After years of being praised by critics and hip-hop fans, Kendrick Lamar is finally receiving the commercial and popular success that has eluded him up until now.
On Nov. 22, Kendrick Lamar dropped an unexpected album titled GNX, which dominated Billboard’s Hot 100 Chart with five songs on the album taking up the top five slots. The album’s 12 tracks feature amazing artists like Lefty Gunplay, SZA, Dody6, and other artists, demonstrating Lamar as the central figure in hip-hop this year.
Kendrick Lamar Duckworth was raised in Compton, California. When he was growing up in Compton, the city had high rates of crime and gang activity. Born in 1987, Lamar saw Compton when it was possibly its most dangerous. Kendrick Lamar was able to stay out of trouble by falling in love with hip-hop at a young age.
He started writing his lyrics as a teenager having directly witnessed gang violence and police brutality at an early age, Kendrick processed his trauma by writing stories and poems before later turning to lyrics. That early start paid off since Lamar is one of the top music writers. The first albums released by Lamar were under the moniker K. Dot. His early mixtapes were impressive, and he would grow in popularity by appearing on tracks with top names in the industry.
His rhythms and delivery instantly connected with fans, critics, and rap artists. West Coast artists like Game, Snoop Dogg, and Dr. Dre all embraced Kendrick as a rising star. Lamar had the approval and endorsement of everyone in the industry and associated with it. He was a rare artist that was universally embraced.
Kendrick Lamar has won 17 Grammys and received 57 Grammy nominations overall, solidifying his place as one of the most nominated artists in Grammys history and the second most nominated rapper ever, behind Jay-Z. Kendrick Lamar is one of the most accomplished rappers in history. He accomplished a lot, very quickly and he is respected by his peers and the icons that came before him.
In early 2024, Kendrick started a viral rap beef with Drake. He scored No.1 singles this spring with the diss tracks “Like That” featuring Future and Metro Boomin, and “Not Like Us.” Both have received several 2025 Grammy nominations. In Juneteenth 2024, Lamar brought together over 25 West Coast artists at the Kia Forum in Inglewood, California for a concert called “The Pop Out — Ken and Friends.” The concert was a symbol of unity and hope for the West Coast arts and culture community. Lamar closed out the concert with repeated performances of “Not Like Us,” which he started and stopped multiple times while concert attendees were invited on to the stage to dance along to the song.
The GNX album is a West Coast album, drawing on both classic and contemporary conventions of the genre. The album is a tribute to Lamar’s native Los Angeles, prominently infusing G-funk throughout its composition. GNX can be seen as a love letter to the West Coast, with Lamar hailing from Compton, California. Several songs of the 12-track album are directly influenced by the classic West Coast bounce, or have a name correlating to Los Angeles itself, including tracks like “Dodger Blue.”
His hot streak continued with the surprise release of his sixth studio album titled GNX in late November 2024. The unexpected album suddenly appeared on a music streaming service and immediately ascended to the top of the Billboard 200. Among GNX’s 12 tracks is “Squabble Up” a West Coast-infused party anthem that showcases Kendrick Lamar’s unparalleled ability to combine infectious energy with sharp lyricism and charted as another No.1 hit. It also includes the reflective “Heart pt.6.” This is the sixth installment in Kendrick Lamar’s ongoing “The Heart” series, which has become a staple of his career with Kendrick waxing poetic about the state of his life at the time of its recording of each one.
The record also features collaborations with various artists, such as SZA on “Luther” about a powerful narrative of love, hope, and resilience, and “Gloria” about struggle into his internal struggle, addressing feelings of guilt and the quest for forgiveness. The No. 2 song “Tv Off,” which features Lefty Gunplay, is layered with meaning and references, reflecting Kendrick’s introspective thoughts on legacy, loyalty, and societal critique.
The GNX album debuted at No.1 on the Billboard 200 charts, marking his fifth chart-topper. The release of GNX precedes Lamar’s highly anticipated performance at the upcoming Super Bowl halftime show on Feb 9. In some ways, the performance will be a revisit to one of Lamar’s previous biggest moments of hisl career performing at the Halftime Show during the 2022 Super Bowl, sharing the stage with hip-hop icons Snoop Dogg, Dr.Dre, and Mary J, Blige. The show is considered one of the all-time greats in Super Bowl performance history.
When I was younger my oldest brother would take care of me and my older brother and sister whenever our parents would be at work. I remember him taking us out downtown or other fun places with his girlfriend and my brother played this one song by Kendrick which was the first song I ever heard from him and it was ”LOVE” and I loved the song so much. Ever since then, I started to listen to his music and I just love how he makes his music storytelling and strong emotions openly expressing personal struggles and experiences.
In my opinion, I enjoyed listening to Kendrick’s new album GNX I would give it a 9/10 because this album is an exceptional representation of modern West Coast music and its creative varying influences and style from classic and new West Coast rap and hip hop, along with vocals of new and old neo-soul and R&B.
