Kendrick Lamar’s New Album GNX Takes Over Billboard Hot 100
Since the release of Kendrick Lamar’s surprise album, GNX, all 12 tracks have debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Five of those tracks earned the top five spots on the chart.
The 17-time Grammy award winner’s sixth album, GNX, was a shock for fans as there was no prior announcement of the album release. Still, it has made waves online and across the charts, debuting as number 1 on the Billboard 200 chart on December 7. Lamar’s single, “Squabble Up,” currently sits at number 1, following behind the rapper’s other singles, “Not Like Us,” “Like That,” featuring Future and Metro Boom, “Humble,” and his feature on Taylor Swift’s song “Bad Blood.”
The rapper added a few features to the album, including upcoming artists, artists from Los Angeles, and artists that fans know and love. Some features include SZA, Roddy Rich, Sam Drew, Bobby Hawk, Ink, and many talented artists. Upcoming artists such as Lefty Gunplay, Dody6, and Wallie the Sensei, amongst others, have placed their first on the charts due to featuring on the rapper’s songs from the album.
The album’s tracks portray the rapper’s creative genius, which is what Lamar is accredited for. Some of the tracks, “Squabble Up” and “Wacced Out Murals,” address the ongoing beef between the Canadian rapper Drake and Lamar, which began earlier this year with the rapper’s singles “Euphoria” and “Not Like Us.”
The Weeknd listening to Kendrick Lamar’s “GNX” via his IG story. pic.twitter.com/H0gkiTyR42
— Kendrick Lamar Updates (@KendrickChart) December 14, 2024
GNX also connects the rapper directly and indirectly with the history of Los Angeles with the singles “Reincarnated,” which samples Tupac Shakur’s “Made ___,” alluding to Los Angeles rap history, and “Heart Pt. 6,” which samples the slow soulfulness of the 1994 Los Angeles classic “The Freshest MC in the World” by K-DEE and the R&B girl group SWV. The rapper also pays homage to New York rapper Nas in the track ‘Wacced Out Murals” and his creativity in the song “Gloria,” featuring SZA.
Fans dub Kendrick Lamar a creative genius in the rap game, and so far, GNX has set the bar high for the rap genius. GNX is available on all streaming services.
