Kendrick seemingly ended his career in a neatly tied bow with Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers by realizing his trauma and exploring unhealthy coping mechanisms found in minority communities. However, following his heated rap battle with Drake, he dropped the surprise album GNX independently from Top Dawg Entertainment. This unexpected play proved Kendrick’s dominance and mastery of rap. The album follows themes of ego, love, peace, hate, and the details of Kendrick’s life. On the cover, Lamar leans against a 1987 Buick GNX, referencing the car in which his parents first drove him home from the hospital. Kendrick’s work is intertwined with contradicting messages of anti-materialist humbleness in “heart pt. 6” and ego-inflating verses about his superiority in “gnx” and “tv off” while “man at the garden” leaves the message to interpretation. He smoothly adds melodic features from SZA, Dody6, Lefty Gunplay, Wallie the Sensei, Siete7x, Roddy Rich, AzChike, Hitta J3, YoungThreat, and Peysoh, continuing his tradition of uplifting on-the-come-up artists that add depth to his tracks. The Regional Mexican singer Deyra Barrera adds hauntingly emotional solos to “wacced out murals,” “reincarnated,” and “gloria.” His West Coast style shines through in “dodger blue” through the laid-back beat and commentary on Los Angeles. “luther (with sza)” provides optimism and idealistic thoughts of a loving relationship in a culture of clubbing. Kendrick references Tupac’s poem, “The Rose That Grew From Concrete” in the line “In this world, concrete flowers grow.” GNX pays homage to West Coast rap culture while gleaming with experimental ideas that further the genre and Kendrick’s reputation. Any listener remotely interested in rap should stream GNX.
Author: Bryn Johnston
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The Surprise Release of GNX
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Kiss Eternal Atake 2, Marry CHROMAKOPIA, Kill “delusional”
Lil Uzi Vert, Ken Carson, and Tyler, The Creator recently dropped within four days, marking last week a fundamental week in rap. In CHROMAKOPIA, Tyler artfully blends elements of musical theater, African-American sounds, and jazz. The album is his most experimental, which is respectable as he does not seem to cater to mainstream listeners. His tenth studio album was not his best, but Tyler continues to excel in storytelling rap. This is revealed in “Hey Jane,” with themes of the emotional complexity of an unexpected pregnancy, similar to J. Cole’s “Lost Ones.” In my favorite song from the album, “Like Him,” Tyler begins with a solo piano to convey the work’s retrospective nature about his absent father. He sings about resembling his dad’s physical and personality traits and samples his mother talking about their similarities.
Tyler, The Creator’s “CHROMAKOPIA” Photo from Artnet News In Eternal Atake 2, Uzi releases twelve elevated songs. In my favorite song from the album, “Light Year (Practice),” Uzi masterfully produces beat switches, build-ups, and sound effects. As they have matured as an artist, their artistry and progress in production quality have increased. This work falls just below Luv Is Rage 2 (2017). Uzi finally matures and maintains consistency in Eternal Atake 2. The album is a great, easy listen with themes of science fiction. Critics miss Uzi’s gentle melodies, but the rapper moves onto an abrasive tone in their recent music. Overall, the album lacks depth but is an excellent example of flow, rhythm, and production.
Lil Uzi Vert’s “Eternal Atake 2” Photo from Spotify Ken Carson’s single, “delusional” was an absolute miss. His distorted beat had the potential to create an interesting, experimental song, but Carson muffled his vocals as well. The result was a muddy, grating rap. Hopefully, his future work reflects his past trap beats, not dissonant gibberish. As a Ken Carson fan, I was disappointed to hear his single’s careless production quality and lack of growth as an artist.
If you’re looking for a new listen, check out songs from CHROMAKOPIA like “Hey Jane,” “Like Him,” “Tomorrow,” and “Sticky” and songs from Eternal Atake 2 like “Light Year (Practice),” “We Good,” and “Not An Option.”
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Girls Tennis Finishes with Winning Record, Players Advance to Playoffs
In this year’s memorable season, the girls’ tennis team finished their season with an 8-7 record. Players Bryn Johnston, Julia Brozowski, and Sophia Bottali qualified and competed in the first round of the county tournament. Julia and Bryn will take on country doubles on Saturday morning. The team defeated their West York rivals after losing to them by one point last year. Julia reflects, “This tennis season was one of my favorite seasons yet, and becoming closer with all my teammates both new and returning is something I’m so grateful for. This season was a learning experience and I will take everything from this season and improve for next year.” The young team had only one senior, Cayli Huynh, who played doubles. Most of the players plan to play in tournaments and clinics in the off-season.
