Kendrick Lamar has dominated 2024 largely on the backs of just two songs: Future and Metro Boomin’s “Like That,” which featured the incendiary K. Dot verse that sparked the Compton rapper’s battle with Drake, and “Not Like Us,” the Drake diss that more or less ended said skirmish and doubled as an extended victory lap. Both songs are nominated for Grammys next year and saw Kenny return to the top of the Hot 100 for the first time since 2017.
They’ve also left fans clamoring for new music. Now, four months later, Kendrick follows up with “GNX,” a short, reflective new song that finds the Pulitzer Prize winner doubling down on the other half of the message of “Not Like Us” — solidarity with real ones, rejection of culture vultures, and a reminder that this deep into his career, he’s still only just getting started.
Although “GNX” is the first official release from Kendrick Lamar, he did tease a new song on his Instagram back in September that some fans initially interpreted as a diss song until rap analysts like Rob Markman cleared the air. Meanwhile, Kendrick was also selected to headline the 2025 Super Bowl Halftime Show, which means his victory lap could last all the way into next February.
In the meantime, you can watch the video for “GNX” above.