The Grammy Award-winning album’s brief absence fueled speculation that the Compton rapper was gearing up for a new album rollout or even trolling one of his longstanding rivals.
For a brief moment, Kendrick Lamar‘s chart-topping 2024 album “GNX” was nowhere to be found on Apple Music.
Not only was the album temporarily removed, but so were music videos for songs like “Luther” and “Not Like Us.” While the album remained on Spotify, it was also temporarily removed from Tidal, sparking debates and conspiracy theories online as to the reasoning behind the move.
View on Threads
On YouTube, fans noticed the music videos for both “Luther” and “Not Like Us” were re-uploaded on the platform and hours later, “GNX,” the music videos shot for it, as well as the 2024 diss track “Euphoria,” all reappeared on Apple Music.
The likely occurrence for the switch is a license transfer, as the songs and albums no longer fall under Universal Music Group but rather under an exclusive license to Interscope Records.
Still, a simple clerical change didn’t stop the belief that the multi-time Grammy winner would re-release them to squash any momentum from Drake’s upcoming “Iceman” release. Even though the battle ended two years ago and has been given additional life through Lamar’s Super Bowl halftime show, the “GNX” tour and Drake’s ongoing litigation about “Not Like Us,” the two rappers are sadly tied at the hip in online hip-hop discussions despite having entire careers and accolades outside of their feud.
Drake’s “Iceman” album drops on Friday.
Outside of his record-breaking “Grand National Tour,” Kendrick has kept a low profile, appearing at the Grammys in February to collect trophies for Best Rap Album, Record of the Year, Best Rap Song, Best Rap Performance and Best Melodic Rap Performance. Last week, he returned to his alma mater, Centennial High School in Compton, California, for a dedication of the school’s newly redesigned campus. Joined by other notable alumni like Dr. Dre and will.i.am, the dedication served as a homecoming for Lamar, who reunited with his seventh-grade science teacher.
“I’ll never forget you,” he told her.
