Gordo first collaborated with Drake by producing six tracks on the latter’s house-inspired album Honestly, Nevermind. They continued working together on Drake’s For All the Dogs in 2023, and Gordo secured two features from the 6 God on "Sideways" and "Healing," both from his debut album, DIAMANTE, released earlier this year.

Everyone suspected a new Kendrick Lamar album was coming soon — between a Super Bowl halftime show slot next year and a haul of Grammy nominations for “Not Like Us,” the time was as ripe as could be. Yet fans woke up Friday to the startling release of “GNX,” Lamar’s followup to 2022’s ruminative “Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers.”

GNX” is easily the most disciplined and direct music Kendrick Lamar has ever made, and if you really let yourself feel it, it might also be his most profound.