Kendrick Lamar said that he wanted to “watch the party die,” but the release of GNX and the flood of reactions that have followed are proof that nothing of the sort is happening. Instead, the vested interests in what he will put on wax next have launched K. Dot back to the forefront of rap discourses.
According to Nas, his West Coast contemporary is making all of the right moves. On Saturday (Nov. 23), just 24 hours since the new LP dropped, he gave the “Not Like Us” hitmaker praise for what he is doing for Hip Hop. “Always inspired by my brother KL. Keeping the essence of this s**t alive and at the forefront. Salute King!” he wrote in an Instagram post. In the comments, a follower shared that “Everybody wants to hate on Kendrick Lamar, but he’s actually one of the greatest rappers of all time, and this album was definitely a classic.”
Lamar’s supporters have been praising the creative array of lyricism and witty vengeance displayed across the project's 12 tracks. Among them that has generated a host of hot takes is “wacced out murals,” where Lamar name-dropped Snoop Dogg, Nas and Lil Wayne.
Compton’s own rapped, “Used to bump Tha Carter III, I held my Rollie chain proud/ Irony, I think my hard work let Lil Wayne down/ Whatever, though, call me crazy, everybody questionable/ Turn me to an Eskimo, I drew the line and decimals/ Snoop posted ‘Taylor Made,’ I prayed it was the edibles/ I couldn’t believe it, it was only right for me to let it go/ Won the Super Bowl and Nas the only one congratulate me/ All these n**gas agitated, I'm just glad they showin' they faces/ Quite frankly, plenty artist, but they outdated.”
On Friday (Nov. 22), Snoop reshared a clip of him declaring the “Poetic Justice” emcee the new king of the West Coast, as well as a tweet joking that it was in fact the edibles that inspired him to post Drake’s diss record “Taylor Made,” that was aimed at Lamar this summer. The two men traded jabs in a series of tracks that were celebrated by Hip Hop veterans and fans who experienced the ‘90s era of rap beefs.
Lil Wayne also addressed the fanfare of Lamar addressing the reactions to him being tapped to headline the 2025 Super Bowl halftime show — a gig that many hoped Wayne would get since the game is hosted in New Orleans. Tunechi warned, “Let’s not take kindness for weakness. Let this giant sleep. I beg [you] all. No one really wants destruction, not even me, but I shall destroy if disturbed.”