Since his smash hit, “Not Like Us”, Kendrick Lamar recently released his album Gnx. Its title is after the Buick Regal model, which he is seen leaning on on the album cover. The album came out on November 22nd, 2024, without marketing before its release. Following his last album Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers, Gnx was produced after the singer left the record labels Top Dawg Entertainment and Aftermath Entertainment to pursue his creative freedom.
Squabble up
Possibly the best hype song off of the album. The song opens with a quick breathing in the background, then breaks down into a fun and colorful melody. In the beginning, Kendrick samples, “When I Hear Music” by Debbie Deb. The line says,
“When I hear music, it makes me dance
You got the music, now is your chance”
The part in the song gives it an 80s vibe, paired with the synthwaves in the background. I liked the upbeat feel of the entire track, and I just think it’s an enjoyable song.
Luther (with Sza)
This song has been on repeat for days. Seriously, both Airbuds and Spotify are genuinely sick of seeing me listen to it. The beginning is slow and quiet, and the background tracks start to play after the lyric,
“If this world were mine”
I love the mix between the continuous hip-hop beat and R&B-like melodies, laid with Sza and Kendrick’s voices. I love it when they both sing, their voices harmonizing just complement each other so well. Compared to some of the more upbeat and intense songs on the album, this one is a bit more laid-back and relaxing. I love it when Sza sang,
“Better days comin’ for sure”.
More than just sound, I enjoyed the deeper meaning behind the lyrics, too, like Kendrick singing about wanting to provide a better world for his lover.
Dodger blue.
The first thing I noticed about the song was the title, since it follows his theme of cars for the album. The backing track stays mostly the same in the song but has some highs and lows. It’s less of melodies, but more beats, if that makes sense. It’s a very laid-back and chill song. I dont have much to say more than listen to it for yourself!!
Heart pt.6
Again, it is one of my favorite songs, even from the first listen. The funky backing track and Kendrick’s quick rapping remind me of some of his songs from To Pimp a Butterfly, like Wesley’s Theory, or These Walls. I love the sweet, falsetto melody that says,
“Use your heart and not your eyes (Baby, just relax your mind)
If you got time, then I got time (Yeah, yeah)
Free your thoughts and watch them fly
Use your heart and not your eyes (Mm-hmm)”
Honestly, it’s just a very melodic and gorgeous song.
Gloria.
I love how you can hear all the different instruments immediately into the song. The song is fast-paced, and you can hear Kendrick’s voice’s emotion and highs. Unlike Dodger Blue, where he raps his lyrics monotonously, he sings the words in this song slightly. Sza also drags out her words and sings with her beautiful voice (I love her). I love this song because all the seemingly mismatched pieces fit together. The slightly fast tempo of it mixed with Sza’s slow singing, and Kendrick’s voice while both singing and talking all work together perfectly in the song.
I’m sorry this album review was a bit short compared to the Chromakopia one. Honestly, I expected a little bit more from this album. As much as I love most of the songs, I was hoping for more from the songs that weren’t my favorite. So, here are the negative reviews, just to make the story a bit more well-rounded.
Wacced out murals
The intro is cool, but afterward, it goes downhill. I find the rest of the song boring. The plain background simply bores me, and I hate the random siren sound. Like what is going on? Who is in the studio because they need to get out immediately? As the song continues, more elements are added to the background, and I still hate it. I’m sorry. It’s just not fun for my ears.
Peekaboo
Again with a cool intro, then a letdown. His songs are like mullets, at first, you see only the short part (his intros) then you see the long parts (the rest of the song) and it’s just somewhat of a letdown. This song just has no depth in the background track. Part of the beat is just him repeating random things like,
“What are they talking about? They ain’t talking about nothing.”
I have no idea what’s going on!!!! Bring back Not like us. I also hate the part where he says, “Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, that’s my b****”
It slowly becomes part of the background and I dont like it, it feels like Jumpscare every time he starts singing again.
Gnx – title track
It’s worse than a mullet. Right from the beginning it’s already bad. For some reason, the beats are not aligned. Please get off Garageband Kendrick I’m begging you. Delete band lab. It’s just a weird and creative track that I would rather not choose to listen to.
Overall, this album made me feel some mixed emotions. Every song with a Sza feature made me ascend, but some of the other songs without her made me wish I never could hear. I liked most of the album though, I gave all of the songs so many chances, but at the end of 30 replays, some songs are still just… butt. Last note, all Kendrick fans that disagree, I do not care. These are just simply my thoughts on the album, although I’m being a bit of a hater, I did love certain parts of the album. Like this review, having both the songs I liked and disliked made the album a bit more well-rounded. Besides my thoughts on the album, go give it a listen for yourself, and read more stories by the Mhs auroran!
