“Siento aquí tu presencia,” singer Deyra Barrera croons. While she vocalizes, an aggressive bass instrument plays. With a simple instrumental, Kendrick Lamar draws listeners into his latest album: GNX.
Lamar opens GNX with the bold “wacced out murals,” to speak out against the people around him and artists he once looked up to.
With confronting lyrics aimed at original titans in the industry like Lil Wayne and Snoop Dogg, Lamar expresses he feels unfairly treated by them.
Lamar has been open about his struggles in his music for many years. In albums such as Good kid m.A.A.d. city and Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers, Lamar shares his feelings about the world and his struggles.
“His old albums were not just insane pieces of storytelling — they represented a part of Kendrick,” Coppell High School sophomore Prajwal Kashyap said. “GNX may be the peak of raw emotion from storytelling”
In GNX, Lamar portrays his development from past events like the brief feud with popular rapper Drake and his withdrawal from the Top Dawg Entertainment record label.
Lamar adds on to this narrative in “reincarnated,” arguably the most introspective song on the album. Lamar confronts his trials and tribulations by visualizing them as old artists and their problems. Lamar displays those artists’ journeys and experiences through different sins.
In a series of three verses, Lamar visualizes a scenario in which he has rebirthed three times, struggling with sin each life. He goes on to reference two popular musicians that had been at the top of their genre: Billie Holiday, a jazz musician who had indulged in addictions, and John Lee Hooker, a rhythm and blues musician who had driven himself into gluttony for money.
In his last life, he displays his improvement by talking about his achievements and goals. “My father kicked me out the house, I finally forgive him… I kept 100 institutions paid… I put 100 hoods on one stage… I’m trying to push peace in LA.”
To add to the theme of progression, Lamar emphasizes achievements in “man at the garden.” “Twice emotional stability… I’m waking up at 6 a.m., 6 miles a day conditioning my wind… I deserve it all… put a smile on my mama, good health and good karma yeah she deserves it all.”
Lamar highlights development as a recurring theme on “man at the garden” by being open about his newfound stability of emotion, showing his drive to advance himself and his work to the next level, and bringing up the people who have been good to him all his life.
In GNX, Lamar reflects on his past experiences, recent and long ago. For Lamar, continuation in his music and progression on his ideals is apparent in his work.
Lamar adds “heart pt.6” to his collection of the heart series which first began as a single before his first mixtape, “Overly Dedicated.” Lamar reflects on his time with the record label Top Dawg Entertainment. Lamar focuses on his inspirations such as rappers Ab-soul, Schoolboy Q and Top Dawg, a family friend of Lamar and his father.
Lamar on GNX is all about being open, not just emptying out vulnerable emotion like in Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers, but confidently calling out those who take him for granted.
Follow @CHSCampusNews on X.