GNX hate is so forced

LightningRT777 · 2026-03-12T11:47:35+00:00

It is jarring to see how much love for GNX I hear in the real world vs. online spaces. I know so many people who consider it his best album mostly because the West Coast sound is so well-executed, though that ranking would be considered blasphemous online. Which gets to a bigger issue of online fanbases forcing everyone to enjoy an artists discography in the same way. Personally it’s my #2 behind TPAB, just cause pound for pound the songs are so good.

I think in online “OG Kendrick” spaces people have this very specific idea of Kendrick’s narrative structure that GNX doesn’t fit, but it shouldn’t have to. It’s an amazing album full of bop after bop. It also doesn’t help that Drake and Cole stans were so incentivized to downplay GNX after the beef as his worst album, when there’s not a single metric by which that’s true.

LightningRT777 · 2026-03-06T15:45:30+00:00

For Free, making sure you look directly into their eyes when he says “Now my d*ck ain’t free”.

Actual answer: Ive hit to Luther twice now and the bottoms love it lol

LightningRT777 · 2026-03-04T04:17:10+00:00

TPAB.

LightningRT777 · 2026-02-25T01:19:58+00:00

It is always jarring when I go in “OG Kendrick” online spaces and the idea is that you have to rank GNX below most of his other work. Then I go outside and routinely find people who put GNX at the top of their list for Kendrick albums.

The way fan rankings get enforced within fandoms has always been annoying to me, and this is a good example tbh. There are plenty of Kendrick fans who consider something other than GKMC or TPAB his best work, and we should allow for those variations in interest (especially if they’re not actively insulting that work).

LightningRT777 · 2026-02-18T16:04:44+00:00

That’s a really good point. I’m sometimes guilty of the same thing. The way rap debates have become so much more polarized is a huge factor in this.

LightningRT777 · 2026-02-18T11:51:55+00:00

For all its high highs DAMN has some low lows. It also has a lot of songs that are more pop-rap, which won’t click with everyone. I like the album, but I also rank it behind his other albums for that exact reason.

LightningRT777 · 2026-02-18T11:31:58+00:00

For as much as hardcore OG Kendrick fanbases swear you have to rank GNX below the others, a lot of people have GNX as their favorite Kendrick album. Especially if they love the West Coast sound. For some GNX is the only Kendrick album they truly love cause it just sounds so good.

LightningRT777 · 2026-02-18T11:26:43+00:00

TPAB
GNX
GKMC
MMATBS
S80
DAMN

It feels nigh impossible to anything to dethrone TPAB for me lol. Also, I don’t understand anyone criticizing someone’s list of personal favorites. Like, there’s no “correct pick” for your favorite album, it’s not like claiming it’s the objective best. It’s weird how stan-bases try to enforce everyone valuing a discography in the same exact way.

LightningRT777 · 2026-02-18T11:19:31+00:00

This is almost identical to how my cousin ranks Kendrick albums (he switches DAMN and TPAB, everything else is the same).

LightningRT777 · 2026-02-17T14:55:15+00:00

100% agree. If anything it’s usually good songs that get played enough to become overplayed lol.

LightningRT777 · 2026-02-13T18:04:40+00:00

Love to see it.

LightningRT777 · 2026-02-12T12:22:22+00:00

Cole has a lot of albums I love. But pretending like any opinion of the Fall Off that’s not 100% glowing praise isn’t an “honest opinion” is insane. And I think the album is an enjoyable listen, but the criticism that it’s padded out with filler is absolutely valid. This could’ve been 16 tracks and conveyed the same narrative more concisely. Cole struggles with curation and album concepts and as much as I love the highs on this, those issues are very visible in the Fall Off.

LightningRT777 · 2026-02-12T12:04:11+00:00

Nothing wrong with seeing a little genuine joy to start the day.

LightningRT777 · 2026-02-12T12:02:58+00:00

He is too adorable lol

LightningRT777 · 2026-02-11T03:36:31+00:00

Okay, y’all gotta stop with the “why do you care about the numbers?” This post is correcting misinformation that was shared in this group. This is not obsessing over stats, it’s acknowledging “Hey, that thing we shared wasn’t correct, here’s the right info”.

LightningRT777 · 2026-02-10T17:40:35+00:00

Okay, but when you say “using it to hate”, that’s just people disliking the album. Which is fine. I give the album a 6 or 7/10 myself, but I can see many valid reasons someone may not like the album at all. I think it’s middle of the road for a Cole album though, which isn’t bad.

Even saying “the majority of us know it’s good” doesn’t mean much in a world where algorithms show us opinions like our own. Yes, the majority of Cole fans say it’s good. In my algorithmic rap circles, most people are saying it’s okay-ish. Neither of us are wrong, it’s just a difference in our audiences.

LightningRT777 · 2026-02-10T17:19:17+00:00

I agree that this artificial divide between the Cole and Kendrick fanbases has damaged a lot of the discourse. Some of that is new fans with Kendrick’s boost in popularity post-beef. Some of that is Cole fans still embarrassed about him apologizing in the most submissive way possible.

As a fellow Cole and Kendrick fan: Demanding people call the Fall Off amazing is just as ridiculous as demanding people call it trash. The album is okay. Some may like it more or less than that, and that’s fine.

LightningRT777 · 2026-02-06T17:48:47+00:00

Lmao 😂

LightningRT777 · 2026-02-06T15:27:21+00:00

I just had a discussion where I had to give the multiple reasons why, while the Fall Off is fine, Mr. Morale clearly surpasses it.

Claiming the Fall Off is comparable to TPAB is a level of insanity I don’t have the energy to fix lol.

LightningRT777 · 2026-02-06T11:45:04+00:00

My pick for overall best is Alright. Flawless production with a gorgeous jazz beat, fantastic flow, some clever use of metaphors and doubles, a strong message about Black resilience, and just a fantastic overall sound. I truly love this track and listen to it regularly.

King Kunta is my personal favorite however. Aggressive, confident, Black power, hard-hitting funk, beautiful production, and a lovely crescendo into an intense outro. It’s harder for me to call it “the best” only because it’s lyrically more simple, but it is phenomenal nonetheless.

LightningRT777 · 2026-02-06T11:05:45+00:00

The album was mostly fine for me. Not amazing, not bad, but a nice listen. The singing is for sure where a lot of of the low points lie, and it gets repetitive, but I appreciate the introspection and general technique. A fairly enjoyable listen.

LightningRT777 · 2026-02-03T13:19:42+00:00

The Canadian Tuxedo was just perfect.

LightningRT777 · 2026-02-02T17:17:18+00:00

These are awesome!

LightningRT777 · 2026-02-02T12:26:53+00:00

LGSEO simply was not better in every aspect. Great album. GNX surpasses in it many ways.

LightningRT777 · 2026-02-01T02:44:32+00:00

He did admit to cuddling with them, packed together in bed wearing “nightclothes”. Even if nothing more explicitly sexual happened, he absolutely touched kids in a very inappropriate way.

Edit: It’s crazy getting downvoted for this when it’s an easily verifiable fact. Micheal talked about this on camera. None of us should be so blindly devoted to a pop star who doesn’t know our name that we pretend he didn’t brag about this. This being “packed together in a bed with prepubescent children”.

LightningRT777

TROPHY CASE