Kendrick Lamar Surprises Fans with New Album GNX After Summer Feud with Drake

Superstar rapper Kendrick Lamar, the Compton native who grabbed headlines this summer with his public feud with Drake, has surprised fans with an unannounced album drop.

The “Not Like Us” artist released the 12-track, 44-minute album GNX on streaming platforms early Friday morning, accompanied by a brief YouTube video.

This marks Lamar’s first album since 2022’s Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers and his sixth overall. The Grammy-winning rapper is celebrated for iconic projects such as 2012’s Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City and 2015’s To Pimp a Butterfly.

None of the tracks on GNX had been previously released, although the second song, “squabble up,” was teased briefly in the intro to his Not Like Us music video. The album arrived without any prior promotion or indication that Lamar was working on new material.

Earlier this year, it was announced that Lamar would headline February’s Super Bowl halftime show in New Orleans.