What Kendrick Lamar's Album GNX Can Teach You About Leveling Up
2024 has proven to be Kendrick Lamar’s year in multiple ways, and this new album is the latest addition to his legacy.
What seemed to be a normal Friday in November, ended up being the release date for Kendrick Lamar’s sixth studio album GNX. It came as a complete surprise to fans, but even Mustard, who produced ‘Not Like Us’ and some key tracks on this project, didn’t know it was going to drop on 22nd November. As the word started to spread on social media, GNX quickly became a trending topic with in-depth discussions and threads on platforms like reddit and X. The detail in his music often dominates online conversations, and the storytelling on this album gives listeners a lot of layers to unpack. If you’re working out your next steps or looking for a way of elevating your career, Kendrick’s latest album is full of relatable experiences as he explores the ups and downs of putting yourself out there as a creative.
We get an insight into Kendrick’s creative process on the song ‘Gloria’. The track initially appears to be about his relationship with a girl, but at the end, he reveals that it’s about his relationship with his pen. It’s a great example of quality storytelling and also features gems for aspiring creatives, based on his journey. Lyrics like, “Some n****s wanted you, but they weren’t committed,” reflect the amount of people who want to be rappers but get distracted along the way. These lyrics resonate with me, in terms of pursuing a career in the creative industry - so many of us want to make it but how ‘committed’ are we? Sometimes the creativity flows and other times we’re hit with a random creative block. On GNX, Kendrick Lamar touches on his struggles with writing, saying, “I disgust you, then you blocked me.” This can be interpreted as a reference to writer's block which he’s spoken about before. A lot of us experience creative blocks, but the lesson to learn from successes like Kendrick's is that it’s all part of the process.
The way we consume music has changed a lot over the years, especially since the rise in social media and streaming. Attention spans are shortening, which has led to artists releasing songs that are around two minutes long and don’t include a bridge. In an age of TikTok snippets, Kendrick’s music still cuts through. Him shouting, “MUSTAAAARD!” on ‘TV Off’ has gone viral and become a meme on social media with fans, comedians and brands making references.
Mustard himself thinks it’s ‘fire’ and said to Billboard, “I can’t wait to perform that song and just hear people saying that, ‘cause everybody’s going to say that like crazy.” Kendrick and Mustard work well together to produce music that works in the clubs and has a lot of substance to it. The lyrics on ‘TV Off’ see Kendrick critiquing society and essentially saying, “Somebody gotta do it.” Themes of social commentary and his thoughts about his own legacy can be heard throughout GNX. We can take inspiration from this to be the change we want to see in our creative fields because, as he says, “Somebody gotta do it.” Kendrick’s individuality plays a huge role in his craft.
On the opening track of the album, he says, “I never lost who I am for a rap image,” and his accolades are proof that staying true to yourself works. Trying to fit in with what we see around us in the creative world often comes as a natural instinct, but what we can take from Kendrick’s album is that our uniqueness is valuable. In recent years, Hip-Hop has been criticised for diverting from its origins, but Kendrick is an artist who cares about purpose and developing his skills. On ‘Reincarnated’ he says, “The only factor I respected was raising the bar / My instincts sent material straight to the charts.” The commercial success he’s acquired from wanting to raise the bar is a blueprint for newer artists and an inspiration to some of his peers. Nas posted the album cover on Instagram saying, “Always inspired by my brother KL. Keeping the essence of this s*** alive and at the forefront.”
One thing about Kendrick Lamar is that whether you’re a fan or not, conversations about his releases are inescapable. Sonically, his music isn’t my go-to style but his mastery of storytelling means that each time I listen, there’s something else to pick up on. When describing himself on ‘Reincarnated’ he says, “My present life is Kendrick Lamar / A rapper looking at the lyrics to keep you in awe.” What I’ve learnt from listening to GNX is that he genuinely cares about his lyrics, and this is something we can apply to our creative work - the idea of wanting to keep people ‘in awe’. So much music gets released every day but when Kendrick drops, it feels like the internet’s attention shifts directly to him. The complexity of his lyrics and the conceptual elements of his projects spark a lot of debates and think pieces through his online community.
Narrative albums keep music conversations alive, and GNX is an example of how commitment and not losing yourself are key to having an impactful career.
