Kendrick Lamar's track 'Dodger Blue' has L.A. fans swooning

The lyrics themselves are an ode to life in Los Angeles. But the title of Kendrick Lamar's track "Dodger Blue" on the album he dropped Friday, gnx, has fans of the World Series champions swooning.

Throughout their October run, the Dodgers used Kendrick's "Not Like Us" as an anthem that played before games at Dodger Stadium. It's hard to argue with the results: the Dodgers beat the New York Yankees in a five-game World Series to claim the eighth championship in franchise history.

Call "dodger blue" a hat tip back from the artist to the team.

Kendrick, like the Dodgers, is something of a unifying force among Angelenos. Although plenty were happy to see him drop an album on Friday, the convergence of two local icons struck a particular chord in L.A.

Rappers shouting out the local baseball team are nothing new. On "Empire State of Mind," Jay-Z went so far as to claim he "made the Yankees hat more famous than a Yankee can.” Kendrick's shoutout is more subtle — nothing, for example, that would require an apology to a franchise legend.

Judging by the early reactions on social media, even Yankee fans aren't above praising the track.

Although plenty will view the album through the lens of Kendrick's longstanding feud with Drake, the title of one track gave Dodger fans an entirely different entry point to the album — whether they're familiar with Kendrick's pre-GNX catalogue or not. From a commercial standpoint, it's a smart move by the artist.

From an artistic standpoint, the album's beauty lies in the ear of the beholder.

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