It’s been four years since the “Black Panther Soundtrack” and five since his “Damn.” These two releases launched Kendrick Lamar as an international musical heavyweight. The pair of albums sold 4 million copies and 29.5 million singles in the U.S alone.
Both records sparked back-to-back world tours and a gang of awards, including a Pulitzer (the first one given to a non-Classical or Jazz album).
In 2020, the world came to a halt. Music was virtually non-existent, and Kendrick was going through writer’s block. He also welcomed his first child and created his own record label PGLang with long-time collaborator Dave Free (his music video director).
Other than these developments, Kendrick would remain relatively quiet, until his collaborations with his cousin Baby Keem, featuring on singles “Range Brothers” and “Family Ties”, the latter of which was certified platinum and took “Best Rap Performance” in 2022’s Grammy Awards.
The rumblings of a new album were officially gaining more credence as 2021 came to a close and Kendrick prepared for the Superbowl Halftime Show. After the fifth installment of “The Heart” series, accompanied by its music video Kendrick, would announce his next album would be released on May 13.
The album’s sound is a departure from all previous albums. The production is polished and is the least sample-dependent out of any of his past LPs. The record themes are similar to prior releases: self-actualization, family, guilt and the pressures of being famous.
Since its release, fans and critics have dubbed this album to be a therapy session of sorts, a double-LP that peels the layers of Kendrick’s personal life like never before. Critiquing his status as a “rap savior” and Black mainstream culture, Kendrick delves deep into his private life, letting it all hang out in the hopes of inspiring Black people worldwide to acknowledge personal trauma. As well, making Black communities more aware of individual turmoil for the sake of our souls and mind.
The albums sport several shocking tracks depicting troubled relationships between lovers and parents, “Father Time”, “We Cry Together”, and “Mother I Sober” expose the complicated dynamics of long-term connections.
The first of which gets at the heart of Kendrick’s “daddy issues” and taking action to improve his emotional well-being for the sake of his two children, unlike his father, who remained aloof and apathetic throughout Kendrick’s upbringing.
“We Cry Together” is a fabulously performed argument between Kendrick and feature Taylour Paige. The pair create a theatrical fight between partners reminiscent of Ice Cube’s “It’s a Man’s World” ft. Yo Yo and Eminem’s “Kim” makes what is perhaps the best track on the album. 
Another watershed moment comes towards the end of disc 2, “Mother I Sober,” which breaks down the unfortunate abuse in the Black families both sexual and emotional.
Inspired by his mother, Paula Duckworth, to come forward with these troubles, having gone through them herself in her youth, the song is incredibly personal, shedding light on Kendrick’s sex addiction and affairs with other women.
Instrumentally it gets progressively more intense as the track goes on, from the background vocals, piano chords, string ensemble, and soft drums making it a grandiose listening experience.
The overarching concept of “Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers” deals with Kendrick’s trauma and identity as a public figure.
He chooses to deny his impact of being messiah-like, not wanting to be made a martyr for Hip Hop and Black America like so many others in the past.
And opts to focus his energy on raising his children, becoming a reliable life partner, and being mentally fit for him and his inner circle’s sake.
These are the themes that pop up in “Crown,” “Purple Hearts,” “Count Me Out”, “United in Grief”, “Saviour” and “Mirrors.”
“N95” makes for the album’s lead single, using the title for a double-entendre.
He urges the world to live with authenticity, a call to remove the proverbial mask criticizing those who front to ground themselves instead of living disingenuously.
Track three, “Worldwide Steppers” discusses battling selfish urges which kill our morals and convictions.
In it, the song has a slightly crass description of the first times Kendrick slept with white women, his telling of these stories gives off “Soul on Ice” (Eldridge Cleaver,1968) vibes when Kendrick states that having sex with white girls gratifies him and his ancestor with retribution, a payback for the rape of his people during slavery.
A somewhat polarizing track about homosexuality and gender takes place on “Auntie Diaries,” in which Kendrick talks about his uncle Demetrius who came out as trans in the 1990s.
He also tackles identity and subconscious bias towards homosexuals, employing the term faggot, calling out the nonchalant ways people use the word to discredit gays.
For the most part, “
It’s been four years since the “Black Panther Soundtrack” and five since his “Damn.” These two releases launched Kendrick Lamar as an international musical heavyweight. The pair of albums sold 4 million copies and 29.5 million singles in the U.S alone.
Both records sparked back-to-back world tours and a gang of awards, including a Pulitzer (the first one given to a non-Classical or Jazz album).
In 2020, the world came to a halt. Music was virtually non-existent, and Kendrick was going through writer’s block. He also welcomed his first child and created his own record label PGLang with long-time collaborator Dave Free (his music video director).
Other than these developments, Kendrick would remain relatively quiet, until his collaborations with his cousin Baby Keem, featuring on singles “Range Brothers” and “Family Ties”, the latter of which was certified platinum and took “Best Rap Performance” in 2022’s Grammy Awards.
The rumblings of a new album were officially gaining more credence as 2021 came to a close and Kendrick prepared for the Superbowl Halftime Show. After the fifth installment of “The Heart” series, accompanied by its music video Kendrick, would announce his next album would be released on May 13.
The album’s sound is a departure from all previous albums. The production is polished and is the least sample-dependent out of any of his past LPs. The record themes are similar to prior releases: self-actualization, family, guilt and the pressures of being famous.
Since its release, fans and critics have dubbed this album to be a therapy session of sorts, a double-LP that peels the layers of Kendrick’s personal life like never before. Critiquing his status as a “rap savior” and Black mainstream culture, Kendrick delves deep into his private life, letting it all hang out in the hopes of inspiring Black people worldwide to acknowledge personal trauma. As well, making Black communities more aware of individual turmoil for the sake of our souls and mind.
The albums sport several shocking tracks depicting troubled relationships between lovers and parents, “Father Time”, “We Cry Together”, and “Mother I Sober” expose the complicated dynamics of long-term connections.
The first of which gets at the heart of Kendrick’s “daddy issues” and taking action to improve his emotional well-being for the sake of his two children, unlike his father, who remained aloof and apathetic throughout Kendrick’s upbringing.
“We Cry Together” is a fabulously performed argument between Kendrick and feature Taylour Paige. The pair create a theatrical fight between partners reminiscent of Ice Cube’s “It’s a Man’s World” ft. Yo Yo and Eminem’s “Kim” makes what is perhaps the best track on the album.
Another watershed moment comes towards the end of disc 2, “Mother I Sober,” which breaks down the unfortunate abuse in the Black families both sexual and emotional.
Inspired by his mother, Paula Duckworth, to come forward with these troubles, having gone through them herself in her youth, the song is incredibly personal, shedding light on Kendrick’s sex addiction and affairs with other women.
Instrumentally it gets progressively more intense as the track goes on, from the background vocals, piano chords, string ensemble, and soft drums making it a grandiose listening experience.
The overarching concept of “Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers” deals with Kendrick’s trauma and identity as a public figure.
He chooses to deny his impact of being messiah-like, not wanting to be made a martyr for Hip Hop and Black America like so many others in the past.
And opts to focus his energy on raising his children, becoming a reliable life partner, and being mentally fit for him and his inner circle’s sake.
These are the themes that pop up in “Crown,” “Purple Hearts,” “Count Me Out”, “United in Grief”, “Saviour” and “Mirrors.”
“N95” makes for the album’s lead single, using the title for a double-entendre.
He urges the world to live with authenticity, a call to remove the proverbial mask criticizing those who front to ground themselves instead of living disingenuously.
Track three, “Worldwide Steppers” discusses battling selfish urges which kill our morals and convictions.
In it, the song has a slightly crass description of the first times Kendrick slept with white women, his telling of these stories gives off “Soul on Ice” (Eldridge Cleaver,1968) vibes when Kendrick states that having sex with white girls gratifies him and his ancestor with retribution, a payback for the rape of his people during slavery.
A somewhat polarizing track about homosexuality and gender takes place on “Auntie Diaries,” in which Kendrick talks about his uncle Demetrius who came out as trans in the 1990s.
He also tackles identity and subconscious bias towards homosexuals, employing the term faggot, calling out the nonchalant ways people use the word to discredit gays.
For the most part, “Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers” is a deeply personal look inside Kendrick’s psyche backed with standout production by Sounwave, Pharrell Williams, The Alchemist, Boi-1da, DJ Dahi, and more.
The record utilizes the odd but surprisingly good narration of Kodak Black along with Kendrick’s wife Whitney Alford. The features are consistently good especially, Sampha and Beth Gibbons of Portishead.
However, the album does suffer from half-baked choruses like on “Purple Hearts”, some strange vocal inflections, and a lack of coherence in concept unlike previous albums like “To Pimp a Butterfly”, not to mention Ghostface Killah’s feature is rather forgettable.
Previous records had more bombastic beats and wittier lyricism, though this LP is still a cut above most rappers in both aspects.
“Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers” is worth the listen, but keep in mind, that this will not please all ears. In many respects, this album could be compared to Prince’s 1992 effort “Ƭ̵̬̊/Love Symbol”. Both are conceptual double-albums beloved by critics but divisive to hardcore fans.
Since the first listen, the album has grown on me and will perhaps be considered a classic, but it’s too early to tell for what I deem to be a very good but not great album.
8.5/10
” is a deeply personal look inside Kendrick’s psyche backed with standout production by Sounwave, Pharrell Williams, The Alchemist, Boi-1da, DJ Dahi, and more.
The record utilizes the odd but surprisingly good narration of Kodak Black along with Kendrick’s wife Whitney Alford. The features are consistently good especially, Sampha and Beth Gibbons of Portishead.
However, the album does suffer from half-baked choruses like on “Purple Hearts”, some strange vocal inflections, and a lack of coherence in concept unlike previous albums like “To Pimp a Butterfly”, not to mention Ghostface Killah’s feature is rather forgettable.
Previous records had more bombastic beats and wittier lyricism, though this LP is still a cut above most rappers in both aspects.
“Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers” is worth the listen, but keep in mind, that this will not please all ears. In many respects, this album could be compared to Prince’s 1992 effort “Ƭ̵̬̊/Love Symbol”. Both are conceptual double-albums beloved by critics but divisive to hardcore fans.
Since the first listen, the album has grown on me and will perhaps be considered a classic, but it’s too early to tell for what I deem to be a very good but not great album.
8.5/10
