Kendrick Lamar GNX

Critic's Take

In a manner true to his career-long grappling with self and scene, Kendrick Lamar’s GNX finds its best songs in confrontational immediacy and rueful reflection. The album’s opener “wacced out murals” and the bristling “hey now (feat. dody6)” stand out as the best tracks, where Lamar sounds lyrically primed and ready to come at any opponent’s neck. Elsewhere, quieter moments like “reincarnated” complicate the bravado with remorse, showing why the best songs on GNX balance rage and self-examination. The result is an LP that wears its anger openly while still leaving room for introspection, which is precisely what makes the standout tracks stick.

Key Points

• The best song is the opener "wacced out murals" because it establishes confrontational immediacy and lyrical readiness.
• The album’s core strengths are its balance of rage and introspection, and consistent lyrical focus reinforced by competent production.

Themes

Critic's Take

The best songs on GNX arrive where Kendrick lets tenderness and craft meet pop ambition. Kendrick Lamar finds his most affecting moments on “Luther” and the SZA-studded closer “Gloria” - the former built on a Luther Vandross sample and the latter backed by gorgeous Deats and Sounwave production. He also balances crowd-pleasing bravado and mentorship on tracks like “TV Off” and “Dodger Blue”, which underline why fans search for the best tracks on GNX. Ultimately, the album’s best songs pair careful songwriting with a sense of duty and legacy, making clear why listeners ask which are the best songs on GNX.

Key Points

• The best song is "Luther" because its Luther Vandross sample and SZA feature create the record’s most beautiful moment.
• The album’s core strengths are its sense of responsibility, craft, mentorship of younger artists, and emotionally tuned pop moments.

Themes

Critic's Take

Alphonse Pierre argues that the best songs on GNX are the ones where Kendrick still sounds human and charged - notably “heart pt. 6” and “luther (with sza)”. The review reads like a weary admirer, praising flashes of theatricality while worrying the album often feels like another lap in a long, gilded career. He frames “heart pt. 6” as Kendrick reverting to a familiar, confident cadence, and treats collaborations like “luther (with sza)” as brief reminders of past urgency. Overall, Pierre finds moments of genius but senses a sheen of brand-consciousness that undercuts some of the album's emotional risks.

Key Points

• The best song, “heart pt. 6”, stands out because it directly reclaims a familiar Kendrick cadence while signaling personal evolution.
• The album's core strength is theatrical production and moments of genuine lyricism, weakened by overt brand-consciousness.

Themes

Critic's Take

Kendrick Lamar arrives on GNX with a record that wears Los Angeles on its sleeve and still finds room for razor-sharp introspection. The reviewer's voice lingers on the immediacy of “squabble up” as the catchiest, most infectious moment, while also holding out “luther” and “gloria” as SZA-assisted standouts that elevate the album. There is clear praise for solo-centred tracks like “reincarnated” and “man at the garden” for their reflective weight, and the title track's communal spirit is noted for platforming L.A. talent. Overall, the album is framed as a concise, dense love letter to West Coast hip-hop that balances celebration with critique.

Key Points

• The best song is "squabble up" because it is described as the bouncy, infectious and catchiest moment on GNX.
• The album's core strengths are its West Coast homage, dense songwriting and Kendrick's balance of platforming L.A. talent with introspective solo moments.

Themes

Critic's Take

Karl Blakesley writes that on GNX Kendrick is back in full battle mode, delivering listener-pleasing heat with tracks like “wacced out murals” and “tv off”. The review reads as breathless and celebratory, noting how the record feels like a resurrection after Kendrick Lamar’s prior work, equal parts razor-sharp rap and exceptional production. Blakesley singles out “wacced out murals” as a seismic opener and “tv off” as the instantly iconic moment that has already broken into pop culture. The tone is unequivocal: this is another major addition to Kendrick’s flawless discography, one of the best rap records of the year.

Key Points

• The best song is the opener "wacced out murals" because it is described as a seismic, no-holds-barred start and one of the most impactful first listens of the year.
• The album’s core strengths are Kendrick’s razor-sharp rapping, exceptional production, confident themes of resurrection and strong West Coast collaborations.

Themes

Critic's Take

The best songs on GNX are the ones that let Kendrick be gleefully unhinged and doctrinal at once. Kendrick Lamar’s “wacced out murals” opens like a demonic proclamation, while “squabble up” and “tv off” show him oscillating between pure cartoonish menace and triumphant brass-lined swagger. The album’s centerpiece moments - from the big-voiced acrobatics on “reincarnated” to the hooky eccentricity of “peekaboo” - explain why listeners search for the best tracks on GNX and the best songs on GNX: they are where his comedy, fury, and cultural claims collide. GNX is a coronation record that rewards those who want both theater and lyrical ferocity.

Key Points

• The best song is notable for flipping samples and delivering one of the year’s best raps, pairing ambition with peak performance.
• The album’s core strengths are theatrical aggression, playful vocal invention, and confident mythmaking about Kendrick’s place in culture.

Themes

Critic's Take

One of rap’s truly premier figures, Kendrick Lamar returns with GNX, an urgent, back-to-basics set where the best songs - notably “wacced out murals” and “squabble up” - lock into a claustrophobic, pulsating intensity that recalls his 2012 peak. The record trades the confessional detours of his last album for leaner, more direct tracks, letting Kendrick’s variation of flow and genius lyricism dominate, and giving moments like “hey now (feat. dody6)” room to sting. With SZA’s warmth on “luther” and “gloria” supplying some of the album’s most heartfelt moments, GNX feels both consciously West Coast and ready-for-MTV, a combative, exhilarating statement of purpose. The production’s skittish bubbles and pulsing grooves sharpen Kendrick’s aim and make these songs the standout tracks on the album.

Key Points

• The best song(s) stand out because they fuse Kendrick’s technical flow with a claustrophobic, pulsating groove that recalls his 2012 peak.
• The album’s core strengths are its return-to-basics directness, inventive production, and moments of heartfelt collaboration with SZA.

Themes

Critic's Take

Kendrick Lamar channels righteous anger across GNX, and the best songs - notably “Wacced Out Murals” and “Dodger Blue” - sharpen that energy into pinpointed spectacle. The review relishes how “Wacced Out Murals” sets the tone of indignation while tracks like “Dodger Blue” and the SZA duet “Luther” add groove and lineage, making the best tracks on GNX both combative and communal. Production that slaps and guest turns from rising L.A. voices keep the standout songs immediate and alive, which is why listeners hunting for the best songs on GNX will gravitate to those cuts.

Key Points

• “Wacced Out Murals” is best because it crystallizes the album’s core indignation and sets the tone immediately.
• The album’s core strengths are razor-sharp writing, lively West Coast production, and fruitful collaborations with rising L.A. voices.

Themes

Critic's Take

Longtime obsessions with legacy and moral reckoning propel Kendrick Lamar through GNX, and the reviewist lands repeatedly on the album’s high points - “luther”, “man at the garden” and “reincarnated”. The voice is equal parts sermon and street dispatch: “luther” is praised as "one of his sweetest efforts yet," while “man at the garden” supplies the album’s most declarative moment of self-worth. Across these best tracks the record stitches gospel, G-funk and hyphy into a bruising, theatrical claim that Kendrick wants to rebuild rap or burn it down and start over. The result is a flawed, fascinating landmark that foregrounds both the feud-era ferocity and a softer, melodic center that makes these songs the best tracks on GNX.

Key Points

• The best song is "luther (with sza)" because the reviewer calls it "one of his sweetest efforts yet" and highlights its soulful sampling and Kamasi Washington contributions.
• The album’s core strengths are its fearless blending of West Coast musical traditions, high-stakes feud-era narrative, and Kendrick’s ability to elevate new Los Angeles voices while articulating spiritual and moral reckoning.

Themes

Critic's Take

Kendrick Lamar's GNX centers its best songs on blunt, visceral feeling rather than oblique theorising - tracks like “wacced out murals” and “luther” land as two of the album's clearest high points. The opener “wacced out murals” skewers inauthenticity with sneers and club-ready production, while “luther” with SZA operates as a sheer, Y2K beautiful duet that temporarily suspends the album's discursions. Kendrick still carries towering intellect, but here it is harnessed into muscular bangers and intimate balladry that make clear why listeners ask about the best songs on GNX. The record reads as a love letter to black culture, triumphantly refusing to placate outside audiences even as it courts mass appeal.

Key Points

• The best song is the opener “wacced out murals” because it marries club-ready production with a sustained critique of inauthenticity.
• The album’s core strengths are muscular, West Coast-inflected bangers and intimate, vulnerable moments that foreground black aesthetics and legacy.

Themes

Critic's Take

In a season where Kendrick Lamar has been both gladiator and preacher, GNX finds its biggest thrills in the carnivalesque fight songs - especially “Dodger Blue” and “Wacced Out Murals” - which let him scrap with ferocious delight while still peeking at his spiritual side on tracks like “Reincarnated”. Mosi Reeves writes with relish about how the album toggles between venom and introspection, praising the block-thumpers as the moments that reclaim rap-head fervor. The review privileges the scrappy, vengeful Lamar over the purely conceptual one, naming the best tracks where he sounds most willing to scrap and provoke. This is why searches for the best songs on GNX point first to those confrontational anthems, even as the album keeps one foot in soulful meditation.

Key Points

• The best song(s) are the confrontational anthems like "Dodger Blue" and "Wacced Out Murals" because they reclaim rap-head fervor and let Kendrick scrap.
• GNX's core strengths are its balance of ferocious street-facing tracks and moments of spiritual introspection, showcasing Lamar's dual identities.

Themes

Critic's Take

Kendrick Lamar sounds plainly triumphant on GNX, and the best songs - notably “Man at the Garden” and “Luther (with SZA)” - channel that swagger with vivid Los Angeles detail and razor-sharp wordplay. Petridis writes with relish about how “Man at the Garden” keeps repeating "I deserve it all", making it a centerpiece of the album's braggadocio, while “Luther (with SZA)” and the duets with SZA showcase romance and craft. The record's production surprises - from mariachi touches to big samples - help these tracks stand out as the best tracks on GNX, compact, punchy and hugely entertaining.

Key Points

• Man at the Garden is the best song because its repeated triumphal hook and swagger crystallize the album's braggadocio.
• The album’s core strengths are its sharp wordplay, eclectic production, and confident, entertaining tone.

Themes

Critic's Take

The best songs on GNX are the tracks that fuse immediacy with homage; the opener pair “Wacced Out Murals” and “Squabble Up” crackle with the seething indignation Lamar weaponized during his feud, while “Man at the Garden” stands out as a sober, Nas-like centerpiece. Kendrick Lamar also finds surprising triumphs in smaller moments: “Peekaboo”, bolstered by AzChike, and the mariachi-tinged textures on “Hey Now” add unexpected color. Overall, GNX feels like a palate cleanser - a collection of flag-planting thumpers and introspective experiments that highlight the album's best tracks even as it stops short of Lamar's deepest interrogations.

Key Points

• The best song is "Man at the Garden" because its severe sobriety and structural callback to Nas deliver the album's highest intensity.
• The album's core strengths are nimble rapping, skillful sampling and moments of vivid homage to Los Angeles rap history.

Themes

Critic's Take

Kendrick Lamar arrives on GNX roaring, and the best tracks - especially “Wacced Out Murals”, “TV Off” and “Gloria” - show why this is his most fearless record in years. The reviewer's prose frames “Wacced Out Murals” as a brutal state-of-the-union opener, while lighter bangers like “TV Off” bring irresistible radio-ready energy, and “Gloria” closes things with a tender, cinematic lesson in love. In short, the best songs on GNX balance venom, party-ready grooves and genuine heart, proving Kendrick can still reshape rap on his own terms.

Key Points

• The best song, notably “Wacced Out Murals”, is the album’s confrontational statement that establishes Kendrick’s new ethos.
• The album’s core strengths are its blend of venomous lyricism, West Coast g-funk energy and heartfelt storytelling that closes with love.

Themes

Critic's Take

In a bruising, vindictive return on GNX, Kendrick Lamar channels competitive fire into pinpointed attacks and bracing introspection. The album’s opener “wacced out murals” is the clearest best track here, a raw, aggressive statement that fuses mariachi vocals with sinister synths and personal fury. Across GNX Kendrick balances industry takedowns with quieter reflection, making songs like “wacced out murals” and the VMA surprise cut the best songs on GNX because they crystallize his renewed focus and anger. The result feels like a deliberate reclamation of purpose rather than a safe comeback.

Key Points

• The best song is the opener because it fuses unexpected production with direct, aggressive lyrics that set the album’s tone.
• GNX’s core strengths are its combustible competitiveness and moments of introspection that reframe Kendrick’s focus on hip-hop and industry power.

Themes

Critic's Take

In this review Peter A. Berry writes that Kendrick Lamar's GNX is a kaleidoscope of California sounds, and he points to songs like “Squabble Up” and “TV Off” as among the best tracks on GNX. Berry praises “Squabble Up” as the catchiest tune with a hyphy-turned-pop hook and calls “TV Off” an inescapable, dancefloor-ready moment driven by Mustard production. He also highlights “Peekaboo” for its sinister sample and kinetic couplets, arguing these songs collectively reaffirm Lamar as the most dynamic spitter working today.

Key Points

• “Squabble Up” is the best song because of its hyphy-infused, irresistibly repeatable hook and mainstream hit potential.
• The album’s core strengths are its kaleidoscopic California sounds and Lamar’s technical, inventive lyricism that blend regional specificity with universal impact.

Themes

Critic's Take

In this excoriating, celebratory take the reviewer frames Kendrick Lamar’s GNX as a deliberate reset, and pinpoints tracks like “wacced out murals” and “reincarnated” as central. The voice is equal parts incredulous and admiring, scoffing at the feud-era theatrics while praising the album’s ambition and regional focus. It calls out “wacced out murals” for its menacing opener and “reincarnated” for being one of Lamar’s finest storytelling moments, making clear why listeners ask "best songs on GNX". The narrative insists GNX is both a masterwork and a bid to remake hip-hop in Lamar’s image.

Key Points

• The best song is "reincarnated" because it is called one of Kendrick’s finest storytelling songs and a deeply powerful moment tying him to Black music history.
• GNX’s core strengths are its regional pride, narrative ambition, and blend of nostalgic callbacks with modern, novel production.

Themes

Critic's Take

Kendrick Lamar arrives on GNX like a lightning strike, reclaiming West Coast rap with tracks such as “squabble up” and “hey now” as its fiercest moments. The reviewer leans into the record's regional bounce and stadium-sized hooks, arguing that “squabble up”, “hey now”, and “tv off” form an anthemic trinity that puts the album among Kendrick's most speaker-knocking work. There is also room for quieter reflection - the lull of “heart pt. 6” and the duet warmth of “gloria” temper the chest-fire abandon. Overall, GNX is praised as a focused, reverent rekindling of Kendrick's flame and a vivid return to L.A. DNA.

Key Points

• The best song(s) are high-energy West Coast anthems like "squabble up" because they form the album's anthemic trinity and showcase regional bounce.
• The album's core strengths are its reclamation of L.A. sonic roots, strong guest chemistry, and a balance of chest-fire bravado with reflective moments.

Themes