Rap fans of the United States are no stranger to diss tracks; from Tupac and Biggie to Jay-Z and Nas, rap “beef” has existed since the birth of the genre. And at the end of last year, two musicians—Drake and Kendrick Lamar—engaged in one of the most iconic and impactful series of diss tracks in the history of rap music. This battle featured songs such as “meet the grahams” and “Taylor Made Freestyle.”
Because of this, I, like many others, found a revived interest in Lamar’s music. I knew his hits, but was otherwise uneducated, yet curious, about the rest of his discography. And with the release of his sixth studio album, GNX, Lamar solidified his place in my current top ten favorite artists.
With nine different artists featured on the album, GNX is Lamar’s memoir, knit together with frequent mentions of the life-changing effects of God on his life. The album speaks of his growth as an artist, as a Black man in the United States, and his pride in his achievements, namely, his 17 Grammys.
tv off (feat. lefty gunplay)
I’m not one to focus on the production of a song; however, in recent times, artists like Lamar have forced me to notice and appreciate the purpose in the producers’ instrumentation choices down to even what kind of synth to use. “Tv off,” the second song on the album, is a perfect example of this: the string excerpts serve as a transition between each musical idea and striking orchestral ostinato beats behind Lamar’s vocals. This results in a combination that is rare in music as a whole, but most rap artists, in particular, shy away from it.
Not to say Lamar isn’t a talented artist, but the producers (Mustard, Jack Antonoff, Kamasi Washington, Sounwave, and Sean Momberger) have put all of their combined talents together to create a piece of art that made even someone who knows nothing about production sit in awe of their work—and it shows. He starts by commenting on the lack of people left who are working as hard as he is. The lines, “It’s not enough / Few solid [guys] left, but it’s not enough / Few [girls] that’ll really step, but it’s not enough,” along with the accented, striking orchestra in the back convey Lamar’s frustration yet simultaneous pride in the true effort he’s putting into his work. He continues to vent his resentments against these hypocritical people, saying, “I hate [guys] hatin’ on them [guys] and they both broke.”
Although I’m not in as competitive an industry as music—I’m a high school student taking some of the tamest classes offered—I can relate to putting all my effort into a project or homework assignment, yet getting the same results and accolades as some kid who is doing the bare minimum. One of Lamar’s strengths is his ability to weave lyrics into a piece everyone, no matter their background, race, or gender identity, can relate to. This is expertly demonstrated in “tv off.”
luther (with sza)
In contrast to all the other songs on GNX, except for “gloria (with sza),” “luther” is extremely mellow, and honestly, relaxing. Part of this is due to SZA’s vocals which are soft and sweet in comparison to Lamar’s deep, rich tone of voice. It’s catchy, featuring bubbly synth, peppy hi-hats, and occasional rich strings coming through from the back. It paints a loving relationship between two people and their hopes for the future, quite different from the themes of most other tracks that make up GNX.
One of the shorter songs on the album, “luther (with sza)” is filled with riffs expertly executed by SZA in lines such as “In this world, concrete flowers grow/…Better days comin’ for sure.”
An everlasting togetherness is demonstrated in the lyrics and flow of this song. The two lovers are voiced by Lamar and SZA, and in a portion of the bridge, they go back and forth, word by word. “When I’m (when you), with you (with me), everything goes (slow) / …’Rari (red), crown (stack), wrist (stay), froze (really) / Drip (tell me), pound (if you), on the way home (love me).” Not only does this sound like flowing honey to the ears, but it serves as a simple expression of pure and true love, refreshing after living in the world we do right now. This song and “gloria (with sza)” are perfectly placed, bookending GNX, being third and 12th on the album, as the slower, more chill tracks. This contrast is just the kind of musical depth and thought I’d expect from Lamar.
wacced out murals
Like “luther (with sza),” “wacced out murals” is primarily expressed through themes of self-reliance but is written from the perspective of Lamar as a mentor, talking to someone younger and new to the music industry. It starts, like some other tracks on this album, with a romantic, Latin-style intro sung in Spanish. Dark strings punctuate Lamar’s words, alternating D minor and B-flat minor chords as he talks about staying independent, on your own, with a sense of distrust in others. His advice? To “…keep your head down and work like I do / But understand, everybody ain’t gon’ like you.” These words tell of the difficult journey he took to get where he is today—at the top of the charts, selling out shows to his millions of fans. One can only imagine this is the advice he wished was given to him as a young artist in the early 2000s.
As previously mentioned, Lamar includes God in many of his songs. Artists will often only mention God in uplifting songs having to do with love and joy. However, Lamar chooses to mention his God, saying “God got me,” in a song about keeping to yourself to get to the places you want and screw everybody else. That is not stereotypically “Christian.” In fact, it’s fairly unfriendly, not bright or joyous in the slightest. It seems to me Lamar is trying to make a point that, from a Christian point of view: God comes into the dark times too and meets us where we’re at, not just on Sundays.
The whole song has an air of pure and dark momentum, expressed through lines like “I never lost who I am for a rap image / It’s motivation if you wonder how I did it.” All that can be said about this song is that it is a liquid, auditory catalyst for the ones who are determined to achieve something great.
This album has everything from hardcore workout songs to simplistic, blissful tracks that make me want to cry over two fictitious lovers. There is truly so much to this release that I could never fit all that I want to say in one review.
Lamar has talent spun into the very fibers of his hair and cast into each bone that makes up the musical genius he is. GNX has forever changed the way I approach new music, and I can’t wait to see how else Lamar will astound me with his music.
Terry Smith • Feb 2, 2025 at 7:50 pm
The replay value for this project is extremely high for me. Top 5 hands down🔥