According to his longtime collaborator Sounwave, Kendrick Lamar recorded between 80 and 100 songs for his album GNX — far more than the dozen tracks that made the final cut. The work on the album reportedly began almost immediately after his previous record, launching what Sounwave described as an intense creative period of experimentation, rewriting and refining.
The record-breaking output speaks to the ambition behind GNX: producers such as Mustard and Jack Antonoff were later brought in to help shape the album’s final sound, contributing to its eclectic mix of West Coast energy and broad musical influences.
GNX—surprise released in November 2024—rose quickly to commercial success. The album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, continuing Kendrick’s streak of chart-topping studio albums. The record has since broken further ground, becoming the longest-running No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Rap Albums chart, and surpassing the previous record held by Pop Smoke.
Despite the final tracklist being just 12 songs, the revelation that nearly 100 songs were recorded underscores the scale of the creative process behind GNX—and suggests there may still be a massive vault of unheard Kendrick material from this era.
