Albums Kendrick Lamar - GNX (Official Album Thread)

[Shadow King]

Just finished my first run through and it’s disappointing off the first listen. I think the audience has sold Kendrick the okey doke here….the success of NLU has pressured him into putting this out - this is the first time he’s let expectation determine the direction of his project, instead of him standing on what he wants to put out which is disappointing. The reason we hold him in such high regard is because he’s usually bold and confident in his creative direction, regardless of what the landscape looks like at the time.

I actually like most of the production on here - I just don’t like Kendrick on it because he doesn’t sound comfortable on these type of beats. I think he knows it too which is why he starts leaning heavily into his Eminem bag with the crazy voices to mask the awkwardness. I have actually always wondered what a Kendrick project would sound like with this type of production but I’d rather he leaves it to the G Pericos, AZ Chikes, etc now that I’ve heard it as they’re the ones that can comfortably be flag bearers for that sound.

This might actually be his worst project next to D@Mn which is telling as the two times he’s tried to fit in with the mainstream has resulted in the two bodies of work that rank lowest in his discography. I think Morale & The Big Steppers not performing as expected has taken him in this direction (I think initiating the whole tussle with Drake was also a move to shift public sentiment after MMATBS but that’s a conversation for another day). It’s a shame because Morale is a dope project, regardless of the commercial performance to it. Hopefully he’s just put this out though as something light to give the casuals after NLU and the project with the real substance comes out in and around the Super Bowl.

I think it’s pressure in the sense of public expectation - he’s put this out this to satisfy the casuals he’s picked up from NLU that probably aren’t even Kendrick fans like that. If he put out an album in the vein of TPAB or Big Steppers with the heavy topics after dropping NLU the mainstream audience would’ve most likely been confused/disappointed.

As far as the label, he’s had the ability to put this out on his own terms - Interscope probably have little to no say at this point in terms of rollout or creative direction as the main label is PG Lang and Interscope is just a partner for distribution purposes. Ironically, I don’t think he would’ve put this type of album out if he was still on TDE as Top, Punch, Moosa, etc would’ve had more of a say.

We're in the same book but different pages.

I don't think Kendrick is uncomfortable on those beats at all...if anything the voice fuçkery takes a level of confidence and deliberation a lot of people don't have.

I'd also say the TDE heads if they nudge him at all would've nudged for exactly this album. We have to remember that TPAB was the direction Kendrick wanted to go first but he had to compromise on GKMC. I think they've encouraged him to play ball with the mainstream instead being the Lupe 2.0 he could've been.

At first I didn't agree with the pressure angle but upon your second post I kinda get it. But I believe this direction was still largely him. Even though I said I was let down by the missed chance to get on his cultural soapbox, I do think that boiling down to a Cali street sound is his personal defense/protest against where things are, as South Central LA is a Black American cultural nexus and he chose to wear it on his forehead.

 

[Theo Penn]

Cole and Drake really can’t drop any projects until Kendrick lets up on the pressure, which won’t be anytime soon. They’re gonna be stalling until next summer. Got them in a trick box

 

[All Women Are Queens]

he's channeling pac on reincarnated

 

[Da_Eggman]

This.

He made the party died which is unspeakable is the meaning

 

[Nero Christ]

Very good tape...Kendrick's new found humor matches well with the shyt talking and he's on cloud 9 after the battle

The WC sound isn't what I typically go for so overall probably won't revisit this tape too much compared to other Kendrick albums

Favorite tracks off my initial listens: Luther, Man at the Garden, Reincarnated, Dodger blue, Peekaboo, & Heart pt. 6

 

[Germms]

This was probably so effortless. The duet singing was good. The production, man, the strings. Great song.

 

[HonoredOne]

Been bumping on repeat! Heat for the winter

 

[Sauce Mane]

I never really bought into that one. Damn felt like a cohesive body of work to me. It was even a complete story. This feels more like a bunch of loosies thrown together. Something to hold the fans over for now. Something for the westcoast. Could be wrong but I'm sticking with my gut feeling .....then you got djhed saying mtc(more to come)....schoolboys manager hinting at it too. And also there's been rumors for months that is exactly what Kendrick was gonna do. Mixtape first. Then the album. Nobody connected to tde hinted at anything coming after Damn. That was all fan theory.

Yeah idk about that one

You guys always do that with Kendrick albums

 

[TheNig]

Like Kendrick did throughout this whole album

Somebody gotta do it

 

[iamduval]

I think he made this album for the west coast. The next one is gon be for nikkas like me. I wanna here that big stepper mature lyrical miracle shyt

 

[Fani Willis fan]

Im not mad at this, if its not the album

gonna give it the whip test

 

[Tenchi Ryu]

Dodger Blue is some playa azz shyt....I'm bout to go tell a bish "don't take it personal, you won't be the first to know, tho you might be the first to go" TO-MORROW

 

[bl2k8]

Lot of great albums came out in 96, but 2pac had the attention. I'm still discovering great albums that dropped in 96, but that year hands down belonged to 2pac.

Since it was brought up earlier, Kendrick's 2024 is its own lane. Can't compare it to Pac's 96, Nas's 02, 50's 03, etc.

Yeah but that’s cause Kendrick’s contemporaries are so much weaker than what them cats were going up against, it’s not even a fair comparison.

 

[trillanova]

This shyt kinda mid

 

[Black Excellence]

It’s wild the “weakest” song on this to me was Squabble Up and that was entirely because they included the vocal sample on the hook instead of just leaving off…it’s honestly a nitpick and not a big deal.

It’s grew on me the way gnx grew on some of yall lol. Fantastic album.

Side note, I kind of feel bad for rappers that gotta follow up after Tyler and Kendrick. They’re actually trying with different sounds, testing how creative they can be with their artistry, and then you got these generic whoever’s dropping mid bullshyt, established artists dropping mid bullshyt and then they wonder why their career stalling out.