The Daily Spin II

Kendrick Lamar | GNX

Welcome back to the Daily Spin. For the uninitiated, this is the series in which I review an album every day of 2025.

As was the case two years ago, my favorite song from each album can be found at the playlist linked here.

Album: GNX (2024)

Artist: Kendrick Lamar

Link:

With GNX, Kendrick Lamar completes the victory lap that his 2024 has been, a total domination of culture that ascended past pretty much every expectation and lauded him with credits and halos alike.

I’m not here to rehash the beef between Kendrick and Drake - we’ve all seen the headlines and heard the stories, and that whiplash few days when the back-and-forth was pop-pop-pop was exhilarating as a spectator. Common thought? Kendrick won it - sure, the ‘A MINORRRR’ line is gonna be the one that sticks, but the pure hate in those tracks even outside the allegations was unbeatable.

He carries that forward with GNX - though not quite so driven by a singular target, this is Kendrick unafraid to spit his truth. Though it doesn’t always convert - I’d say the second half of the album begins to waver - the unbridled exuberance here is fun enough that I can’t exactly be mad about it.

The issue, I think, is that this is akin to watching Richard Petty run in the early seventies. One dude lapping a bunch of guys that were no slouches themselves, but a record so aware of itself has to have something deeper to hold that foundation, and at times, GNX is a record built on finding ghosts to make boogeymen out of. It’s incongruous with the built image of Kendrick the god, Kendrick after the River Styx, invincible skin and glossy sheen. He can’t forget the heel around all else.

Rating: 8/10

Best Tracks: wacced out murals, dodger blue

Worst Tracks: man at the garden