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I think one of the most repeated phrases I heard this year was “Kendrick dropped."
It led us to some exciting paths, be it pertaining to rap beef, the strengthening of community, or just a good laugh. But lots of people seemed to have been listening to Lamar's discography with only one ear. They've chalked his artistry up to solely "conscious rap" that lacks replay value. The amount of diversity he’s shown in his music this year certainly startled the narrow-minded. |
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Kendrick dropped his surprise sixth studio album “GNX” on November 22nd of 2024. I remember how all my friends began sending text after text in excitement and nervousness. Individuals that don’t even often speak to me sparked conversation out of eagerness.
Let's discuss this work of art full of various sounds for the sentient and the ones that just need something to vibe to. When you make something for everybody, it's not hard to embrace unity.
Lamar opens his 12 song mix with “wacced out murals." He seems to be holding onto the disrespect he witnessed upon the news that his mural was vandalized. The bass in his voice and the simplistic yet hard hitting beat carries the seriousness of his emotions towards the situation. Kendrick uses this as an opportunity to push a positive perspective. It's still relatively obvious he's not fond of the hate train, but it's made clear that he's not going down without a fight. Whether you want to call it ego or self love, you can't deny how the song pulls you in to hear more.
We are immediately hit with polar opposite tracks “squabble up” and “luther.” These are perfect examples of how Lamar refuses to let the media influence his creative standpoint. He’s able to show improvement in his artistry while staying true to himself and his roots. We are able to hear heavy influences from other California artists in songs like “hey now” and “peekaboo” when it comes to his flow and lyrical execution, but the message has become personal in terms of storytelling. The use of 808s to violins justify that enough. I appreciate how he uses sounds that can attract the culture with instrumental bombs like “tv off" while still sending love to his community without violence and the intricate aspects of devotion. There's a way to make your catalog distinct as well as cohesive, and Lamar does this quite well.
We get a deeper dive into the mind of Lamar towards the end of the album. “man at the garden” contains a slower flow to allow listeners to fully process his sincerity when it comes to spiritual mental battles. Lamar flips between acknowledging his self worth and his need to stay humble. I noticed that after his conflict with a certain Canadian, listeners tried to argue that Kendrick made music to put himself on a pedestal above the average individual. "Man at the garden" is able to combat that. Lamar is an artist that can wrap himself in talent and still take note of his flaws.
I'm sure others would like to disagree, but “reincarnated” is hands down the best track on this album. How do I know? Because I said so… No but seriously, I don't think I've seen as much discourse over the other tracks in comparison to this. Kendrick has taken it upon himself to tell the tales of many popularized black artists of the past that fell to the dangers of society in one way or another. We see about 5 different perspectives throughout the track, but in all honesty, the fact that so many black artists were being applied to the lyrics, it's not far off to say these lyrics could be a generalization. The best way to get people to tune in is to paint a picture. The difference in tone, vocal distortion, quick but apprehensive piano and energy makes listeners want to investigate and understand the true history of the music scene. Every part of this number is future memorabilia.
I can't skip the use of samples in this album either. There are some obvious R&B influences in songs like “heart pt.6,” but then again, the entire body is layered in well known melodies of the past. From Tupac to SWV, there's something for everybody. It's always nice to see how innovative modern artists can get when it comes to using tracks that inspired them, but being able to apply samples in a subtle yet impactful way allows older people to get into new sounds as well.
Now we've reached the second to last track, "GNX." This is an amazing use of symbolism on Lamar's part, given its exclusivity: the GNX was a limited edition coupe that was said to have immaculate speed and unique aspects. Less than 600 were created. This is possibly a play on Kendrick's rarity in the rap genre. He is often congratulated for taking obscure music routes and he's made it his trademark. No one can be him, and he can’t be anyone but himself. In the track itself, he's taken it upon himself to take an off putting beat and seemingly “silly” lyrics while still making it enjoyable. I can’t name any other male rap artist that takes the risks he does when it comes to art.
Last but not least, we have "Gloria": a love story to his pen. Kendrick once again uses storytelling and a smooth meditative beat to close out this oeuvre. It essentially requires you to listen to the full song in order to understand who (or should I say what) he is referring to. A lovely letter to the one thing that has had his back throughout life. A love letter to music itself.
Now, I think I've talked your ear off enough, so I'll keep this last part short. Let's give a round of appreciation to the artists Kendrick has featured on this album. He has introduced many to artists we may have never heard about. They don't refer to the same topics as Kendrick, but the vibe from these artists alone keeps the music from becoming repetitive. Even the well known artists on this album kept the energy flowing and the message strong. This is music you can only truly value if you've lived or witnessed the truths displayed. He allowed people from his community to shine, and that's one of the most important things a true maestro can do to keep the culture moving forward.
Let's discuss this work of art full of various sounds for the sentient and the ones that just need something to vibe to. When you make something for everybody, it's not hard to embrace unity.
Lamar opens his 12 song mix with “wacced out murals." He seems to be holding onto the disrespect he witnessed upon the news that his mural was vandalized. The bass in his voice and the simplistic yet hard hitting beat carries the seriousness of his emotions towards the situation. Kendrick uses this as an opportunity to push a positive perspective. It's still relatively obvious he's not fond of the hate train, but it's made clear that he's not going down without a fight. Whether you want to call it ego or self love, you can't deny how the song pulls you in to hear more.
We are immediately hit with polar opposite tracks “squabble up” and “luther.” These are perfect examples of how Lamar refuses to let the media influence his creative standpoint. He’s able to show improvement in his artistry while staying true to himself and his roots. We are able to hear heavy influences from other California artists in songs like “hey now” and “peekaboo” when it comes to his flow and lyrical execution, but the message has become personal in terms of storytelling. The use of 808s to violins justify that enough. I appreciate how he uses sounds that can attract the culture with instrumental bombs like “tv off" while still sending love to his community without violence and the intricate aspects of devotion. There's a way to make your catalog distinct as well as cohesive, and Lamar does this quite well.
We get a deeper dive into the mind of Lamar towards the end of the album. “man at the garden” contains a slower flow to allow listeners to fully process his sincerity when it comes to spiritual mental battles. Lamar flips between acknowledging his self worth and his need to stay humble. I noticed that after his conflict with a certain Canadian, listeners tried to argue that Kendrick made music to put himself on a pedestal above the average individual. "Man at the garden" is able to combat that. Lamar is an artist that can wrap himself in talent and still take note of his flaws.
I'm sure others would like to disagree, but “reincarnated” is hands down the best track on this album. How do I know? Because I said so… No but seriously, I don't think I've seen as much discourse over the other tracks in comparison to this. Kendrick has taken it upon himself to tell the tales of many popularized black artists of the past that fell to the dangers of society in one way or another. We see about 5 different perspectives throughout the track, but in all honesty, the fact that so many black artists were being applied to the lyrics, it's not far off to say these lyrics could be a generalization. The best way to get people to tune in is to paint a picture. The difference in tone, vocal distortion, quick but apprehensive piano and energy makes listeners want to investigate and understand the true history of the music scene. Every part of this number is future memorabilia.
I can't skip the use of samples in this album either. There are some obvious R&B influences in songs like “heart pt.6,” but then again, the entire body is layered in well known melodies of the past. From Tupac to SWV, there's something for everybody. It's always nice to see how innovative modern artists can get when it comes to using tracks that inspired them, but being able to apply samples in a subtle yet impactful way allows older people to get into new sounds as well.
Now we've reached the second to last track, "GNX." This is an amazing use of symbolism on Lamar's part, given its exclusivity: the GNX was a limited edition coupe that was said to have immaculate speed and unique aspects. Less than 600 were created. This is possibly a play on Kendrick's rarity in the rap genre. He is often congratulated for taking obscure music routes and he's made it his trademark. No one can be him, and he can’t be anyone but himself. In the track itself, he's taken it upon himself to take an off putting beat and seemingly “silly” lyrics while still making it enjoyable. I can’t name any other male rap artist that takes the risks he does when it comes to art.
Last but not least, we have "Gloria": a love story to his pen. Kendrick once again uses storytelling and a smooth meditative beat to close out this oeuvre. It essentially requires you to listen to the full song in order to understand who (or should I say what) he is referring to. A lovely letter to the one thing that has had his back throughout life. A love letter to music itself.
Now, I think I've talked your ear off enough, so I'll keep this last part short. Let's give a round of appreciation to the artists Kendrick has featured on this album. He has introduced many to artists we may have never heard about. They don't refer to the same topics as Kendrick, but the vibe from these artists alone keeps the music from becoming repetitive. Even the well known artists on this album kept the energy flowing and the message strong. This is music you can only truly value if you've lived or witnessed the truths displayed. He allowed people from his community to shine, and that's one of the most important things a true maestro can do to keep the culture moving forward.
