FILE - Kendrick Lamar performs at Coachella Music & Arts Festival at the Empire Polo Club, April 16, 2017, in Indio, Calif. (Photo by Amy Harris/Invision/AP, File)
With his surprise-dropped GNX, Kendrick Lamar roars from zero to 60 faster than a turbocharged ’87 Buick, faster than you can shout "Mustaaaaard". And waaaaay faster than you can decode the dense biblical centerpiece Reincarnated.
Keeping the same energy of his landmark Pop Out concert five months ago, Lamar surrounds himself with up-and-coming Los Angeles artists - from AzChike to Peysoh - and raps over thumping New West Coast soundscapes shaped by his longtime producer Sounwave, along with Jack Antonoff and a garageful of other beat mechanics. He’s once again possessed by a spirit, sprinkling 2Pac, Biggie and Nas references throughout and maintaining a me-against-the-world antipathy that includes but extends well beyond a certain Canadian: "I just strangled me a GOAT" and "now it’s plural".
Summary:
Another thrilling chapter in the most fascinating longform story in hip-hop
