Squabble Up

"Squabble Up"
Song by Kendrick Lamar
from the album GNX
Released	November 22, 2024 (2024-11-22)
Genre	G-funk West Coast hip hop
Length	2:37
Label	pgLang Interscope
Songwriter(s)	Kendrick Lamar Duckworth
Producer(s)	Kendrick Lamar Sounwave Jack Antonoff Bridgeway M-Tech (add.)
Music video
"Squabble Up" on YouTube

"Squabble Up" (stylized in all lowercase) is a song written and recorded by American rapper Kendrick Lamar for his sixth studio album, GNX (2024). Lamar produced the song with Sounwave, Jack Antonoff, and Bridgeway, with additional production by M-Tech. It samples the freestyle song "When I Hear Music" (1984) by Debbie Deb.

Background and promotion

On July 4, 2024, Lamar released the music video of his diss track aimed at Canadian pop-rapper Drake, titled "Not Like Us". He started out the video by adding a 15-second snippet of a then-untitled song, as he makes his way down a dark hallway. Due to the usage of the word, the song became subsequently known as "Broccoli" or "Broccoli (Reincarnated)". On October 13, the Formula One team of Mercedes AMG used the song to promote the forthcoming racing season. Only ten days later, the song was played during an NBA broadcast of a Los Angeles Lakers and Minnesota Timberwolves game. All instances prompted the song to go viral on TikTok with fans asking for it to be released soon. The track was eventually released as the second track of Lamar's surprise-release sixth studio album GNX on November 22, 2024.

Composition

Pitchfork commented that "Squabble Up" borrows a "funky bassline" from the 1984 "classic '80s techno" freestyle song "When I Hear Music" by American singer-songwriter Debbie Deb. It sees the rapper channeling "elements of his California rap heritage", fusing "G-funk, hyphy, and even mariachi". His vocal performance includes using "myriad voices, octave changes, and shrieks". Lamar accuses other rappers of being fake without name-dropping any artist in particular. It observes themes of personal evolution, criticism from within the music industry as well as cultural commentary. In reference to his admiration for his work, Lamar mentions saxophonist Kamasi Washington, whom he collaborated with for GNX as well as To Pimp a Butterfly (2015).

Critical reception

In a track review for Pitchfork, Matthew Ritchie praised Lamar for turning the sample into a "'90s club hit" and thought his "lyrical hatred" on the track was "far-reaching", making for a "fun" listen. Zachary Horvath of HotNewHipHop argued that "Squabble Up" possesses "the most mainstream appeal" out of all the songs on the album and noted the use of "great wordplay, slick flows, and some great personality".

Music video

A music video directed by Calmatic, was released on November 25, 2024. The set and cinematography pays homage to the music video of "The Next Movement", from the Roots' album Things Fall Apart (1999). It contains multiple symbolism and Easter eggs, while also celebrates and pays homage to both the culture and music of California, the West Coast hip hop, the G-funk, the hyphy music, and the Chicano rap, the African-American culture, the Californios and the Chicano movement, through multiple references, such as the African-American Flag, the Black Panther Party, the Compton Christmas Parade, the late rappers Nate Dogg and Mac Dre, the TV show Soul Train (1971–2006), the film Menace II Society (1993), the album covers of Isaac Hayes' album Black Moses (1971), Ice-T's album Power (1988) and E-40's album In a Major Way (1995), the "Jesus Saves Gangsters Too!" initiative by the Gangster Ministries movement, recognizing their work in the Crenshaw District in South Central, and their involvement against community violence and their fight for social justice, and, as well as a custom lowrider of the limited-production Buick GNX model vehicle and people riding Scraper bikes, among many other elements featured throughout the music video. Lamar appears rapping the song and dances to it, at one point he sits reading a book with the title, "How to Be More Like Kendrick for Dummies", and he re-enacts visiting a memorial of an unknown deceased.

It also features choreographed dance numbers by Charm La'Donna, and cameo appearances from musician Taz Arnold of the music group Sa-Ra Creative Partners from Los Angeles, as well as various artists who previously performed at Lamar's concert The Pop Out: Ken & Friends during the first set by DJ Hed, titled the Act I – DJ Hed & Friends, including RJMrLA, G Perico and Cuzzos.