Music Review: Kendrick Lamar’s Pride, Anger, and Confidence Drive ‘GNX’

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.” Lil Wayne, Snoop Dogg, Andrew Schulz, and even Fox’s Super Bowl broadcast can’t escape K-Dot’s chaotic crosshairs. Here’s hoping the chorus of “tv off” — an urgent call to “turn this TV off” repeated eight times — confuses the masses during his New Orleans halftime show in February.