Summarize this content to 2000 words in 6 paragraphs in Arabic Unlock the Editor’s Digest for freeRoula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.The best rappers like to keep us guessing. At the most basic level, we wonder what they’ll say next, how they’ll finish the rhyme. Then there’s the competitive aspect, being on the beat but one step ahead of the rest. The rap battle is the ultimate example, with opponents being floored by verbal sallies they didn’t see coming — like Kendrick Lamar’s knockdown victory in his beef with Drake earlier this year.Lamar’s new album GNX takes the “gotcha!” dynamics of beefs and battles to the next level. It was released without warning last Friday, a surprise for all. Drake — widely adjudicated the loser of the diss tracks that went back and forth between the two rap giants from March to May — isn’t directly named during the course of its 12 tracks. But themes of rivalry, loyalty, status and belonging are clearly inspired by the feud.Named after a fast car from the 1980s, the Buick GNX, the album is the paciest of Lamar’s career, clocking in at 44 minutes. It follows 2022’s immense, knotty Mr Morale and the Big Steppers, an ambitious concept album about therapy. GNX suggests that the best talking cure for rappers is hitting the accelerator and letting the words flow — dazzlingly so, in Lamar’s case.“Wacced Out Murals” is inspired by a mural of the rapper in his hometown of Compton, Los Angeles, which was defaced with what seemed to be pro-Drake graffiti in September. The beat is cold and perfectly weighted, a brooding backdrop to verses about rap competition and pettiness. The pugilistic atmosphere continues with “Squabble Up”, set to the tense electronic bounce of a 1980s thriller. Then comes an anti-macho shift to lush romance with “Luther”, which features regular collaborator SZA singing the role of loving life partner whose supportiveness is depicted as crucial to the rapper’s wellbeing.The musical variations are well worked: they keep us on our toes. The production is led by a familiar figure, Mark “Sounwave” Spears, but also features an unexpected contributor, Taylor Swift’s producer Jack Antonoff. The textures are arranged with an immaculate sense of space and resonance. SZA, who returns in closing track “Gloria”, is joined as guest vocalist by Mexican mariachi singer Deyra Barrera. Other cameos come from male rappers, mostly little-known figures from Compton or South Central LA. Their drawled raps surround Lamar like a vocal community on mellow west coast throwback “Dodger Blue”.Lamar’s performance at the microphone is unrivalled. His lyricism is so densely intricate that it can be hard to see the wood for the trees, but each word is made to seem to matter. Accents, tones and intensity levels are switched up. In “Reincarnated” he raps from the perspectives of a segregation-era bluesman and drug-addicted jazz singer before imagining a conversation with God, who chides Lamar to use his gifts wisely. The Californian’s self-assessment is immodest but just: “A rapper looking at the lyrics to keep you in awe/The only factor I respected was raising the bar.”★★★★☆‘GNX’ is released by PGLang/Interscope
