What’s Good Y'all! I enjoyed a good amount of Hip-Hop albums this year, but it was something about 'GNX' that just did it for my Gemini spirit. It has been since 2022 since Kendrick Lamar has released an album, so this release was a huge shock to the culture because Kendrick does not release albums like that! However, in the wake of the most recent rap beef between Kendrick and Drake and amongst his upcoming Super Bowl 59 Performance it is only befitting right?
Social Media was ablaze the morning we all woke up to 'GNX'. A few critics felt the album was unnecessary, unhealed energy, while others felt it was the right amount of pressure the game needed. I’m amongst the others. Personally I feel like Hip-Hop is a mood, not one that is needed all the time, however the great thing about Kendrick and this album is that you get so much diversity sonically that it doesn’t matter how the energy comes packaged. I hate to break it to y'all but this isn’t just an album to carry on the battle between him and Drake, this is an album to anybody and everybody who talk the talk but don’t walk the walk, this is for you anti-black goofies, this album is for anybody that thought they could and then tried Kendrick Lamar. And you can hear that throughout the album, especially within songs like, ‘wacced out morals’, ‘man at the garden’ and ‘peekaboo’.
Aside from the constant jabs at anyone who can get it, I want to highlight the iconic features! The 12-track 'GNX' has a roster of contributors. We all know and love SZA, who appears on ‘luther’ and ‘gloria’ but it’s Kendrick’s push for west coast artists that really do it for me! Dody6 featured on ‘hey now’, Lefty Gunplay featured on ‘tv off’, AzChike featured on ‘peekaboo’ and Hitta J3, Young Threat and Peysoh featured on ‘gnx’. We also can’t forget all the phenomenal features from various artists on ‘dodger blue’, featuring Wallie the Sensei, Siete7x, Sam Dew, Roddy Rich, and Ink. Last but certainly not least, it is a must to highlight the iconic feature from Deyra Barrera on ‘wacced out morals’ 'gloria' and ‘reincarnated’.
I have a lot of favorites on the album such as 'wacced out morals', 'squabble up', 'hey now', 'luther' and 'reincarnated'. Now, I found another dope music blogger named Mimi the Music Blogger, who breaks down each song if you want to take a deeper dive into each piece, but in the words of my mother-in-law, ‘I ain’t got that to do’ lol so I just want to talk about my all time fav track 'reincarnated'. The song starts out with the powerful vocals of Deyra Barrera and in Spanish she sings, 'What does your gaze reflect, the night you and I'. From there, the beat takes you away and Kendrick comes onto the track sounding somewhat reminiscent of a reincarnated 2Pac. The song itself is so beautiful and can be taken in so many ways as Kendrick takes a look back at not only his past but the past lives of other artists who have come before him and inspired him.
I’ve been a fan of west coast rap since I was kid, I can remember that it was something about the beats and the way they would Incorporate funk, jazz, and r&b into their sounds. Although the content wasn’t kid friendly it was something about it that just made me want to get up to dance and sing. Till this day Kendrick still carries that torch, and ever so brightly. I also feel like it is the duality in which Kendrick Lamar showcases, it's like he doesn't want to be this or do this truthfully, but on the other hand he's at war with the music, with the industry, with himself and I feel that. I love being a creative but I am seeing the world of what I love for what it is and it's ugly, so it does upset me and sometimes I am vocally loud about it and this album just reinforced that I'm not the only one sick of y'all lol.
If you have yet to check out the album now is the time especially with the new tour announcement, check out my links for the album and tour dates below:
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