Kendrick Lamar. You’ve probably heard that name circulating around the internet as of recently thanks to his online rap beef against Drake, releasing diss tracks like Euphoria, Meet The Grahams and Not Like Us, Kendrick has taken the internet by storm. His sudden rise in popularity within the hip-hop industry has made users on the internet appreciates some of his other works, such as Money Trees on Good Kid, M.A.A.D City, Alright featuring Pharrell Williams on To Pimp A Butterfly or producing the soundtrack for the Black Panther film in 2018. He’s made outstanding works throughout his years and has even been considered one of the best artists of the 20th century. Kendrick has certainly made a name for himself with the music industry.

Kendrick fans have been eager for a new album since his success with his 2022 album, Mr Morale and The Big Steppers, which won him a Grammy as the best rap album of 2023. As fans longed for a new work by Kendrick, on November 22nd, 2024, with no promotions or talks about a new work weeks prior, released GNX.

As a fan of Kendrick’s, I was quick to listen to the album once I saw the notification on my phone that he released something. Here are my top 3 songs on GNX, and hopefully it’ll convince you to give a listen to his newest piece of work:

1. squabble up – Being the second track on the album, squabble up is definitely one of the more recognizable songs on the whole album. The opening of the song was also teased in the Not Like Us music video. The song has a bouncy beat to it with a mix of a funky beat that makes it enjoyable to listen to and it clashes with the bass. The lyrics flow nicely with the instrumental of the song. It features Kendrick’s usage of West Coast Hip Hip throughout many of his songs, such as m.A.A.D city on Good Kid, M.A.A.D City. On verse 2 of the song, Kendrick uses a sample of Debbie Deb’s When I Hear Music. This adds diversity into the song, resulting in a nice clash between Kendrick’s beats and Debbie’s voice. The mixes and beats and voices are pleasant to listen to and dance to. I give this song an 8.5/10.

2. reincarnated – The song introduces itself with singer Deyra Barrera singing in Spanish before the song actually begins. Kendrick raps about different perspectives, such as God and Lucifer and other artists like John Lee Hooker (American blues singer) and Billie Holiday (American jazz singer). Between the few first verses of the song, Kendrick explains John Lee and Billie’s story before transitioning into himself having a conversation with God. His conversation with God clashes nicely against the piano beat and the smooth bass guitar instrumental of the song. With his ability to rhyme his lyrics with the instrumental, this song definitely stands out as possible one of Kendrick’s most vulnerable songs on GNX. reincarnated in my opinion is an 8/10.

3. tv off (featuring Lefty Gunplay) – tv off is similar to Kendrick’s Not Like Us, with it’s upbeat beats and iconic bass drops. My favorite part of the song is when Kendrick screams mustard during the transition in the song. His voice sounds confident and full of himself during the song, which adds further hype while listening to the song. Lefty Gunplay’s verse in the song is catchy as well, matching the overall energy of the song as a whole. While tv off is a well known song in the album, I would give it a solid 8/10.

Kendrick didn’t fail to surprise me with his new album. While it’s not my favorite album of his, I appreciate the work and time he put into making it. Some songs are okay for me, but that doesn’t make the album bad. Everyone has a different taste when it comes to music. I would give this album, as a whole, an 8/10.

Have you listened to GNX yet? If so, what’s your favorite song in the album? Tell us in the comments!