GNX is the sixth studio album by American rapper-songwriter Kendrick Lamar and was a surprise release through PGLang and Interscope Records on Nov. 22nd, 2024. GNX is Lamar’s first album since the end of his contract with Top Dawg Entertainment and Aftermath Entertainment. The album was released to widespread critical acclaim and debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200, making it Lamar’s fifth number-one album. Lamar teased his album constantly, dropping snippets and songs on Instagram and in music videos. As rumors began to spread many close affiliates denied it, but some said he was working on something. Upon release, GNX received widespread acclaim from music critics. According to the review aggregator Metacritic, GNX received “universal acclaim” based on a weighted average score of 87 out of 100 from 17 critic scores. Many critics focused on Lamar’s self-depiction as a driving cultural force in hip hop. Alexis Petridis of The Guardian commented that GNX found Lamar at his most confrontational, “deferring only to God.” Personally, I think the album feels off compared to his other work. Instead of an overarching message or story that links between songs, it feels more as an ego driven statement. I do really like the album with a lot of the songs being catchy and having those remnants from his previous works. GNX feels more like a mixtape rather than an album, and a part of me feels like Kendrick released GNX to prepare for something bigger. Overall, I recommend giving the album a listen, but keep in mind that it doesn’t feel like the Kendrick we’re all used to.
