Kendrick Lamar’s “GNX” Takes Over Apple & Spotify

This weekend, Kendrick Lamar’s surprise album, GNX, has been the only music topic. Since its release on Friday morning (Nov. 22), both Apple Music and Spotify have charted all 12 songs. NFR Podcast shared a screenshot of both charts on X, formerly Twitter, on Sunday (Nov. 24). “Squabble Up,” originally previewed in July, sits at the top of both charts. After that, both charts have mixed rankings of the tracklist, with “wacced out murals” being #2 on Apple and “luther,” featuring SZA, at #2 on Spotify.

GNX is believed to have the biggest first-week sales in 2024, which will be revealed in a week. The album adds to Kendrick Lamar’s massive year with hit songs “Not Like Us” and “Euphoria” breaking several records. Both tracks were submitted for Grammy nominations with “Not Like Us” earning seven nominations. While “wacced out murals” was teased in the music video, “Not Like Us” and “Euphoria” do not appear on GNX. Another Mustard-produced track appears on the new album after the two delivered “Not Like Us.”

The first official release on his PgLang imprint, Lamar unites Los Angeles hip-hop once again with features by emerging stars Lefty Gunplay, Wallie The Sensei, Hitta J3, Peysoh, and Roddy Ricch. The album is produced by longtime Lamar producer Soundwav and Taylor Swift producer Jack Antonoff. SZA and Lamar duet on a few tracks, including the fan favorite “luther.” SZA’s past collaborations with Lamar include the chart-topping hit “All The Stars” from the Black Panther soundtrack.

Lamar’s latest release has created many social media trends outside the charts. Yelling “Mustard on “tv off” has created a season of memes that include McDonald’s “honey mustard” tweet. Fan-made videos have used the popular line using classic moments from various pop culture shows such as Dragonball Z, Boondocks, Peanuts, and more. As a result of the new fanfare, Mustard has been resharing all the content on his social media accounts.