With his surprise-dropped “GNX,” Kendrick Lamar roars from zero to 60 faster than a turbocharged ’87 Buick. Keeping the same energy of his landmark Pop Out concert five months ago, he surrounds himself with up-and-coming Los Angeles artists and raps over thumping New West Coast soundscapes. His me-against-the-world antipathy includes but extends well beyond a certain Canadian rapper targeted in the Grammy-nominated “Not Like Us.” But The Associated Press' Ryan Pearson writes in his review that introspection is baked into Lamar’s art. And “GNX” is another thrilling chapter in what remains the most fascinating longform story in hip-hop.
