Kendrick Lamar’s ‘GNX’ Album: Songs Ranked

Kenny weaves through the distorted bounce with a hazy flow with some help from Ink, Siete and Roddy Ricch. The West Coast tribute fails to break through like some of the other stronger tracks on the LP so it’s forced to blend in with the background.

“Peekaboo” is a perfect descriptor aligning Lamar’s career. He only comes out of hiding on his own terms to shake up the game and then can go back into hibernation for months without anyone hearing a word, a social media post, a TMZ paparazzi photo or anything from him. As Charlamagne Tha God described him, K. Dot really is rap’s boogeyman or the rap version of WWE legend Undertaker. Was that Kendrick mimicking NBA star Kawhi Leonard’s viral “hey, hey, hey” clip? This guy can work just about anything into the flow of a song.

Only Kendrick can turn irrelevant sayings like “Hey now, say now” into a menacing chorus. “The Black know I just strangled me a GOAT,” he raps in a possible jab at Drake following their battle. The pulsating reverb transitions to traditional Cali bounce and Kendrick opens the floor for an assist from emerging LA rapper Dody 6.

In the midst of the Kendrick-Drake feud, a repeated take in an attempt to ding Lamar was that he rarely uplifted younger artists coming up from Los Angeles. It feels like he intentionally made that part of his story with GNX. Especially with the title track, he shouts about putting the “West Coast back in front of s–t.” Then he takes a back seat as if he’s iconic UCLA head coach John Wooden and allows Young Threat, Peysoh and Hitta J3 to run the three-man weave.

“Gloria” serves as Kendrick’s version of Common’s memorable “I Used to Love HER” In what starts out as a love song, Lamar vulnerably opens up about the complications and toxicities of his relationship with what appears to be his fiancee Whitney. While she had other suits on their journey, he also had commitment issues. However, the final line reveals K. Dot was talking about his love for his pen with references to writer’s block plating his enduring journey to the top of the food chain in this rap game.

A second hat tip to Nas as Kendrick seemingly interpolates the Queensbridge icon’s 2002 “One Mic.” Lamar draws up a scenario of being at heaven’s gates seeking eternal life. He builds out a case about how his life’s practices have prepared him for this moment while empowering through trials and tribulations. “I did it with integrity and n—-s still try to hate on me/ Just wait and see, more blood will be spillin, it’s just paint to me,” Kenny promises.

A haunting intro sprinkled in with some Latin flavor courtesy of Deyra Berrara. Kendrick balances an ego boost coming off his dominant Drake victory and revealing his version of a State of the Union. All while riding in his GNX bumping Anita Baker.

Dot grapples with his Lil Wayne fandom while taking what he hoped was his spot at the Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show in Weezy’s hometown. He was baffled by the backlash and shouted out Nas for showing him love.

There aren’t many direct references to his Drake feud, but Lamar lets his disappointment in Snoop be known after the Doggfather reposted Drizzy’s AI-assisted “Taylore Made Freestyle.” “I prayed it was the edibles/ I couldn’t believe it, it was only right for me to let it go,” he raps.

An all-star lineup of Jack Antonoff, Sounwave, Cardo and Kamasi Washington are among the cast lending their talents to the luscious production of “Luther” — which builds around a sample of Luther Vandross and Cheryl Lynn’s “If This World Were Mind.”

SZA joins the party for her and Kendrick’s fifth collaboration and their chemistry hasn’t taken a step back as they mix vocals with ease for a smooth blend of rapping and singing. K. Dot takes away the world’s darkness and reimagines a society without pain and suffering.

Drake attempted to mock Kendrick’s “The Heart” series with his own installment in the decorated series that originated in 2010, but as Lamar made a habit of in their feud, Dot flipped the script to up the score with the real sixth addition on “Heart” Pt. 6.”

Sounwave and Jack Antonoff lay out an ethereal soundscape built around a soothing Neptune-produced SWV sample for Kendrick to reminisce on his humble beginnings surrounded by his TDE family members like Jay Rock and Ab-Soul.

Lamar briefly allows his ego to creep in: “Time flies, I’m carryingin’ debates of a top five,” he raps. But also takes accountability for his Black Hippy supergroup falling flat. “I jog my memory, knowin’ Black Hippy didn’t work ’cause of me/ Creatively, I moved on with new concepts in reach,” he candidly admits. It’s another worthy chapter in the books.

Sampling Debbie Deb’s “When I Hear Music” banger makes this some of the most fun production across the entire project. Initially teased as a snippet tentatively titled “Broccoli” over the summer, fans were happy to hear the full track live up to the hype. “Squabble Up” gets the shoulders bobbing as Kendrick basks in his status as his most brash self. “Tell me why the f–k you n—s rap if it’s fictional/ Tell me why the fuck you n—s fed if you criminal,” he fires at the opposition.

Kendrick yelling “MUSTARD” has to be the next little Kendrick-ism to go viral on social media. The meme possibilities are endless and the “Not Like Us” producer has to at least sample that in the future, right? Mustard told Billboard he’s considering it as a new tag. The beat makes a stark transition from G-Funk Cali bounce in the realm of “Not Like Us” to triumphant horns as Lamar lets society know how disgusted he is with where things are at. As we’ve seen on plenty of other tracks, Kenny has no issue letting his hate for certain pockets of culture fly.

Songmaking at its finest. Kendrick’s versatility along with his vivid storytelling ability allows him to shine brightest on “Reincarnated,” which samples 2Pac’s “Made N—-z.” Lamar pays homage to the West Coast deity while mirroring an aggressive flow from Pac. He cinematically connects to the spirits of a 1940s guitarist (possibly John Lee Hooker or Jackie Wilson) and a ’60s singer on the Chitlin Circuit (Tammi Terrell or Dinah Washington) who struggled with substance abuse using 8-balls of cocaine as medicine. Dot then turns the camera lens on himself for the final poignant verse as he battles his demons while looking to rewrite the devil’s story.