Kendrick Lamar has always operated on his own frequency. And according to his longtime collaborator Sounwave, that frequency produced 80 to 100 songs during the making of GNX. Yes, the Compton rap king could easily drop untitled unmastered. 2.0 or a mega-deluxe edition tomorrow if he chose. But as always, Kendrick’s genius lies not just in what he shares with the world, but in the discipline of what he holds back.
In a new Variety interview reflecting on the creation of the chart-topping, Grammy-winning project, Sounwave revealed that Kendrick started building GNX almost immediately after Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers in 2022. The album originally carried a funk-infused West Coast groove before creative powerhouses like Jack Antonoff and Mustard entered the mix to push the sound into new territory. Reinvention wasn’t just a goal, but it was the blueprint.
Mustard’s fingerprints are all over some of GNX’s biggest highlights, including “Hey Now” and the stadium-ready “TV Off”. In a moment of pure Kendrick alchemy, two separate Mustard beats were fused into one. As a result, it turned what could’ve been a standard banger into a cultural lightning strike. “I never asked who put those two beats together,” Mustard joked. “I was just like, that was great”.
One year later, GNX continues to move through the streets like it never left. Sounwave recalls seeing a 60-year-old woman rapping a track word-for-word — proof that Kendrick’s music doesn’t just reach fans, it reshapes generations. “There’s no boundaries. We thrive off reinventing ourselves… the people who supported you will be excited with you” he said.
Of course, the whispers of a GNX deluxe have only added fuel to Kendrick’s mythos. Lefty Gunplay teased last year that K.Dot had “stuff in the chamber,” hinting at more heat tucked away in hard drives. “He’s very secretive,” Lefty said and that secrecy is exactly what keeps the culture on its toes.
Whether the GNX deluxe ever sees daylight remains a mystery Kendrick seems in no rush to solve. But, if Lamar decides to open the vault, he’s sitting on enough music to shift the landscape all over again. Until then, GNX continues to stand as a masterclass in evolution, experimentation, and the limitless reach of one of hip-hop’s most important artists.
