If you woke up incredibly annoyed at the “NEW CARTI” that dropped on social media on November 21, don’t worry. Kendrick Lamar has pulled up in a GNX and saved the day.
Titled after the car, K. Dot first posted a one-minute clip online featuring him alongside the vehicles inside a light-filled hall as he raps with a string instrumental providing an assist. However, the beat gets heavier as he’s suddenly seen in a dimly lit hallway posted on top of a piano before the video cuts off.
Immediately, his YouTube comments were filled with users stating that “this album is going to feed generations” and “the GOAT is here.” Little did we all know that Kendrick was getting ready to feed us within the hour. X user @Jasp3r-0 said it best, “Kendrick the only mf to tease an album with a snippet and then release the album 10 mins later without the teased snippet.”
The good news is that Kendrick’s newest project, GNX, does include the song heard at the beginning of the “Not Like Us” video (called “squabble up”), and it consists of 12 glorious tracks.
The bad news is that he did it with no warning or time to submit a PTO request because there is much to unpack. Below, find out all the hidden meanings and shoutouts on GNX.
What does the title mean?
As usual, there are a few interpretations of Kendrick’s GNX album name floating around the internet, and they all have merit.
“For those wondering, GNX stands for Grand National Experimental, named after the car the Buick GNX shown in this video. The car was produced in 1987. Seems like this album will have some mixture of old school west coast vibes here’s hoping,” Youtube user @anthonybeckford5608 said in the comments of the initial clip.
Reddit user @GiganticOrange took the car interpretation one step further. Apparently, in the ‘80s, the Buick GNX was one of the fastest production cars in terms of acceleration but General Motors downplayed its capabilities because they were concerned it could take away from Corvette sales. Many automobile fanatics view the GNX as one of the most underrated cars.
In Kendrick’s subliminal language, the GNX (stealthy, uncompromising, and rebellious are a few of the adjectives Chat GPT used) is symbolic of Kendrick’s status in the industry. Other rappers may be the Corvette—flashy and bold—but he’s the GNX.
According to Complex, GNX also has family ties for Kendrick. It was the car his dad drove him home in from the hospital.
Kendrick addresses Snoop Dogg and Lil Wayne
On the first track, “wacced out murals,” Kendrick rapped about how he was disappointed in Snoop Dogg showing love to Drake’s “Taylor Made Freestyle”, you know the one that weaponized AI 2Pac and Snoop vocals against him.
“Snoop posted “Taylor Made,” I prayed it was the edibles / I couldn’t believe it, only right for me to let it go,” he said.
Given Kendrick’s deep ties to Snoop, who passed him the torch of West Coast rap in 2011 alongside Dr. Dre, Kurupt, Warren G, and The Game, Snoop’s reaction felt like a betrayal.
Snoop humorously responded to the mention and showed love to K. Dot’s new album on X.
Kendrick took time on the same track to finally address the Lil Wayne and Super Bowl controversy. Instead of taking Michelle Obama’s approach of going high when they go low, K. Dot bluntly called it like it is.
“Used to bump Tha Carter III, I held my Rollie chain proud / Irony, I think my hard work let Lil Wayne down,” he rapped.
Kendrick pays homage to Wayne but the irony is that Kendrick’s hard work, inspired by artists like Wayne, inadvertently let Wayne down because it led to Kendrick being chosen for the halftime show instead him. Kendrick’s lyrics illustrate the complexity of success and the domino effect it can have on one’s idols.
Wayne publicly expressed his disappointment in not being chosen to perform in his hometown of NOLA when the announcement was made. He already seems to have responded to Kendrick but didn’t take the mention as well as Snoop.
Although there was speculation that Wayne might be brought out as a special guest, don’t hold your breath for a Kendrick x Wayne reunion at the Super Bowl.
Major West Coast representation
The hunch that GNX would be full of West Coast vibes was correct, with the numerous tracks on the album reminiscent of not only the energy of “Not Like Us,” but old-school West Coast sounds from artists like 2Pac. He sampled 2Pac’s 1996 song “Made N*****” on the song “reincarnated.”
Despite all the speculation about features (Taylor Swift’s name was even thrown out at one point), Kendrick doubled down on his victory lap from “The Pop Out” and made sure the album’s credits are full of artists from his home city.
Features and additional vocals were from:
- Dody6
- Siete
- Roddy Ricch
- AzChike
- SZA
- Hitta J3
- Sam Drew
- Deyra Barrera
- Ink
- Wallie the Sensei
- Lefty Gunplay
- Peysoh
- Young Threat
When it comes to production, he got help from some of his usual heavy hitters, including Sounwave (co-produced the whole album) and Terrace Martin, who both hail from LA. As well as newer faces like Jack Antonoff (who previously produced “6:16 in LA”).
Black Hippy: From then to now
While Drake did not get another name drop on GNX, K. Dot reclaimed one of Drake’s diss tracks, “heart pt. 6,” by putting out his own version. On it, he addressed why Black Hippy, the group made up of him, ScHoolboy Q, Ab-Soul, and Jay Rock, didn’t work out.
First, he reflects on his early TDE days with the other Black Hippy members, their struggles and brotherhood that led them to where they are today. “His words legendary, wishin’ I could rhyme like him / Studied his style to define my pen,” Kendrick raps referring to Ab-Soul’s lyricism.
“That was way back when the only goal was to get Jay Rock through the door,” Kendrick continues. Jay Rock was the first member of Black Hippy to gain traction commercially and was the first to officially release an album.
He especially highlights his relationship with ScHoolboy Q, how music was their place of refuge and Q’s early belief in him (“Q said, ‘Dot, you won’t be slept on, you the n***a to bet on’”). Q has previously spoken about being homeless and that during those times Kendrick always pushed him to keep going.
The song gives flowers to everyone Kendrick came up with. Aside from Black Hippy, he names Dave Free, producer Sounwave, Top, Punch, Moose, and RET from TDE, mixing engineer MixedByAli, and his bodyguard TEEZ.
During his beef with Drake, accusations were thrown around that it was immoral for Kendrick to go against someone who helped him early in his career. “Heart pt. 6,” shines a bright spotlight on the people who built Kendrick up to be the rapper he is today, highlighting just how small of a role Drake really played in his success.
Towards the end of the song, he speaks about his departure from TDE and why he started his own company pgLang. “I guess my motivation was yearnin’ for independence / Poured everything I had left into the family business / Now it’s about Kendrick, I wanna evolve, place my skillset as a Black ‘exec.”
Finally, he reflects on Black Hippy, and takes responsibility for why the group dissolved, suggesting that his solo career and evolving vision didn’t align with the direction of the group. “I jog my memory, knowin’ Black Hippy didn’t work out ‘cause of me / Creatively I moved on with new concepts in reach.”
Whether this was the album Kendrick’s been working on that was rumored to drop, or it’s just an appetizer for what’s to come, it seems like the final word in the “rapper of the year” conversation as 2024 comes to a close. One thing we know for sure is that the self-proclaimed “biggest hater,” isn’t letting his foot off the gas.
