Kendrick Lamar has always had excellent taste in cars, but he’s never incorporated them into his music like we’ve seen from, say, Frank Ocean. Today, with his surprise drop, “GNX,” he changed that in stunning form — pairing a hell of a car with a hell of an album.
On “GNX,” the imagery of the car runs throughout the album. It comes up on the title track, of course, but it’s spread through other songs too — top to bottom, the Grand National is always in the periphery. K.Dot has clear love for the GNX, and he’s right to. It’s quite possibly the coolest car ever assembled and certainly the best Buick.
“GNX” also contains another Kendrick icon: A new installment of The Heart on “heart pt. 6.” That track, interestingly, also has an automotive link — Lamar mentions a “champagne Acura” owned by a friend back in his childhood. That’s not as cool as the GNX, for sure, but the contrast makes the Buick look even better in comparison.
Few people are doing it like Kendrick Lamar right now, and it’s clear in the response to “GNX” — as soon as it dropped, all other conversation online or in my texts seems to have disappeared in favor of talking about the album. Kendrick can drop an album with no lead up, no hype and have it take over the public consciousness. That popularity is earned through sheer skill and talent, and K.Dot has both in spades.
Give “GNX” a listen and tell me it isn’t worthy of the automotive parallel it draws. Comparing yourself to a car like the top-spec Grand National is a bold move, but if anyone can pull it off, it’s Kendrick Lamar.