Kendrick Lamar Recorded Almost 100 Songs For GNX and the scale of it is far bigger than most fans ever imagined. Behind the tight 12-track final album sits an enormous archive of unreleased music that could easily fuel another project or two.
Speaking to Variety, Kendrick Lamar’s longtime producer Sounwave confirmed that between 80 and 100 records were made during the GNX sessions. Only a fraction survived the final cut. The rest remain unheard, at least for now, locked away as part of one of the largest recording runs of Kendrick’s career.
What makes this revelation even more surprising is how early the process began. Kendrick reportedly returned to the studio almost immediately after releasing “Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers” in 2022. GNX was not a rushed success. It was built slowly, reshaped repeatedly, and molded into the version the world eventually heard.
Early versions of the album leaned heavily into a West Coast funk sound. That direction shifted once Jack Antonoff and Mustard entered the picture. Their involvement changed the temperature of the record, darkening some parts, sharpening others, and pushing the sound into unexpected spaces.
Mustard, in particular, played a defining role. His beats power some of GNX’s standout records, including “Hey Now” and “TV Off.” For “TV Off,” Mustard revealed that he sent Kendrick two separate beats. Instead of choosing one, Kendrick combined them into a single track that now feels designed for stadiums, festivals, and halftime shows.
“I never asked who put those two beats together,” Mustard admitted. “I just knew it worked. It was great.”
One year after the album’s release, Sounwave reflected on what GNX represents creatively.
“The album shows there are no boundaries,” he said. “We refuse to repeat ourselves. Reinvention is the goal. You make it exciting and the fans follow.”
That excitement has crossed generations. Sounwave shared a moment he witnessed that still surprises him.
“A 60-year-old woman was driving down the street rapping a GNX song word for word,” he said. “Back home people still play it like it just dropped. That means everything.”
With so much unreleased material sitting in storage, fans have naturally started speculating about a deluxe edition. Those rumors gained momentum after rapper Lefty Gunplay, who appears on “TV Off,” hinted that more music already exists.
“He has things in the chamber,” Lefty said during an interview with Bootleg Kev. “We have done more than one track. He told me we would work again.”
When asked directly about a deluxe release, Lefty was confident.
“I know there is a deluxe coming,” he added. “He is very private about it.”
Kendrick himself has remained silent on the idea of a GNX deluxe. No release date, no confirmation, no teaser. Just quiet, which is often how he operates before making big moves.
Whether the extra songs become a deluxe album, a surprise drop, or remain locked in the vault, one thing is clear. GNX is only part of the story. The real project was bigger than what the world heard.
For now, fans are left waiting and replaying an album that still sounds fresh a year later. And with nearly 100 songs recorded, the GNX era may not be over yet.
