On Nov. 22, Kendrick Lamar surprised the hip-hop and rap community by unexpectedly dropping his brand new album “GNX.” Lamar has been at the forefront of the rap game this year from his three recently released diss tracks, “Euphoria,” “Meet the Grahams” and “Not Like Us,” which were mainly targeted at the Canadian rapper Drake. Lamar teased a new style in these songs, all of which carry strong throughout his new twelve-track album, where he dives into his roots and talks about the throne he sits on, at the top of the game.

Lamar makes a return to his idea of “pure” hip-hop in his sixth studio album “GNX” with unorthodox instrumentals and less-produced songs, making it one of Lamar’s most straightforward albums. He also pays tribute to his upbringing in Los Angeles by taking elements from the sounds, history and references of the L.A. community. Some of the ties to the community are more obvious than others, including Spanish spoken vocals in the very first song, “wacced out murals,” and throughout the album in tribute to the large Latino community in LA. He also references the MLB team, the L.A. Dodgers in the song “dodger blue,” but the real homage to L.A. is within the artists featured and the samples.

Although Lamar’s entire discography pulls from the Los Angeles music scene — like ’90s rap inspired “good kid, m.A.A.d city” (2012) — in “GNX” he pulls from contemporary rap. Lamar incorporates West Coast rappers Dody6, AzChike, Lefty Gunplay, Hitta J3, Wallie the Sensei, Siete7x, YoungThreat and Peysoh, giving them a platform to spread their talent. He honors West Coast rap tradition by sampling “Made N***s” (1996) by 2Pac featuring Outlawz in the sixth song, “reincarnated.” Two of the tracks are in collaboration with R&B artist, SZA, who Lamar just announced will be joining him on his national tour.

Along with the many elements tying this album back to L.A., Lamar also makes references to his roots and his father, first, with the symbolism of the album’s title, “GNX.” GNX is a reference to the limited edition of the 1987 Buick Grand National Regal, with “GNX” standing for Grand National Experiment. Only 547 of the turbo-charged GNXs were made, making it a highly sought-after collectible vehicle. Lamar features the backend of this car on the album art. The car has dual symbolism as the nickname of the GNX is “Darth Vader’s car,” representing where Lamar is right now as the villain of the rap game and the empire that he has created.

The car also symbolizes his relationship with his father as stated in an interview with Complex in 2012. “My pops put me on to rap. When I was born, I came home from the hospital in an ’87 Buick Regal while my pops was bumping Big Daddy Kane. He would say, ‘This is Rakim. You get your whole style from Rakim!’ Or, ‘Go listen to Biz Markie!’ Sometimes I sit back and listen to hip-hop with him to see where my hip-hop roots come from.” Not only is the car a memory of his father, but it also represents Lamar’s success. The GNX as a symbol of Lamar’s career demonstrates his reincarnation and uniqueness in the rap game.

The song “reincarnated” is placed directly in the middle of the album. Throughout the track, Lamar raps about his upbringing, what he could’ve been and who he is now in the present. Lamar was always a musician, he played guitar at a young age, but because he was surrounded by substance abuse, he nods to how different his future would’ve been had he gone down the wrong path. He brings up Isaiah 14, a chapter in the Old Testament, as he asks God about his divine justice and how to rid yourself of your pride, as God shows in the chapter. But now, Lamar has been reincarnated as his true self who is respected, financially stable and someone that his community looks up to. Lamar also raps about where he is at from the path he took in “man of the garden,” as he repeats “I deserve it all.” With the money and the influence he currently has, he has become the gardener and tends to his garden of legacy, leaving the world and his hometown, Compton, a better place for the future.

Although Lamar’s most recent project arguably does not compare to the impact and interpretation that his past projects have had, it is a showcase of where he is as an artist — a figure in the rap game. With nods to religion and “Star Wars” along and slants at other rappers in “wacced out murals,” Lamar believes that it might be him against everyone else now. With “GNX,” it seems like Lamar is setting up something for the future, which all will be eager to see.