This is not a drill: Kendrick Lamar just surprise-released a new album! It’s called GNX.

UPDATE: Read our first-impression review.

The album comes in the midst of what just might be Kendrick’s biggest year yet. He had the entire hip hop community at the edge of its seats for a week straight during his multi-song beef with Drake, and the beef itself has arguably been overshadowed how world-conquering “Not Like Us” has become. The song is up for multiple Grammy awards, including Record and Song of the Year, and the Future/Metro Boomin/Kendrick song “Like That” (which helped escalate the beef with Drake and is also already one of Kendrick’s best guest verses ever) is up for two awards in the rap categories as well. One week after the Grammys, Kendrick will headline the 2025 Super Bowl Halftime Show.

I’m still making my way through my first listen of GNX as I write this, and I can already tell there’s gonna be so much to unpack here, as is always the case with new Kendrick albums and even new Kendrick songs. Kendrick mentions both his Drake beef and his upcoming Super Bowl performance on the album, as well as Lil Wayne’s disappointment with Kendrick being booked to play the Super Bowl instead of him. There are moments that find Kendrick giving us more where the hard-hitting “Not Like Us” came from (“Squabble Up,” “TV Off”) and also moments that sound more like songs that could fit on sprawling albums like Mr. Morale and To Pimp A Butterfly. There are already several stop-you-in-your-tracks, mic-drop moments that pop out on first listen, and there are also deep, articulate verses that we’re probably going to be hearing a lot of people dissect in the next few days. There’s also a song called “Heart Pt. 6” (sorry Drake).

No guests are credited, but there are definitely guests on there, including SZA on both “Luther” and “Gloria,” as well as Deyra Barrera, Ink, Sam Dew, Dody6, Siete, Wallie the Sensei, AzChike, Hitta J3, Peysoh, and Young Threat. Producers include Mustard, DJ Dahi, Sounwave, Jack Antonoff, Terrace Martin, Kamasi Washington, and more. The album was released by Kendrick’s pgLang company and Interscope. His previous album, 2022’s Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers, was his last for TDE.

Listen to GNX below and read our first-impression review here.

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