“Father, did I finally get it right?”
The world stopped twice for Kendrick Lamar this year: first for his infamous rap beef with Drake, and then for the surprise release of his sixth studio album, “GNX”, on Nov. 22, 2024. Lamar now must ask himself if his achievements and spirit truly reflect his journey from Compton to becoming a leading hip-hop artist of his generation. In Lamar’s anti-rollout style, the full album arrived just thirty minutes after he uploaded a trailer featuring himself leaning against a 1987 Buick GNX which coincides with his birth year, 1987.
Unlike his fifth studio album “Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers”, the record gained a strong following with its comparatively straightforward themes and lyrics doused with tough love and introspection. If “To Pimp A Butterfly” was a jazz-infused critique of systemic oppression, and “DAMN.” a meditation on faith and legacy, “GNX” feels like Lamar’s spiritual and artistic reconceiving — a manifesto that grapples with guilt, grace, and the grinding weight of the music industry and fame.
The album’s heart beats in duality and juxtaposes Lamar’s brilliance and ambition with the contradictions of his Christian ethos. In one of his songs “man at the garden,” Lamar repeats, “I deserve it all,” as an assertion of the successes he earned through sacrifices and survival. “Twice emotional stability/Of sound body and tranquility/I deserve it all,” he proclaims, pointing to the emotional growth that shaped albums like “Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers.”
But as the verse progresses, the mantra bends under the weight of materialistic greed: “VVSs, white diamonds/GNX with the seat back, reclinin’” and “Lampin’ on the island, watchin’ Cast Away.” As Lamar’s lyrics spiral into material indulgence — “More money, more power, more freedom” — he wrestles with the societal truth that “freedom” ties into “power” provided by wealth which stands in direct opposition to the Christian rapper’s faith.
On “reincarnated,” Lamar ventures further inward. A lyrical epic, the chorus reframes Lamar’s life through past incarnations: an R&B guitarist, a Chitlin’ Circuit vocalist who battled addiction and, finally, himself. The refrain, “Father, did I finally get it right?” binds his earthly father, Kenny Duckworth, with God, blurring lines between the spiritual and the familial. This vulnerability contrasts starkly with his philanthropy — uniting rival gangs on stage and donating $200,000 to Los Angeles charities. Here, Lamar’s words come from humility, not self-glorification.
The track reaches its emotional peak through his dialogue with his father. Lamar confronts him, stating all his selfless deeds. However, God sees through his ego and pride: “Son, you do well, but your heart is closed/I can tell residue that linger from your past creates a cell.” By the end of the track, Lamar promises that “I’ll use my gifts to bring understanding…I vow my life just to live one in harmony now,” regretting his role in public character assassination that encourages negativity more than anything. He completes his confession, “I rewrote the devil’s story just to take our power back, ‘carnated,” merging his personal redemption with a collective one.
Musically, “GNX” matches its thematic depths. SZA’s ethereal vocals add texture to tracks, harmonizing with Lamar’s singsong delivery and cutting through his harsher bars. On “luther,” her voice grounds Lamar’s idealism: “If this world was mine, I’d take your dreams and make ’em multiply.” Tracks like “peekaboo” offer rhythm-heavy bursts layered with double entendres and Compton slang. The Spanish poem is revealed slowly as the album progresses, evoking “To Pimp A Butterfly”’s layered storytelling and grounding the project in a rich literary framework.
Despite speculation that the collection would address the rap beef, Lamar sidesteps it entirely, and, instead, he speaks to the industry as a whole. In classic Kendrick fashion, “GNX” is deeply personal and philosophically ambitious as he reclaims his title not through accolades but through his ability to transform self-reflection into collective redemption. As Lamar says in “Like That,” Kendrick isn’t just one of the “Big Three” — it’s just “Big Me.”
Rating: 4.5/5
Top Tracks: “reincarnated,” “luther” (feat. SZA), “gnx” (feat. hitta j3, youngthreat, peysoh)
