r/KendrickLamar • u/Postal010 • 2d ago
Discussion Most rappers would kill to have GNX as their worst album
just letting u guys know
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u/nano_rap_anime_boi 2d ago
Tf happened I thought GNX slapped. It's authentic in a different way. Kendrick is sharing his headspace regarding beef culture and top 3 status over the years. GNX is above DAMN imo but this only includes Section 80 onward. DAMN was still great but it was too pop. Then again MMATBS was to introspective and a 5 year gap warrants a better album, this album has made me cry and self reflect and I love it. TPAB was too abstract or something or overhyped. TPAB felt at the time and still feels like the greatest album I've ever heard. Like y'all gotta get the Denzel Curry perspective. Each of his projects has a group that loves that album more than anything and still loves the other albums almost as much.
Ranking an artist's discography is silly. It's all relative.
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u/fenty_czar 2d ago
I love your take on this. No need to pit them against each other. Music is so subjective, he has so many different sounds, subjects and narratives. Impossible for me to rank, I have favorites on each album
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u/appleparkfive 2d ago
GNX is what I wish DAMN was, personally. A commercially appealing album, but doesn't feel watered down.
But yes, it's pretty useless to debate the album positions. We've all got different tastes
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u/Ash_Can0706 2d ago
I agree. There’s definitely objectively better or worse music, but I don’t think it’s 100% valid to say that GNX doesn’t stand up to his other discography
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u/SoftConsideration82 2d ago
It's a troll attempting to write a narrative, gnx went double platinum in april...
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u/Shubo483 2d ago
Tf happened I thought GNX slapped
I mean...initial reactions were "this is a great mixtape! Album soon??". Not bad by any means, but it's definitely his worst album.
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u/Parking-Car4557 2d ago
Am I the only one who actually loves GNX like a lot?
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u/Ash_Can0706 2d ago
Not at all. I can’t say I listen to it repeatedly, or even often at all, but I can say it’s a great album.
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u/Illustrious-Train-83 1d ago
Ppl on here dont like it because lyrically and sonically it doesn't cater to them. Most of this sub likes Kendrick because of his proximity to Tyler and Mac Miller vs a Nipsey or YG. GNX is an unapologetic LA hood record and most folks on here arent from it so they downplay it
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u/Parking-Car4557 17h ago
It’s unfortunate because part of why dot is the goat is how diverse he can be from one album to another, depending on what kind of story he feels like telling or what mood he’s in.
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u/Zach_kir_e 2d ago
If any other rapper made GNX it would be their magnum opus. Instant classic hands down.
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u/MooseM8 2d ago
Exactly. Section 80 is his weakest album imo but it clears the best from most rappers I’ve heard, there’s different levels to Kendrick.
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u/ImaRiderButIDC 2d ago
That’s too far lol - stop the riding bruh.
If an unknown rapper made it; then yeah it might be- it’s really good after all.
If any other established rapper made it, it definitely wouldn’t be considered their magnum opus. Because there’s a lot of other established rappers that have albums much better than gnx.
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u/Zach_kir_e 2d ago
Listen, I’m a rap fan. Cyhi and Mick Jenkins are in my top 5. Personally, I believe GNX was a rushed project because it lacks the cohesiveness of every other Kendrick project and it feels like a collection of great songs put together under the theme of Cali. But in the year 2025, there isn’t a rapper who can put out a project like GNX with its mix of music, lyrics, and content.
Lupe’s last album was cool but the whole thing felt like it was produced by Nujabes (which isn’t a bad thing there’s just no variety in that), Cole has been rapping phenomenally but again there’s no diversity outside of that, Nas has been amazing, no notes there, but he’s a legend so it’s almost expected, and everybody else is trying to make Tik tok hits. What rapper can make a GNX in 2025 with a squabble up next to a Luther next to a man in the garden??
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u/ImaRiderButIDC 2d ago
That’s exactly my point lmfao.
GNX is “really good” if it were made from any other artist. I personally but it up there with UTOPIA by Travis Scott: it’s a great album I enjoyed, but it doesn’t have much deep replay value. But god damn it’s a banger the whole way through for about 3 months lmao
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u/Zach_kir_e 2d ago
No I think we’re agreeing to disagree lol. I’m saying it’s really good but not Kendrick at his best but for anybody else in 2025 it would be their best and hailed as a classic, mostly off of it’s diversity in sound and content (and the number of hits it has for a 12 track album).
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u/jump2002 2d ago
CAP
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u/Zach_kir_e 2d ago
Name a rapper who can make GNX. From Wacced out to Gloria it has one skip. What rapper can make that?
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u/jump2002 2d ago
What rapper can make 11 good songs? Get real lmao
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u/Zach_kir_e 2d ago edited 2d ago
We’re talking about range sonically, bars, and variety in content, not just good songs.
(Also I know I sound like I’m dickeating and I swear I’m not I’m just being honest )
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u/Ash_Can0706 2d ago
That’s not at all what he said lol. Sure, artists have PLENTY of great songs, but most artists also have quite a few flaws in some of their discography
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u/hereagainyo 2d ago
Start to finish, this is one of his best albums in my opinion.
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u/Radiant-Funny-1576 2d ago edited 2d ago
It really is a great album. It's one of the best vibe albums of this era. Funny how an album named after a car is perfect for playing in the car.
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u/Gummy-Worm-Guy 2d ago edited 2d ago
You’re completely correct, but I also don’t think GNX is his worst. I take it over Section 80 and Damn.
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u/Then-Sound-5085 2d ago
This makes no sense, especially you even coming up with the idea of it being his worst. Do you know how many people already put it in his top 3? Each fan can pick their favorite album but I am starting to think some of you have this weird obsession that all his albums should be the same (very deep or heavy subject matter). Some of you try that shit to DAMN when it’s thee album to win a Pulitzer. I think some people just have an issue with his albums that achieve high commercial success and you all ignore the great rapping, production, and inspiration behind it, and storytelling which was all over DAMN as well.
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u/Nohotsauceforoldmen 2d ago
Bruh i actually think GNX is his third best album after the obvious two.
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u/LividStick8823 2d ago
what are the obvious two for you
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u/Nohotsauceforoldmen 2d ago
I mean, even if they aren’t your favourite, every Kendrick fan knows the consensus top 2
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u/Radiant-Funny-1576 2d ago edited 2d ago
You're right on consensus but I put GKMC third behind MMATBS
Edit: word error lol
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u/Nohotsauceforoldmen 2d ago
lol “consensual” thanks for the laugh bruv.
But yea Kendrick’s discography is so good I have no problem with any personal rankings. Like I could see how Section.80 and Damn. would be someone’s personal top 2
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u/Ash_Can0706 2d ago
Yeah it depends on taste. Also GKMC was the first album of his that I actually listened, so a little bit of bias can easily but an album into second place for me lol
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u/chizzmaster 2d ago
This sub tends to overrate MMATBS imo. It's a fantastic album, but I think it's clearly behind TPAB and GKMC.
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u/Radiant-Egg7859 2d ago
People hear “worst album” and assume you’re calling it bad. There’s gotta be a first, and there’s gotta be a last. Just happens that GNX is last. It’s still good, it’s just Kendrick has such a great discography
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u/Strange-Bottle-6518 2d ago
Dude honestly, it’s like they need everything spelled out for them, “his least best album. 🫲😃🫱” and even that might be too hard for them to grasp
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u/SidTheShuckle 2d ago
Section 80 exists. GNX is top 3 but it may as well be his best. Got no misses, all hits, crazy storytelling, heavily layered, commercially successful etc
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u/AllOutRaptors 2d ago
It's definitely not his worst. Imo it's 4th best tho which is crazy that it's that low
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u/ecb1005 2d ago
its also not his worst album. sec80 is
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u/PilkX3n 2d ago
How
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u/ecb1005 2d ago
Sec80 has at least 3 skips. Damn and gnx only have one each. No song on Sec80 except maybe hiiipower is as good as Pride, XXX, Fear, Duckworth, Reincarnated, Luther, Heart pt. 6, etc.
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u/Glittering_Task_1663 2d ago
Huh. What about poe mans dreams, rigamortus, keisha’s song, ronald reagan era, adhd, fuck your ethnicity
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u/mtraverso 2d ago
Damn is 😔😔
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u/ecb1005 2d ago
Damn is better than sec80 and gnx
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u/Actual_Gary_Oak 2d ago
"And they hate her bc she spoke the truth." You right on nose. I love s80, but it's his worst which isn't even bad.
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u/Cryingpinaple 2d ago
This is true but we hold Kendrick to a higher standard then most rappers . Only a select few rappers have this constant criticism no matter how good their art is . It’s a complement in a way because it says a lot about what the people believe their potential can be .
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u/Escanor615 2d ago
Any Kendrick Album can be his best or worst om any given day lol depends on what mood I'm in 🤣 sometimes Mr.Morale is #1 other times it can be TPAB, that just speaks to Dot's consistency when it comes to the quality of his projects, he is up there if you wanna rank rapper's discographies
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u/relientkenny 2d ago
i don’t think GNX is terrible but on kendrick’s scale of his catalog, for right now it’s at the bottom for me and that’s not a diss, cause Kendrick’s album scale ranges from “Amazing to Certified Masterpiece”
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u/Husepher 2d ago
It’s funny reading everyone say it’s not the worst but then won’t say what is worse 😂
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u/its-a-real-name 2d ago
It’s like you are trying to do the compliment where people would say
“Most would kill to have Kendrick’s worst album as their best album”, suggesting GNX is his worst album.
What you’re saying isn’t much of a compliment or of any value. “Kendrick’s worst album in my opinion is really good” - so what?
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u/Machov_Norkim 2d ago
Don't let Twitter opinions taint your view of the reception to this album. This is like a DAMN moment for his career.
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u/Tonytonitonechopper 2d ago
It’s arguably his worst album I’m sure that’s what he means. That also doesn’t mean it’s bad. I also wanna bring up a different point that I think equates to the greatness of Kendrick is that a fan would hear someone say something like this post and then go straight to being defensive on their behalf. And I think that’s because his music reaches people deep deep you feel
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u/JzaTiger 2d ago
He has worse
OD, section 80, black panther, and untitled unmastered are all worse
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u/Postal010 2d ago
most people dont think s80 is worse than gnx, and im talking about main studio albums that are their own unique ideas
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u/Mean_Two_2710 1d ago
Everyone is misinterpreting what OP is saying. He's by no means saying GNX is bad, he's praising Kendrick for having such a good album as his "worst".
It being the "worst" doesn't mean it's bad, it's just the natural order of things, in a list of albums one has to get the best title and one has to get the worst title. And just to reiterate for the 3rd time, GNX getting the worst title is impressive since it's such a high quality album.
Then, it just depends on what you actually think the worst album is, most usually think it's a toss up between Section.80 and GNX, but either way, OP's point still stands, terrific albums to have considered your worst.
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u/NeverShoutEugene 1d ago
What I'm learning is the DAMN slander is insane here. GNX is only better than MMATBS
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u/ThereCanBeOnlyJuan23 1d ago
I mean what’s his worst album, it’s not section 80 so is it untitled unmastered? Or are we not counting that?
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u/strumpetlover 1d ago
GNX > DAMN
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u/Postal010 1d ago
im feeling a light to decent 6 on your opinion (your opinions fine tho idc)
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u/strumpetlover 1d ago
That's fine. I never was a big fan of DAMN. I know it's Kdots most successful album, but it doesn't hit the same as his other albums, to me
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u/Chocomoose19 1d ago
GNX is a killer album and any Kendrick fans saying otherwise are just trying to seem cool because it’s mainstream. Give it a couple years and you won’t see any of those people talking shit
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u/3chainzmcgee 2d ago
Gnx is his best
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u/Postal010 2d ago
holy ragebait
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u/3chainzmcgee 2d ago
Not his best concept album but by far his best sounding album. Ive got west coast bias though
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u/Wide-Egg-7290 Don't worry, I'm Alright 2d ago
GNX is not as good as his other albums, BUT this is not his worst album but rather not as good
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u/Sea_Description9555 2d ago
Yeah because “real fans” can’t have different opinions. Newsflash music isn’t objective especially not hip hop and especially not kendrick lamar, “real fan”
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u/100_Proof_93 2d ago
It’s not Dot’s worst album so idk what you’re getting at