals” is one of the stronger songs and is worth listening to for sure.

“squabble up”:

“squabble up” is the most popular track of the album, and for good reason. The song almost feels like a sequel to Kendrick Lamar’s single “Not Like Us”, as the energy of both songs match up pretty well. The latter was considered by many to be the biggest song of the year, so it only makes sense that “squabble up” followed suit.

While Kendrick doesn’t do much lyrically on this song, he doesn’t necessarily need to. The overall enthusiasm of the song does enough to hide that entirely, and the lyrics aren’t weak either. “squabble up” is rightfully the biggest song on GNX.

“luther” (with SZA):

“luther” is my personal favorite song on the album, but it’s also very different from Kendrick’s traditional rap style. By that, I mean that Kendrick actually sings… or at least tries to. At first, the song is somewhat boring, but the chorus does wonders to change that up through the introduction of SZA. 

Along with breaking up the originally monotone feel, layering SZA’s higher vocals on top of Kendrick’s deeper voice creates a great harmony that provides further weight to the song.

Unlike many other songs, the high-low vocal combination continues throughout the rest of the track. The song itself experiences a multitude of mood changes and beat switches as it goes on. “luther” is yet another must-listen of the album.

“reincarnated”:

I didn’t fully understand this song the first time I heard it, and I refuse to believe anyone who says they did. “reincarnated” is a relatively aggressive song seemingly about Kendrick’s struggles in life. He tells his story through rap in a way I’ve never heard before. 

We learn by listening that Kendrick is telling the stories of others, before he finally gets to his own. He describes them as if they were past lives from which he has been reincarnated. By looking into the lyrics more, we can actually connect these stories to other Black musicians throughout history, though I won’t delve into that here.

When he turns the story to himself, Kendrick takes a strange approach: his lyrics become a conversation. Kendrick embodies the Devil himself, speaking of being cast out of Heaven because he was arrogant. “reincarnated” may be the most heavy and profound track that Kendrick has ever released, and it isn’t for everyone. You will either strongly like or dislike the song, but it’s definitely worth a try.

“tv off” (feat. Lefty Gunplay):

“tv off” is a stark contrast to the two songs above. It isn’t detailed like “luther” or profound like “reincarnated”, but it is still one of the better songs of the album. “tv off” is an energetic and upbeat song, similar to “Not Like Us” or “squabble up”.

The song feels like Kendrick was just having fun, and the beat exemplifies that. While the beat switch mid-song may feel strange to some, Kendrick utilizes it in a witty way. Overall, it’s definitely worth listening to.

There are seven other tracks on GNX, each varying in style. I doubt anyone will like all 12 songs, but it’s more than worth a listen to the full album at least once to get a taste. The tracks listed above are some standouts, though some of the other songs on the album do weigh it down.

As a sum total, GNX is a great album that showcases Kendrick’s scope of musical talent. Not every song on the album is good, but the ones that are good are incredible. Kendrick Lamar has had a record breaking year in music, and GNX does it justice.