Kendrick Lamar is ending 2024 with a bang.
The hip-hop heavyweight took fans by surprise when he unveiled his sixth studio album, GNX, without any warning on Friday (Nov. 22). The 12-track project features contributions from SZA — who appears on “Luther” and “Gloria” — Jack Antonoff, Kamasi Washington, Roddy Ricch and more.
GNX serves as Lamar’s official follow-up to Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers in 2022, which topped the Billboard 200 with 295,000 total units earned in the first week. In the spring, he contributed a guest verse on Future and Metro Boomin’s Hot 100 No. 1 single “Like That,” which launched a high-profile rap beef with Drake. The back and forth between the two ultimately culminated in Lamar’s anthemic “Not Like Us,” which not only served to end the feud but also became a longstanding hit, topping the Hot 100 for two nonconsecutive weeks.
gearing up to be an even more groundbreaking new year for Kenny, who will be taking the stage for the Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show, set to take place on Feb. 9, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana. “Rap music is still the most impactful genre to date,” he said at the time of announcement. “And I’ll be there to remind the world why. They got the right one.”
The 17-time Grammy winner is also up for seven awards at the 2025 ceremony. “Not Like Us” is up for record of the year, song of the year, best music video, best rap performance and best rap song. Meanwhile, “Like That” is nominated for best rap song and best rap performance.
With the release of GNX, fans quickly flooded social media with overwhelmingly positive reactions to the project. “Look me dead in the eyes and tell me Kendrick Lamar isn’t the greatest ever,” one user wrote on X, for example, while another added, “Kendrick just opened his mouth, someone go hand him a Grammy right now.”
See below for more fan reactions to Kendrick Lamar’s GNX.
By Billboard
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