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Lamar first teased the album with a cover art and video snippet
of “GNX,” which features multi-instrumentalist Jack Antonoff as
a co-producer on every track except for “Peekaboo.” Other
notable producers include Sounwave and DJ Mustard, who both
contributed production on the hit “Not Like Us,” the ubiquitous
diss track emanating from the Drake feud.
Lamar's former Top Dawg Entertainment labelmate SZA appears on a
couple songs including “Gloria” and “Luther,” which also
features sampled vocals from Luther Vandross and Cheryl Lynn
through “If This World Were Mine."
On the opening track “Wacced Out Murals,” Lamar raps about
cruising in his Buick GNX (Grand National Experimental) car with
listening to Anita Baker. He brings up Snoop Dogg posting
Drake's AI-assisted “Taylor Made Freestyle” diss track on social
media and Nas congratulating Lamar for being selected to
headline February's Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show in New
Orleans.
Lamar also shows admiration for Lil Wayne, who expressed his
hurt feelings after being passed over as the headliner in his
hometown.
Lamar, 37, has experienced massive success since his debut album
“good kid, m.A.A.d city” in 2012. Since then, he’s accumulated
17 Grammy wins and became the first non-classical, non-jazz
musician to win a Pulitzer Prize for his 2017 album “DAMN.”
The surprise release caps a big year for Lamar, who 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 this
year.
Lamar is up for seven Grammys, fueled by “Not Like Us,” which
earned nods for record and song of the year, rap song, music
video as well as best rap performance. He has two simultaneous
entries in the latter category, a career first: “Like That” is
up for best rap performance and best rap song, too.
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