Life Listens: New music by Kendrick Lamar, G-Dragon, Iman Fandi, Linkin Park and Tyler, The Creator

SINGAPORE – In this monthly column, The Straits Times curates the most buzz-worthy music you need to know about that was released in the past month.

Ace Album: Kendrick Lamar – GNX

American rapper Kendrick Lamar dominated much of the hip-hop conversation in 2024, thanks to the high-profile beef between him and Canadian hip-hop star Drake.

And while it is generally acknowledged that Lamar came out tops in the rap “battle” due to the sheer quality of the diss tracks he released from April to May, he is not done yet.

On Nov 22, without warning, the only rapper to ever win a Pulitzer Prize (for his 2017 album D*mn.) dropped surprise album GNX, his sixth overall.

Like in his recent output, the 12 tracks are a loving tribute to West Coast hip-hop, with nods to predecessors such as the late Tupac Shakur in the track Reincarnated.

This is, after all, the man credited with uniting not just rival rappers, but also gangs in California with his May single Not Like Us.

GNX, named after a car model, is impressive with its dense lyrical wordplay, as befitting Lamar’s title as one of rap’s most formidable writers.

He delves into topics such as personal introspection (Heart Pt. 6), artistic growth (Man At The Garden), resilience (Hey Now) and, most of all, collaboration and community (Dodger Blue).

The list of collaborators includes stars like singer SZA and producers like Taylor Swift collaborator Jack Antonoff, but Lamar’s wide-ranging musical palette on the album also includes prominent contributions from little-known Mexican singer Deyra Barrera.

With his headlining act for the Super Bowl LIX half-time show coming up in February 2025, Lamar is not about to bow out from the spotlight any time soon. – Eddino Abdul Hadi

Must-see MV: G-Dragon – 2024 Mama performance medley

The king of K-pop is back and it is as if he never went away. South Korean pop sensation G-Dragon, leader of seminal boy band BigBang, showed up at the Mama Awards held in Osaka on Nov 23 – marking his first performance at the awards in nine years.

He is fresh off a seven-year hiatus, but the 36-year-old showed up in a pink outfit topped off with a crown to remind the crowd exactly why he was given the royal title.

The 14-minute set opens with a silhouette of G-Dragon behind a screen while singing his 2017 ballad Untitled, 2014. The camera follows the star from backstage as he prepares to go onstage. The shot of him from behind as he kicks off his performance is reminiscent of the opening shot of G-Dragon’s iconic set at the Mama Awards in 2014, which has over 89 million views on YouTube.

He then performs his recently released songs Power and Home Sweet Home – the latter being a surprise reunion of BigBang, with members Daesung and Taeyang being brought onstage. They feature on the track and their appearance ignited such loud cheers that their voices were briefly overpowered.

The trio then go offstage and the venue goes dark before it lights up in yellow – the signature colour of BigBang. The intro for the band’s hit song Bang Bang Bang (2015) echoes around the arena as they reappear with an outfit change. The trio top off their set with their party anthem Fantastic Baby (2012).

It is a sight to behold – how the audience goes wild and how much presence the group still have in a live setting, even after so many years without an official onstage reunion. Even top idols are starstruck, with Seventeen’s Hoshi caught on camera with his jaw dropping.

No wonder the performance has already garnered over 16 million views, even more than Blackpink’s Rose and American singer-songwriter Bruno Mars’ performance of the viral hit Apt. at the awards ceremony. – Jan Lee

Singapore Scene: Iman Fandi – That Girl

More than three years after she made her music debut with the single Timeframe in February 2021, home-grown singer and songwriter Iman Fandi has finally released her debut album.

The nine tracks on That Girl follow her artistic evolution throughout the years and includes previously released singles.

While there is no singular, trademark sound, the range of genres on the album does signify an adventurous young artiste willing to expand her horizons.

New song Open Sun delves into electronic dance music, a euphoric track equally at home in a club or a dance music festival. The same song is accompanied by a moody remix by Malaysian production duo SeaTravel.

The sassy and brisk Baseball Bat, first released in 2023, is a stark contrast to the punchy yet unhurried pace of Top Bop, released earlier that year.

One can detect the growth in confidence in the two songs that bookend the album, Love Me Little More from 2021 and album closer That Girl, first released in August. She sounds more self-assured in the title track.

The most compelling track on the release, though, is another new song, We Time, a collaboration with Indonesian singer-songwriter Vidi. As it weaves through tempo changes, the duo trade lines that try to find the balance between self-determination and vulnerability. – Eddino Abdul Hadi

Stream This Song: Linkin Park – Two Faced

American band Linkin Park’s latest single Two Faced harks back to what is arguably the group’s most impactful era in the early noughties.

It has the right mix of emotional resonance, melody and rage of their first two albums, debut release Hybrid Theory (2000) and Meteora (2003).

The burly breakdown after the second chorus will be very familiar to long-time Linkin Park listeners, and new singer Emily Armstrong’s throaty scream is almost a dead ringer for the late co-frontman she replaces, Chester Bennington.

The song is driven along by hard yet groovy guitar and bass riffs, as well as quiet-loud dynamics.

Put out on Nov 13, it came two days before the release of From Zero, the highly anticipated eighth album from the Californian sextet. It is their first album since Bennington died in 2017, their subsequent hiatus and the reunion in September, with new members Armstrong and drummer Colin Brittain.

The title of the album reaches back even further than their early releases, and is inspired by the band’s original name, Xero.

Commercially, the band look set to reclaim their title as alternative and nu metal powerhouses, and the album has already reached No. 1 in countries like Britain, Germany and Australia. – Eddino Abdul Hadi

Chart Champ: Tyler, The Creator – Chromakopia

For a good part of November, American rapper Tyler, The Creator’s eighth album Chromakopia was at the top of Billboard’s mainstream album charts.

It went straight to No. 1 after it was released on Oct 28 and stayed at the top for three consecutive weeks.

It is the rapper’s third album to top the Billboard charts. He also went to No. 1 with Call Me If You Get Lost (2021) and Igor (2019), both of which won best rap album at the Grammys.

Chromakopia topped the charts in other countries including Australia, Britain and Canada.

Two singles from the album, the gospel-tinged St. Chroma and Sticky, which features female rap luminaries GloRilla and Sexyy Red, as well as hip-hop mainstay Lil Wayne, topped both the US’ Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Hot Rap Songs charts.

Chromakopia has many of the traits that have made Tyler, The Creator the US’ most stand-out oddball rapper. A sonic melange that melds together impactful brass sections, compelling rhythms and masterful verses, the tracks are erratic but are always fascinating. – Eddino Abdul Hadi