In a recent interview with Timothée Chalamet for the NFL and Apple Music, Pulitzer Prize-winning rapper Kendrick Lamar addressed his "GNX" album. He plunged into the creative process behind the scenes of "GNX." Lamar will always do things his way, which is how he oriented the tracklist.
One in particular, "man at the garden," inspired an interesting revelation. Even Lamar joked about his growth as an artist, and three or five years back, a song like this probably wouldn't have landed so early in an album. "I'm at a point now in my career, I go, I don't have to play the game of having 'the album track' at the end of the record, I've put in enough to say I want it this way, and that's my way."
Maintaining creative control has always been key for an artist as respected as Lamar. But in the past, even he found himself under pressure to make the albums have a particular shape to place radio-ready songs up front and deep cuts toward the rear.
That indicates "GNX" is a listening session from top to bottom without the restriction of a mainstream listening tendency. Kendrick's eagerness to upend expectations is one reason he's one of the most impactful artists of his generation. With "GNX," he's already pushing that envelope even further, proving that when you've established a strong legacy, all that matters is your rules.
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