Kendrick Lamar - GNX (November 22nd, 2024) Album • Page 17

That's either second or third for me, it swaps places with GKMC after TPAB. Which will probably never be topped.

 

it be high up in my rankings too if I had to rank. The production is just so good that it stays undefeated.

 

I was late to the Kendrick train. For so long, he didn't click with me until Humble came out + I fell in love with his verse on Never Catch Me by Flying Lotus. Which is why I think TPAB as a whole clicked with me most. Which is also why I like UU as much as I do due to it essentially being an extension of TPAB.

 

DAMN. also has a certain, jilted darkness (?) to it (and his other records) that’s completely washed out here.

 

I remember DAMN fine I just don't think it's anything special lol

 

Just look at DAMN’s tracklist, so many top-tier songs that range a ton in terms of sound, emotion, and subject matter in terms of lyrics. It’s a poppier Kendrick that has all the substance of dense Kendrick. It’s really a phenomenal album that people are misrepresenting here as some mid effort.

 

I think DAMN is still my favorite overall. Just hits all the right vibes for me.

 

I don't think anyone is misrepresenting DAMN, I just think that it came out after two (possibly three depending on who you ask) masterpieces and I think there's a thought that it's lower down on some peoples tastes because of that. Plus there may be a little recency bias with the new one too.

 

Fear is like a top 5 Kendrick song

that alchemist beat goes crazy

 

That's probably true. I am enjoying this new one but the review highlights my issues that it does feel a bit Kendrick-lite especially in terms of lyrics. There's so much to say in this current moment, and coming after the self-realization stuff of Mr. Morale, it feels a bit... shortsighted to follow it with an album that's so ego-driven. The bangers do hit though.

 

I wanna go more into it when I have time after work but I'd argue there is good reasoning for having a (comparitvely) lighter, more banger-friendly album after something like Mr. Morale and the year he's had this year. For one, it's only been 2 years since Mr. Morale, an album that he took 5 years after DAMN to come out with. Not that he can't come out with something as rich as that in a shorter time but I think at this point he probably wants to take longer for his albums like that

 

I gravitate towards TPAB because I think he’s so good at writing about society/other people, I’m less interested in his writing about himself.

 

I like the writing on the review, although I’m warmer on this than he is, but I also don’t like reincarnated. He sounds too much like Eminem for me

 

Damn is mildly weak in the middle but there are some absurdly great Kendrick songs on there. I know god is fairly polarizing song but for me the closing three song run is just incredible.

On this one I don’t agree with the 6.6 nor most of the content of the p4k review.

 

I LUV MYSELF

 

I’d like to resequence Mr Morale and cut about half the songs. Maybe I’ll do that over Thanksgiving.

 

first time I heard DNA, I almost fell out of my chair.

 

I think Damn. would instantly move up my ranking if you cut “let me put the head in”

 

Fully expecting for Kdot to be playing Metlife Stadium and similarly-sized venues over the summer. Move over MCR

 

that pitchfork review is legitimately horrible the only real criticism I agree with is the production is pretty sanitized and glossy but the writer spends five paragraphs just talking about how he didn’t like the drake beef lol. here’s some real music writing


‘GNX’ Is Kendrick Lamar’s Turbo-Powered Victory Lap

 

Pitchfork review is good, even if I only agree with about 50% of it. All of the criticisms are valid except for the "reincarnated" take, which is wack. I think this is a good album from a great artist with a LOT of recency bias coming into play with listeners

also, DAMN. stays my favorite. TPAB feels pretty undeniably his best, but it's so dense that I don't find myself returning to it casually

 

Ugh the review made some really good points that I need to digest in my next listen but it also dug up my weird negative Alphonse Pierre bias that I need to spend the rest of my day unpacking.

 

Absolutely. I remember listening to it the night it dropped and being too hyped up to go to bed

 

Also not for nothing, that Pitchfork reviewer is also the same one that was able to look past the Jay Electronica shit for Noname's Sundial and go "*shrug* we all have our contradictions!" and give it a Best New Music so lol, to a degree

 

Damn
Mr. Morale
To Pimp a Butterfly
GKMC
GNX

I need to revisit Untitled Unmastered (I have a feeling I would put it ahead of this album) and spend more time with Section.80.