Kendrick Lamar Drops Surprise Album 'GNX' To Cap Off Huge Year ...

5 hours ago

Forbes

Topline

Kendrick Lamar surprised fans by releasing a new album, “GNX,” Friday afternoon with no advance notice, the latest in a successful year for the rapper marked by his dramatic beef with Drake—which many say Lamar won—and his smash diss track “Not Like Us,” as the album contains references to the feud.

The album follows Lamar's highly publicized feud with Drake earlier this year. (Photo by Jason ... [+] Koerner/Getty Images)

Getty Images Key Facts

Lamar quietly released the 12-track album Friday afternoon and posted the album cover to Instagram just after noon EST.

The rapper addresses his feud with Drake on the opening track, “wacced out murals,” rapping: “Snoop posted 'Taylor Made,' I prayed it was the edibles/ I couldn't believe it, it was only right for me to let it go.”

The lyric references rapper Snoop Dogg sharing Drake’s diss track aimed at Lamar, “Taylor Made Freestyle,” to Instagram earlier this year, though Snoop Dogg later clarified he wouldn’t pick a side in the feud and praised both Drake and Lamar for “raising the bar” for rappers.

Lamar’s album includes a new track called “heart pt. 6,” the latest installment in his long-running “heart” song series—bearing the same title as one of the diss tracks Drake released in May.

Lamar also addressed complaints he was chosen to headline the Super Bowl in New Orleans over Lil Wayne, a New Orleans native, on “wacced out murals,” rapping: “I used to bump ‘Tha Carter 3,’’ I held my Rollie chain proud/ Irony, I think my hard work let Lil Wayne down,” referencing the 2008 Lil Wayne album, also rapping, “Got the Super Bowl and Nas the only one congratulate me.”

Key Background

The album rounds out a massive year for Lamar, who stunned fans earlier this year by dropping diss tracks against Drake in rapid succession, culminating in a wild feud that many perceive Lamar to have won. His diss track “Not Like Us” became one of the year’s biggest hits, reaching No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and racking up five Grammy nominations. Throughout their feud, Lamar and Drake traded wild allegations. Lamar alleged Drake had pursued minors and had a secret daughter, both of which Drake denied, while Drake accused Lamar of abusing his wife, which Lamar had previously denied. Lamar also hosted a huge concert in Los Angeles to celebrate Juneteenth, packed with Los Angeles-native celebrities, which was viewed as a victory lap for Lamar following the Drake feud. At the show, he performed “Not Like Us” five times in a row. In September, the NFL announced Lamar would headline the Super Bowl LIX halftime show in February. The decision sparked some controversy as several artists, including Nicki Minaj, Master P and Cam’ron, said Lil Wayne should have been chosen to headline the show in his home city. Lil Wayne later addressed the alleged snub, stating it “broke” him, blaming himself for “automatically mentally putting myself in that position” as the headliner.

News Peg

Just before the album release, Lamar posted a minute-long video teaser to his YouTube channel, in which he poses with a Buick GNX car. The album features production from Jack Antonoff, a frequent collaborator for many of the biggest pop stars, and guest vocals from SZA.