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Which of these lines blew your mind the most?
Kendrick Lamar’s latest album, GNX, has already solidified its place as a defining moment in Hip-Hop this year.
Featuring 12 tracks of razor-sharp lyricism and unapologetic candor, the project sees Kendrick addressing critics and solidifying his reign as one of rap’s most insightful and dominant voices.
The album strikes a balance between introspection and defiance, with the Compton emcee tackling everything from personal growth to the discomfort his success inspires in others.
Below, we’ve highlighted the best and most thought-provoking lyrics from GNX—a testament to Kendrick’s mastery of storytelling and lyrical depth.
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“wacced out murals”
Image Credit: Erika Goldring/FilmMagic
“All this talk is bi**h-made, that’s on my Lord/ I’ll kill ’em all before I let ’em kill my joy/ I done been through it all, what you endure?/ It used to be f**k that ni**a, but now it’s plural/ F**k everybody, that’s on my body/ My blick first, then God got me/ I watch ’em pandеr with them back-handed compliments/ Put thеy head on a Cuban link as a monument”
War is heavy on Kendrick’s mind in these couplets, as he vows vengeance against those who threaten to disturb his peace. Recounting his history of surviving adversarial encounters, he expresses his awareness of the Judas amongst him.
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“wacced out murals”
Image Credit: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images
“Used to bump Tha Carter III, I held my Rollie chain proud/ Irony, I think my hard work let Lil Wayne down/ Whatever, though, call me crazy, everybody questionable/ Turn me to an eskimo, I drew the line and decimals/ 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/ Won the Super Bowl and Nas the only one congratulate me/ All these ni**as agitated, I’m just glad they showin’ they faces/ Quite frankly, plenty artists, but they outdated/ Old-a** flows, tryna convince me that you they favorite”
Addressing the elephant in the room, Kendrick provides his response to Lil Wayne’s disappointment about having the Super Bowl Halftime Show “ripped away” from him and given to himself. A longtime Weezy fan, he voices his own disheartenment over being adjacent to his one-time rap hero’s ire. However, he shrugs off the perceived hate and backbiting surrounding his selection while taking a not-so-veiled jab at Snoop Dogg in the process.
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“wacced out murals”
Image Credit: Kevin Winter/Getty Images for NARAS
“Ni**as from my city couldn’t entertain old boy/ Promisin’ bank transactions and even bitcoin/ I never peaced it up, that shit don’t sit well with me/ Before I take a truce, I’ll take ’em to Hell with me/ If that money got in the hands of a crash dummy/ Could jeopardize my family and burden the ones who love me/ Ni**as mad ’cause I decided not to pretend/ Y’all stay politically correct, I’ma do what I did”
While no names are mentioned, Kendrick seemingly disses Drake yet again for his alleged attempts to gain favor within Los Angeles through monetary gestures. Shunning any talk of finding common ground with his foe, he voices no regret for the measures he took in baiting “The Boy” into their epic war of words.
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“squabble up”
Image Credit: Paras Griffin/Getty Images
“Thunk, thunk, thunk, thunk, thunk, baby rockin’ it/ Quid pro quo, what you want? ‘Cause I’m watchin’ it/ Work on the floor, let me know if you clockin’ it/ Brodie won’t go, but I know that he poppin’ it/ It was woof tickets on sale ’til I silenced it/ Pipe down, young, these some whole other politics/ Bi**h with him and some bi**h in him, that’s a lot of bi**h/ Don’t hit him, he got kids with him, my apologies”
K. Dot gets loose as he purveys a woman dropping it to the floor, but unloads a few barbs at the opps, who he also deems as feminine. Staying true to the code of leaving children unscathed in the midst of warfare, the Compton menace’s gangster is only tempered by his morality.
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“man at the garden”
Image Credit: Paul Marotta/Getty Images
“I’m wakin’ up at 6 a.m./ Six miles a day, conditionin’ my wind/ I said I deserve it all/ I’m showin’ up as your friend/ Tellin’ truths better than your next of kin/ I said I deserve it all/ I never ask for too much credit/ Seekin’ validation just for the aesthetics, bi**h/ I deserve it all/ I see you as a human first/ Even when you didn’t understand your worth”
Physical preparedness is matched with spiritual awareness as Lamar gives insight into his fitness regimen. Shunning the acceptance of the crowd, Kendrick instead finds his power in resilience, and unapologetic self-worth, a testament to the Pulitzer Prize recipient’s commitment to personal growth and authentic relationships.
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“hey now”
Image Credit: Astrida Valigorsky/Getty Images
“It’s the Ben Frank murderer/ Mister, I ain’t heard of ya/ Gulf streams, back to back, flyin’ through the turbulence/ Who is he? Free lunch, hmm, Kraft Services/ Throw your a** out this rental if I smell nervousness/ Hey now, say now, let me pop my sh*t/ Water down my wrist, I’m around my bi**h/ It’s a green light, don’t get out of bounds, I’ma blitz/ It’s a bird, it’s a plane, no, it’s all blue strips”
Blue notes and private jets are on Lamar’s itinerary, as he flexes on the competition with nonchalance. Adorned in jewelry, with his woman in his circumference, the sailing appears smoother than ever for Mr. Duckworth.
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“reincarnated”
Image Credit: Pierre Suu/Getty Images
“I got this fire burnin’ in me from within/ Concentrated thoughts on who I used to be, I’m sheddin’ skin/ Every day, a new version of me, a third of me demented, cemented in pain/ Juggling opposing kinds of fame/ I don’t know how to make friends, I’m a lonely soul/ I recollect this isolation, I was four years old/ Truth be told, I’ve been battling my soul/ Tryna navigate the real and fake/ Cynical about the judgement day”
Channeling the fiery flows of Tupac Shakur, Lamar casts himself as a soul traveling through various realms of time, aspiring to find peace and fulfill its purpose. The despair and inner conflict are palpable, as Kendrick attempts to balance those emotions amid the trappings of fame.
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“reincarnated”
Image Credit: Arturo Holmes/MG23/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
“Okay, then tell me the truth/ Every individual is only a version of you/ How can they forgive when there’s no forgiveness in your heart?/ I could tell you where I’m going/ I could tell you who you are/ You fell out of Heaven ’cause you was anxious/ Didn’t like authority, only searched to be heinous/ Isaiah fourteen was the only thing that was prevalent/ My greatest music director was you/ It was colors, it was pinks, it was reds, it was blues/ It was harmony and motion/ I sent you down to earth ’cause you was broken/ Rehabilitation, not psychosis”
Kendrick has a conversation with his creator, who reveals the roots of his torment and the reasoning behind his inability to rest his soul. Finding the value and power in redemption and forgiveness, Lamar’s current incarnation finds him accepting his flaws while attempting to right his wrongs.
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“tv off”
Image Credit: Lester Cohen/Getty Images for NARAS
“I’m in a city with a flag, be gettin’ thrown like it was pass interference/ Padlock around the building/ Crash, pullin’ up in unmarked truck just to play freeze tag/ With a bone to pick like it was sea bass/ So when I made it out, I made about fifty K from a show/ Tryna show ni**as the ropes before they hung from a rope/ I’m prophetic, they only talk about it how I get it/ Only good for saving face, seen the cosmetics/ How many heads I gotta take to level my aesthetics?/ Hurry up and get your muscle up, we out the plyometric/ Nicarana by the lux, soon as I up the highest metric/ The city just made it sweet, you could die, I bet it”
There are certain instances in which even the most skilled wordsmith takes flight on a track, which is what Kendrick does after bellowing the shout-out heard around the world. Lyrically levitating, he reminds us that when he’s not constrained by a concept, his free-wheeling highlights are as potent as any emcee in the game.
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“peekaboo”
Image Credit: Joseph Okpako/WireImage
“Hey, pull off in a Lam’/ Double-park it all at Tam’s, Mr. Get-Off-On-Your-Mans/ If he hatin’, disrespect, you better follow up with hands/ Losses to the neck, but now I’m trophied up, I’m sayin’, like/ Bing-bop-boom-boom-boom-bop-bam/ The type of sh*t I’m on, you wouldn’t understand/ The type of skits I’m on, you wouldn’t understand/ Big-dog business, I would not hold your hand/ Broke-bi**h business, I could not be your man/ Never got his a** whooped until we opened up that can/ Damn, alley-oop me bands, I’ma slam, jam/ Freak bi**h, I like my MAC touchin’ yams”
Kung Fu Kenny links with AzChike for a vicious verse rife with cultural references and nods to their L.A. stomping grounds. Responding to infractions with physical and lyrical beatdowns, they lean in on their hardscrabble roots as youths on the turf.
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“heart pt. 6”
Image Credit: Jason Koerner/Getty Images
“Time flies, I’m carrying debates of a top five/ Burying my opps and allies/ But I’d done a half job communicating feelings of being stagnant/ Life was getting bigger than just rapping/ The business, what I was lacking/ Top used to record me back when it was poor me/ And now we at the round table for what assures me/ I guess my motivation was the yearning for independence/ Poured everything I had left in the family business/ Now it’s about Kendrick, I wanna evolve, place my skillset as a Black exec’/ I jog my memory, knowing Black Hippy didn’t work ’cause of me/ Creatively, I moved on with new concepts in reach”
Lamar’s ambitions to forge his own path and legacy, both as a creative and businessman, are expressed on this biographical journey throughout Kendrick’s time with Top Dawg Entertainment. Providing a transparent glimpse into the inner workings of the crew and the evolution of his place within it, these lyrics speak from the depths of his heart and carry on the series in a poignant way.
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“gloria”
Image Credit: Kevin Winter/Getty Images for The Recording Academy
“Me and my bi**h got a complicated relationship/ She’s so controllin’, I noticed it ain’t no playin’ with/ I met her when I was off the porch as a teenager/ She said one day I would right my wrongs and see paper/ We started out young, lookin’ for some identity, made a thousand mistakes/ But never did we lack chemistry/ Wrappin’ my hand ’round your waist/ That was back when you did whatever I say/ Dreams of sellin’ narcotics, runnin’ blocks, or robbin’ banks/ I was in love with you, didn’t know what it was with you/ Kiss you in back of the class just to get a buzz with you”
The tribulations of street love are placed under the scope as Kendrick recounts the tale of a young couple fighting to preserve their love in the face of their criminal lifestyle. Professing a loyalty strong enough to risk the potential of cufflinks and chains, K.Dot gets poetic on this emotional sonnet.
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