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Kendrick Lamar releases new album, 'GNX,' capping a year of wins
<!DOCTYPE html> <html lang="en"> <head> <title>Kendrick Lamar releases new album, 'GNX,' capping a year of wins</title> <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=utf-8"> <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width"> <link id="favicon" rel="shortcut icon" type="image/png" href="data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAABAAAAAQCAYAAAAf8/9hAAAAAXNSR0IArs4c6QAAAHlJREFUOBFjYBgFFIcA48cYpf/opvAv+YouxODXshZDbFONDSMLSJRv8V245KdYZTD7//8XcDFGRgkwe2O1NVzMv/UomA02AMQCaUQ2CCQG0ohsEEgMphHEBgEmCIWdRNeMTRXYBTBnw2iYQpjTYXx022Hio/RAhwAAjXEfJrIXnj4AAAAASUVORK5CYII="> <style> body { display: block; padding: 0px 20px; max-width: 550px; margin: 0 auto; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol"; } .full-version-link { margin-left: 15px; } .slug-line { font-size: 1.1rem; margin-bottom: 15px; } .hr-line { position: relative; height: 4px; } .hr-line:after { background: linear-gradient(to right, #e60000 0%, #e60000 33.33%, #000000 33.33%, #000000 66.66%, #3366CC 66.66%); position: absolute; content: ''; height: 4px; right: 0; left: 0; top: 0; } hr.gray { border: .5px solid gray; } .story-title { line-height: 2rem; font-size: 1.5rem; margin: 0; } .topic-heading { line-height: 2rem; font-size: 1.5rem; } .topic-container>ul { padding: 0; line-height: 1.4rem; } .topic-container li { display: block; padding-bottom: 15px; } .topic-container { margin-top: 20px; } .topic-date { margin: 20px 0; font-style: italic; } .paragraphs-container { line-height: 1.5rem; } .button:link, .button:visited { background-color: white; color: black; border: 2px solid black; padding: 4px 8px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; display: inline-block; } .button:hover, .button:active { background-color: black; color: white; } .lower-nav-container { margin-top: 40px; } .lower-nav-container li { margin-left: 0; display: inline; padding-right: 20px; } h6 { text-transform: uppercase; } </style> </head> <body> <header> <p>Text-Only Version <a class="full-version-link button" href="https://www.npr.org/nx-s1-5203024">Go To Full Site</a></p> </header> <main> <article> <div class="story-container"> <p class="slug-line"> <a class="slug-link" href="/">NPR</a> > <a class="slug-link" href="/1039">Music</a> </p> <div class="story-head"> <h1 class="story-title">Kendrick Lamar releases new album, 'GNX,' capping a year of wins</h1> <p>By Isabella Gomez Sarmiento</p> <p>Friday, November 22, 2024 • 2:07 PM EST</p> </div> <div class="hr-line"></div> <div class="paragraphs-container"> <p>In 2024, <a href="/artists/166009689/kendrick-lamar">Kendrick Lamar</a> has put together one of the biggest years of his career: He was the undisputed winner of the highest-profile rap beef in years; he's had a hit near the top of <a href="/tags/g-s1-5709/pop-charts">the pop charts</a> for six months; he's <a href="/2024/11/08/nx-s1-5181957/2025-grammy-nominations-complete-list">nominated for more</a> than half a dozen Grammys, including song and record of the year; he'll headline the halftime show at next year's Super Bowl. All of this without releasing an album. At least until today.</p><p>At noon Eastern Time on Friday, Lamar dropped his sixth studio album, <em>GNX</em>. He did it without sharing a hint of its existence — no advance singles or videos or cryptic social media posts. (Not that it stopped fans from speculating.) <em>GNX</em> is Kendrick's first full-length release since 2022's <em>Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers. </em>The 12-track album features performances from mariachi singer Deyra Barrera, <a href="/artists/532236099/sza">SZA</a> and Dody6; producers include <a href="/2024/06/02/nx-s1-4987279/jack-antonoff-taylor-swift-wild-card-grief-music-producing">Jack Antonoff</a>, Sounwave and <a href="/artists/408522943/kamasi-washington">Kamasi Washington</a>.</p><p>Even before this surprise drop, Lamar was already on a roll.</p> <hr> Related Story: <a href="/1249906234">NPR</a> <hr><p>In May, he capped his ferocious back-and-forth with rival <a href="/artists/250250872/drake">Drake</a> with the diss track "<a href="/2024/05/08/1249906234/kendrick-lamar-drake-beef-fallout">Not Like Us</a>," which topped the <em>Billboard</em> Hot 100 chart twice — the week of its release as well as later, in July, when its video came out — and earned him several <a href="/2024/11/08/nx-s1-5181955/2025-grammy-nominations-beyonce">nods</a> from the Recording Academy. On June 19, he hosted <em>The Pop Out: Ken & Friends</em>, a concert at the Forum in Los Angeles that was livestreamed by Amazon Music and featured cameos from some of the West Coast's biggest rappers, from <a href="/artists/1137401444/roddy-ricch">Roddy Ricch</a> to <a href="/artists/137321239/tyler-the-creator">Tyler, The Creator</a>.</p> <hr> Related Story: <a href="/1099601607">NPR</a> <hr> <hr> Related Story: <a href="/568748405">NPR</a> <hr><p>In September, it was <a href="/2024/09/08/nx-s1-5105302/kendrick-lamar-superbowl-new-orleans">announced</a> that Lamar will return to the Super Bowl stage next year to headline the halftime show. "Rap music is still the most impactful genre to date. And I'll be there to remind the world why," he said in a statement. "They got the right one."</p><p>In 2022, Kendrick performed "m.A.A.d city" and "Alright" at the Los Angeles hip-hop-focused halftime show led by <a href="/artists/15594870/dr-dre">Dr. Dre</a>. That year, he had broken his five-year hiatus from the spotlight following 2017's <em>DAMN., </em>which won the Pulitzer Prize for music. <em>GNX </em>is Lamar's first album since his departure from long-time label Top Dawg Entertainment. It was released under his own label, pgLang, via Interscope Records.</p> <hr/> <h3>CORRECTION</h3> <p>Nov. 25th, 2024</p> <p>The story has been updated to correct the name of the concert Kendrick Lamar hosted in LA this summer, <i>The Pop Out: Ken & Friends</i>.</p> </div> </div> </article> </main> <div class="hr-line"></div> <nav> <p>Topics</p> <ul> <li><a href="/1001">News</a></li> <li><a href="/1008">Culture</a></li> <li><a href="/1039">Music</a></li> </ul> </nav> <footer> <nav class="lower-nav-container"> <li><a href="/614470770">Contact Us</a></li> <li><a href="/179876898">Terms of Use</a></li> <li><a href="/179881519">Permissions</a></li> <li><a href="/179878450">Privacy Policy</a></li> </nav> <p>© NPR</p> </footer> </body> </html>