This post was updated Nov. 24 at 9:26 p.m.

On his latest album, Kendrick Lamar says it best himself: “Ain’t no other king in this rap thing.”

In a tight 12 tracks totaling 44 minutes, the surprise Friday release “GNX” is Kendrick Lamar’s shortest project since 2016’s “untitled unmastered.” and uses every moment of music to its fullest extent. The album mixes hard, forceful vocals over bass-heavy West Coast production, a return to the artist’s California roots, with Lamar’s softer, smoother singing side showcased in collaborations with SZA. With “GNX,” the 17-time Grammy Award winner shows no signs of slowing down an unrivaled run of acclaimed rap LPs.

In the wake of perhaps the greatest rap beef of the last two decades earlier this year – in which Lamar went head-to-head against Drake in a series of tracks escalating in vitriol and popularity – “GNX” arrives a few months before the artist’s return to the Super Bowl halftime show in February 2025. With effectively zero rollout, Lamar dropped the project Friday with little fanfare, and the massive response by listeners demonstrated the grip he has over the public. When Lamar presses the button, people listen.

The opening track, “wacced out murals,” sets the LP’s powerful tone early. Sirens intermittently blare over dark, dramatic and punchy drums, signaling Lamar’s direction for the album. “GNX” is not a long, tangled narrative like the one found on 2012’s “good kid, m.A.A.d city” or a complex social commentary like the one presented in 2015’s “To Pimp A Butterfly.” This time around, Lamar is having fun, telling stories while playing lyrically and sonically.

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With its series of second-verse jabs, “wacced out murals” also shows that Lamar’s combative side is more alive than ever. He mentions Lil Wayne, who expressed disappointment at not being chosen to perform at the Super Bowl in his hometown of New Orleans, firing off, “Used to bump ‘Tha Carter III,’ I held my Rollie chain proud / Irony, I think my hard work let Lil Wayne down.” Snoop Dogg is also criticized for his reposting of “Taylor Made Freestyle,” a Drake diss on Lamar that used an AI version of 2Pac’s voice: “Snoop posted ‘Taylor Made,’ I prayed it was the edibles.”

Providing a respite from the aggressive tone of the album, the third track “luther” with SZA is a silky, romantic duet. While the placement of the song in the LP’s track list feels slightly disjointed, the duo’s melding of voices across a sample of “If This World Were Mine” and a series of rolling drum hits is elegant and soothing. Lyrically, the song mirrors the track it samples – a 1982 collaboration between Luther Vandross and Cheryl Lynn that was actually a cover of Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell’s 1967 song – with its total loving dedication: “If this world was mine, I’d take your enemies in front of God” and “I’d take away the pain, I’d give you everything.” With its timeless content, the track has all the makings of a lasting hit.

The second SZA collaboration is the LP’s final track, “gloria.” The rapping tells a story of a long, complicated relationship, likely inspired by Lamar’s journey with his partner Whitney Alford. The pained rapping of the winding verses falls into a nice complement with SZA’s heavenly singing, providing both sides of the narrative. However, it turns out that Lamar was, in typical fashion, weaving a double narrative – punching the final line, “Ain’t no bitch like my bitch ’cause that bitch been my pen.” The lover is not only a woman but also Lamar’s ability to write, representing his internal creative battle over decades.

Elsewhere, the dark tones return on tracks such as “hey now,” which starts with tight and gritty rapping from Lamar before the beat begins to build and layer after the first chorus. As the production mixes in more sounds, operatic notes build over the second verse until the second chorus explodes into a sliding cacophony. The third verse returns to the simpler drum beat, bringing in Dody6 for a quick back and forth in an excitingly novel collaboration.

“reincarnated” is a direct West Coast tribute, as Lamar raps over a 2Pac beat. The third verse features a conversation with a character called “father” – either God or Lamar’s birth father – with the artist revealing his inner conflicts in a strikingly vulnerable flow. The back and forth revisits the conflicts of Lamar’s past works, covering people changing after becoming wealthy and violence in the artist’s hometown of Compton. Lamar pleads, “I’m tryna push peace in LA,” while the father character responds, “But you love war.”

Aside from SZA and Roddy Ricch, the album features a series of relatively little-known artists who each provide vital contributions to Lamar’s messages. Dody6 on “hey now,” Lefty Gunplay on the aggressive “tv off,” Siete7x and Wallie the Sensei on “dodger blue,” and AzChike on “peekaboo” are all examples of Los Angeles rappers being elevated to equal standing with one of the biggest artists on the planet. Lamar’s selection of local talents over the massive artists he’s collaborated with in the past emphasizes the album’s commitment to his city.

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The greatest example of LA ties arrives with the title track, “gnx.” Over a skipping, stuttering beat of a heavy bass and a cycling piano clip, Lamar, along with Peysoh, Hitta J3 and YoungThreat, raps with classic West Coast flow. All four collaborators bring a unique voice to the track, working over the difficult beat to draw up a densely packed series of polished verses. YoungThreat gives a final nod to the city in the last few lines, dropping, “I’m in the field for real, UCLA Bruins.”

In a further continuation of the Drake conflict, and the latest entry in a series lasting over a decade, comes “heart pt. 6.” Lamar brings his signature complex storytelling on the track, painting scenes from studio sessions in the 2010s. A hypnotic chorus courtesy of a sample of SWV’s “Use Your Heart” pairs with a melody drawn out through the verses, elevating the song.

Although the drop of Lamar’s latest LP was a surprise, its immediate quality was not. In “GNX,” Lamar displays his undeniable skills over a new sound, bringing lines at times biting and at other times amusing, once again pushing against expectations to produce a project that deserves dozens of listens to appreciate its entirety. Just like the titular car, the LP is sleek, strong and fast. There is little doubt that the album is another brilliant addition to one of the strongest hip-hop discographies of all time.

With “GNX,” Lamar has further cemented himself in the Mount Rushmore of hip-hop legends.