With his Kendrick Lamar roars from zero to 60 faster than a turbocharged 鈥�87 Buick, faster than you can shout 鈥淢ustaaaaard.鈥� And waaaaay faster than you can decode the dense biblical centerpiece 鈥淩eincarnated.鈥�
Keeping the same energy of his landmark Pop Out concert five months ago, Lamar surrounds himself with up-and-coming Los Angeles artists 鈥� from AzChike to Peysoh 鈥� 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鈥檚 once again 鈥減ossessed by a spirit,鈥� sprinkling 2Pac, Biggie and Nas references throughout and maintaining a me-against-the-world antipathy that includes but extends well beyond a certain Canadian: 鈥淚 just strangled me a GOAT鈥� and 鈥渘ow it鈥檚 plural.鈥�
Lil Wayne, Snoop Dogg, Andrew Schulz, and even Fox鈥檚 Super Bowl broadcast can鈥檛 escape K-Dot鈥檚 chaotic crosshairs. Here鈥檚 hoping the chorus of 鈥渢v off鈥� 鈥� an urgent call to 鈥渢urn this TV off鈥� repeated eight times 鈥� confuses the masses during his
This is Lamar leaning into the same creativity-juicing pride, self-righteous anger and supreme confidence that fueled the Grammy-nominated 鈥淣ot Like Us鈥� and won his Drake feud: 鈥淚 kill 鈥榚m all before I let 鈥榚m kill my joy.鈥� And yet, as with his first-ever hit 鈥淪wimming Pools (Drank),鈥� even the most club-ready braggadocio songs 鈥� and there are plenty, including the massive 鈥渟quabble up鈥� and synth-stabbed Mustard production 鈥渉ey now鈥� 鈥� are slapped with a caution sticker. Introspection is baked into Lamar鈥檚 art. In 鈥渕an at the garden,鈥� he鈥檚 surveying his kingdom and glory and declares that while 鈥淚 deserve it all,鈥� 鈥渄angerously / nothing changed with me / still got pain in me.鈥�
At age 37, Lamar remains in peak form (that breath control!) and stands alone in the rap world as a star who bridges generations without chasing trends. He generates his own gravity in the hip-hop universe. Pulling samples from the early 鈥�80s 鈥� Debbie Deb, Luther Vandross, Whodini 鈥� he鈥檚 able to switch cadences and lyrical perspectives mid-song without ever losing the listener.
Album closer 鈥済loria,鈥� one of two tracks featuring former TDE labelmate SZA, is a glorious celebration of the pain and power of writing. In the vein of Common鈥檚 鈥淚 Used to Love H.E.R.鈥� or Nas鈥� 鈥淚 Gave You Power,鈥� Lamar鈥檚 love story details a 鈥渃omplicated relationship鈥� that listeners at first may think is about his longtime partner Whitney Alford, but turns out to be dedicated to his pen.
While carefully structured, 鈥淕NX鈥� feels a bit more scattershot than Lamar鈥檚 traditionally concept-heavy studio albums. And there are hints that this collection of 12 songs is more of a 鈥淧art 1鈥� or mixtape-type prelude to something more formal: The brief music video announcing the album features a snippet of a song that doesn鈥檛 even appear on 鈥淕NX.鈥�
Whatever comes next, has written another thrilling chapter in what remains the most fascinating longform story in hip-hop: an ambitious and searingly talented poet from Compton working through his 鈥� and the world鈥檚 鈥� contradictions on the biggest stage, forever discomforted by his crown. ___
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Ryan Pearson, The Associated Press
