2024 has been yet another amazing year for Compton artist Kendrick Lamar. Involved in one of the biggest rap beefs of all time, Lamar was one of hip-hop’s leading acts for the whole year. Trading blows with Toronto hit-maker Drake, Lamar released tracks such as “Euphoria”, “6:16 in LA” and “meet the grahams” which brought in millions of streams worldwide. None of those songs could compete with Lamar’s Grammy-nominated party anthem “Not like us” which dominated the charts this year, landing at number one and holding the spot for an insane 22-week run.
The energetic voices of fans from across the world rang throughout the Kia Forum in Inglewood, CA as they sang Lamar’s hits during his Juneteenth event “The Pop Out: Ken & Friends,” a once-in-a-lifetime performance that served as a victory lap for Lamar after the closely followed rap feud.
When Lamar announced in September that he would be headlining the 2025 Superbowl LIX halftime show in New Orleans next year, many fans began to wonder if the “Money Trees” rapper would deliver any more new music before 2024 came to a close and that is exactly what he has done.
Back with his latest full-length album, Lamar dropped a surprise album “GNX” that has been met with wide acclaim from fans and critics alike. The album is a complete shift in tone and messaging from his last project “Mr Morale & the Big Steppers,” in which Lamar took a more deeply introspective stance as he revealed many of his own problems away from the stage and worked through underlying trauma.
“Wacced out murals,” clearly highlights this step away from themes of self-preservation and humility from his last project as Lamar is as unapologetic and braggadocious as ever, taking no prisoners on this gritty and eerie intro track.
Throughout the entirety of “GNX,” Lamar embraces his West Coast roots and this is never more apparent than in “squabble up”. From the instrumental to the old-school sample and Lamar’s aggressive vocals, Lamar shows off his West Coast roots more than ever before.
Paying homage to Los Angeles was an important theme for the album as Lamar rapped over west coast instrumentals both modern and some reminiscent of the old school. “Reincarnated,” driven by a Tupac Shakur sample, particularly honored the legacy of the West Coast legend. But Kendrick Lamar is not just focused on the legends of the past but building the story of the current landscape of West Coast music.
In many ways, “GNX” is a win for all of LA, not just Lamar – handing out plenty of features on “GNX” to West Coast artists such as Lefty Gunplay, Wallie the Sensei, Siete7x, Peysoh, YoungThreat, HittaJ3, AZCHIKE and Dody6.
While at the first game of the World Series, in which Lamar’s hometown Los Angeles Dodgers were playing, Lamar heard mariachi singer Deyra Berrera performing at the game and later invited her to come work on multiple songs from the album with him as he worked to highlight all of the many cultures that make up his home.
Embracing his role as a leader in the hip-hop landscape and his West Coast community, Lamar’s latest album helps cement his already legendary career as an all-time great. Over a very chilling instrumental, Lamar shows listeners just why he deserves all of his flowers in “man at the garden.”
Kendrick Lamar’s stern vocals fill the desolate space that is left by the instrumental as he supports his character throughout his career, helping other artists and his community as he rose to the top of the music industry winning countless awards and doing so with integrity. As the beat swells up with layered vocals and a large array of tense synths that create a very cinematic atmosphere as Kendrick paints the picture of his coronation as the greatest artist of all time.
On top of the surprise album, Lamar recently announced the “Grand National Tour,” a 2025 North American stadium tour that he will embark on after the Superbowl accompanied by superstar singer and longtime collaborator SZA who features on two songs from the album: “luther” and “gloria.”
Showing that he is gearing up for a year even more successful than 2024.
Lamar’s reign as the king of the rap industry is far from over and “GNX” is a testament to that fact. As Lamar prepares to take on North America fans are left with yet another polished work of art from the successful MC. From Inglewood to Toronto and to New Orleans, Kendrick Lamar will continue to confidently step across the continent with the etiquette of LA repping the West Coast.
