FILE - "GNX," Kendrick Lamars new surprise album, was released Friday. (Photo by Astrida Valigorsky/Getty Images)
Kendrick Lamar’s surprise "GNX" album, released Friday, gave music listeners an early holiday present.
The 12-track "GNX" is Lamar’s first release since 2022's "Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers" and his sixth studio album overall.
It comes just months after the Grammy winner’s rap battle with Drake, and just months before Lamar headlines February's Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show in New Orleans.
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"Wacced out murals," the first track on "GNX," talks about Lil Wayne’s public disappointment over not being chosen for the halftime show in New Orleans, his hometown.
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"I used to bump Tha Carter III, I held my rollie chain proud. Irony, I think my hard work let Lil Wayne down. Got the super bowl and Nas the only one congratulate me," Lamar raps in the song.
Lamar, 37, has experienced massive success since his debut album "good kid, m.A.A.d city" in 2012. He’s won 17 Grammy awards and became the first non-classical, non-jazz musician to win a Pulitzer Prize for his 2017 album "DAMN."
It’s been a big year for Lamar. He was featured on the song "Like That" with Future and Metro Boomin — a track that spent three weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. He also scored another hit with "Not Like Us," a track emanating from the Drake feud.