They say “good things take time” and that has never felt more relevant than when talking about the long awaited release of Compton, CA rapper Kendrick Lamar’s 5th studio album, Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers. Narrated by his fiancee, Whitney Alford, we get a taste of his journey through therapy.
Mr. Morale and one of the big steppers https://t.co/HVjQUufo3i
— Mikewalay (@MaduekweMichael) May 24, 2022
He kicks it off with a switchy track United in Grief, where in the first minute, he reminds us that he’s been away for 1,855 days and… he’s been going through something. We should all be afraid.
Kendrick has always expressed himself through his music, never shying away from his deeply personal struggles in life. But for one of the biggest hip hop artists today, he somehow manages to remain a mystery in the day-to-day.
We’ve heard little from him in the – you guessed it – one thousand eight hundred and fifty five days since the release of his 4th album DAMN. where we saw some of his most complex writing that completely demolished the hip hop world. Its success has given him a new perspective and it’s clear he is ready to unburden himself.
But instead of trying to stay relevant in the world he was raised in, Lamar wants to introduce us to his new world. And it’s quite the shiny one; with its G-Wagons, infinity pools, and expensive jewelry, but with a side of Eckhart Tolle and deep inner work to put an end to generational cycles of abuse.
Mr. Morale is Kendrick who isn’t afraid to have tough conversations and get to the root of the issue no matter how uncouth it may appear. The Big Steppers are those who dance around the conversation, cancel culture, & always have something to say, but not about shit. https://t.co/MhQZDDKHZm
— 📚political.education in black✊🏾 (@RenyTure) May 18, 2022
Songs like N95 question cancel culture and why we seem to live life for show. Reminding us that we are more than our designer bags and fancy vacations – we need to take a good look at our lives: “take all that designer bull shit off and what do you have?” “ugh, you ugly as fuck”
Father Time calls out toxic masculinity and the stigma around therapy as he criticizes the way broken men with daddy issues are moving in this world – with their partners, their children, their jobs, and in the streets.
We Cry Together is an absolute work of art. We hear Taylour Paige, an actress from neighboring Inglewood, CA, bicker back and forth with Kendrick. Her voice, filled with hurt and anger, has you feeling trapped in the middle of an abusive relationship. In an Instagram post, Taylour sings her praises: “We are so lucky to have Kendrick. I hope you contemplate today. I hope you reflect everyday. I hope you learn and ask for help. I hope you study nuance. I hope you absorb the good and find the light. I hope you love yourself. I hope you tell the truth. I hope you heal.”
In Savior, he discusses the performative allyship he’s witnessed over the last couple of years with lines like “One protest for you” “365 for me” and we’re reminded that celebrities are only human.
We are used to Kendrick toggling with perspectives and sharing personal stories but one track in particular came as a surprise to me. I think it’s worth unpacking:
Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers met my expectations. I expected Kendrick to drop a great album that causes conversation on how art is supposed to delivered, he did that 🙌🏾.
— Dedee 🥀 (@thoughtfulbae) May 21, 2022
Auntie Diaries.
In this song, he acknowledges his trans family members and explains how he came to love and accept them despite the culture and religion he was raised in. He starts with “My Auntie is a man now, I think I’m old enough to understand now” and goes on to explain how this fact has caused tension in his family.
Hip hop is notoriously entrenched with queerphobia and transphobia. Songs by big-name artists released as recently as 2018 are filled with queerphobic slurs to which no one seemed to bat an eye. And while it’s obvious Kendrick still has a lot of work to do before we can consider him a trans and queer ally, he is barking a loud message to his mostly straight, cisgendered fanbase with lines like “the day I chose humanity over religion, The family got closer, it was all forgiven”. We see huge growth and understanding from Kendrick after being raised around religion-based queerphobia that is rampant all over the world.
Queer and trans representation in hip hop is growing and while this song is a bit contradictory (which is acknowledged) as he chants queerphobic slurs, remarking he “knows no better”, all representation is important and his story is sure to spark controversy and conversation in a community that may otherwise brush the topic under the rug.
This album really kept us on our toes by throwing in pauses, bouncing rhythms, wild timing, voice changes, soft harmonies, and chaotic beats that seem to show up when we least expect it. We even get some piano and jazzy moments mixed in throughout the 18 tracks, making it truly a pleasure to listen to even when you aren’t deep diving into the hard topics throughout.
Lyrically, it is thoughtful, clever, and threatening… and, at this point, we expect nothing less from Kendrick. He is on a mission for peace in his life and he is not afraid to set a new standard – making his fans meet him where he stands. He is not competing with DAMN. (or any other rapper) and I am curious to see how this album charts in the coming weeks.
By the end of this masterpiece, he is relieved to have let it all out. In the final minute of Mother I Sober, Whitney and his daughter express gratitude and thanks for breaking a generational curse. The track ends with “I bare my soul and now we’re free”.
Y’all this morning I realized:
— vengence. (@kylegonzales) May 14, 2022
Kendrick is Mr. Morale, discussing issues of morality: relationship struggles, gender norms, trauma in the youth, misogyny, depression and the stigma of not seeking help.
We are the Big Steppers cause we’re just tap dancing around the conversation.
Released on May 13, 2022, it has already broken streaming records with over 90 million on Spotify on its first day. Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers did not quite reach its predicted SPS (Learn something new: Sales Plus Streaming – synonymous with “album equivalent sales” which is “a measurement unit in the music industry to define the consumption of music that equals the purchase of one album copy”) in its first week and the most common argument seems to be that this album has much less radio appeal. Compared to DAMN.’s 603k, M.M&TBS hit just below 290k.
About the author: Brizsa Pedroso is an Edmonton based music fanatic, and sometimes writer. She enjoys coffee, female-fronted music, and passionate tangents about how we can best support the artists we love. She has a cat named Fluffers and a dog named Cow.
Love the magazine!!!!
Thanks so much Soraya! 🙂