Every so often, Kendrick Lamar steps into the present.
That’s part of what made his feud with Drake, which began in March and stretched through the spring and summer, so bracing.
It was Lamar using Drake’s typical weapons against him — an acknowledgment that even if Lamar prefers not to pay attention to prevailing winds, he can ride them if need be.
From a distance, “GNX,” his sixth album, which was released with no announcement on Friday, has some of that same immediacy.
On the two opening tracks, “Wacced Out Murals” and “Squabble Up,” Lamar is rapping with the seething indignation he weaponized so effectively during the beef: “I’ll kill ’em all before I let ’em kill my joy”; “Before I take a truce, I’ll take him to hell with me.”
Persons:
Kendrick Lamar, He’s, Drake, Lamar, “, ”, ” Lamar, ’, I’ll
Organizations:
eventual