Kendrick Lamar Pays Homage To West Coast Culture In "Squabble Up" Music Video

BYZachary Horvath599 Views
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Syndication: Austin American-Statesman
Kendrick Lamar performs Oct. 13, 2023, on the American Express stage during Austin City Limits Music Festival at Zilker Park.
The first video for "GNX" arrives just a couple of days later.

Well, that was fast. Kendrick Lamar has swept the hip-hop world off its feet with his brand-new sixth album, GNX. The astounding release hit the digital airwaves on Friday afternoon, and it's been all the craze and will continue to be for quite a while. The lyrical content is of course going to shoulder that load. However, Kendrick doing extra things like a "squabble up" music video will also help a great deal. The Compton icon just dropped off the visual for it moments ago, and you can watch it below. One of the overall goals for this new project was to show love to the West Coast, particularly California. From the sounds, slang, topical focus, and even the features, K. Dot definitely paid attention to detail.

The same can especially be said for the "squabble up" visual. There are tons of nods throughout it, such as Lamar wearing blue to represent the Crips. Later on, a few Bloods make their way onto the single set, which is an olive-green room with a fancy chandelier, and wood flooring. Tons of local dances are incorporated, as well music such as a massive CD of Nate Dogg's G Funk Classics. It's sure to not be the only visual we receive for GNX and it's going to be one that's broken down intensely over the next few days. But this is what Kendrick Lamar does as an artist's artist. He encourages fans to engage with the art and inspires them to think more critically. Overall, this was a great first choice, as "squabble up" is turning out to be one the record's biggest hits so far.

"Squabble Up" Music Video - Kendrick Lamar

About The Author
Zachary Horvath is one of the Music Freelance News Writers at HotNewHipHop and has held that title since August 2023. Prior to this position, he held another freelance gig covering local high school football, girls and boys varsity basketball, in addition to recapping Cleveland Cavaliers games remotely. He's taken the previous experience and used it to become a jack of all trades at HotNewHipHop. Zach has thoroughly enjoyed tackling some of the trending topics in sports, with a larger focus on hip-hop and pop culture. Some of those include Bronny James's draft stock, a multitude of angles swirling around the Drake and Kendrick Lamar beef, as well as Diddy's arrest and lawsuits. Separate from the headlines that everyone wants to hear about, he was fortunate enough to help spread Zaytoven's current thoughts at the time around mid-December in 2023. Even though being able to give his expertise on these stories is fulfilling, being able to share his passion for releases trumps that ever so slightly. Having the chance to express his excitement indirectly about what he thinks our readers should be checking out/revisiting grows his passion for writing that much more.
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