Album Review: Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers - Kendrick Lamar
After 1,855 long days Kendrick Lamar has returned with the release of his fifth studio album Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers. The follow-up to the critically-acclaimed and Pulitzer prize-winning DAMN. was very highly anticipated despite its remarkably short and mysterious rollout, as this project had neither a lead single nor a tracklist teased before the project’s debut. Even with the absence of these hallmark aspects of a traditional rollout, fans and critics alike tuned into Kendrick’s newest project with their curiosities piqued, ready to learn where the world-renowned artist would take his sound next, but more importantly, how he had navigated the tumultuous, unforgiving, and traumatic half-decade that had passed since we last heard from the Compton native. Luckily, Kendrick was more than willing to share what he has gone through, and with that, he has given us Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers: the most ambitious, revealing, and challenging album yet from his unrivaled discography.
Before discussing the tracklist, sounds, and themes on this project, it’s important to discuss the context in which it’s being released, the album’s overall concept, and how the gorgeous cover art helps frame an appropriate listen to the project. Up until the release of DAMN., Kendrick Lamar’s discography largely featured discussions of prevalent issues, critiques of broken institutions, and stories of an unspeakably difficult upbringing for himself and those in his community of Compton, California. After his debut Section.80, good kid, m.A.A.d city was a cinematic experience that outlined growing up with gang affiliations and the negative influence of peer pressure, while To Pimp A Butterfly was a poetic conversation and contemplation about the state of race, inequity, and self-acceptance at the time of its release. DAMN. found Kendrick vulnerable, discussing emotions such as how fear has affected him at each stage of his life and how his feelings often overwhelm him. Although DAMN. was a great record that wore its heart on its sleeve, the lack of a sense of closure and catharsis on this project made the great span of five years feel even longer than it actually was. Kendrick still had work to do, but this time not for his community or the world around him; instead, he needed to first look within and address the traumas that were affecting himself, his family, and, consequently, everyone that consumes his art.
Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers uses a unique framing device, which is a tactic that Kendrick has mastered over the course of his rap career. Essentially, this project demonstrates a series of therapy sessions that highlight the progression of his mental health, introspection, and eventual breakthrough that leads to the breaking of an intergenerational curse that he hopes to bring light to for others who have likely experienced or suppressed themselves. The album’s cover art seems minimalistic and straightforward at first, but upon further analysis, layers of duality and conflict arise. Kendrick and his family are rather distressed here - together, but in a less-than-ideal setting. Kendrick holds his daughter in his arms while shielding her from the outside world while wearing a crown of thorns and tucking a pistol, which represents his need to protect his family while choosing to represent himself as a savior figure to the community around him. All of themes — family, saviorship, trauma, mental health, and self-acceptance — are discussed on this 18 track double-album.
The album’s first song, “United In Grief”, adds to a legacy of incredibly captivating and stage-setting intro tracks through Kendrick’s discography. The album’s narrator exclaims “I hope you find some peace of mind in this lifetime,” and Kendrick’s wife encourages him to tell the truth to the therapist he has decided to see to address what he has been going through. Initially, Kendrick poses questions and answers them from unconventional perspectives - something that was promised with the release of “The Heart Part 5” just a few days prior to the album’s release. We discover that Kendrick has decided to see a therapist because he’s troubled by everything around him, depicting the world that he’s in as a cul de sac that he can’t find meaning in. Then, backed by a tempo-changing beat switch, Kendrick discusses the pitfalls and indulgences of his luxurious lifestyle, capping all of this off with the introspective excuse of “I grieve different (everybody grieves different)” that addresses the reason for his recent outlook, but without coming up with solutions.
“N95” follows - a hard-hitting banger that discusses the metaphorical masks that we wear in life and the vacuous emptiness that lies beneath them. At the beginning of Kendrick’s therapy, it’s important that he outlines distinctly what he sees wrong with the world around him before addressing why any of it is problematic, which is exactly what he does on this track. “Worldwide Steppers” is essentially disc one’s title track, finding Kendrick using a very direct and blunt delivery. He opens up about a previous lack of creative motivation with the lines “Writer’s block for two years, nothin’ moved me / Asked God to speak through me / That’s what you’re hearing now / Yours truly.” Kendrick then reflects on the internalized prejudices he has toward white women stemming from previous sexual experiences, which he believes his ancestors would view as retaliatory. Kendrick acknowledges the damage that can be done when caught up in the lifestyle, but also suggests those who are “noble” and live “like they’re supposed to “are just as ruthless, only with less direct and punishable consequences.
On “Die Hard”, Kendrick opens up about the insecurities that he has, primarily in his relationship. He questions the commitment and trust of his partner, while recognizing how difficult it is to put up with his uncertainties. Sonically, this track goes more in a pop direction, and while an interesting and revealing song, isn’t one of my favorites on the album. The exploration of trauma continues with “Father Time (feat. Sampha)”, which finds Kendrick discussing the complicated relationship he had with his father while growing up. “I’ve got daddy issues, that’s on me” is an incredibly vulnerable line that also serves as the first example of unspoken, communal trauma that Kendrick is bringing to light on this project, which we will see again multiple times later on. Sampha’s fantastic chorus and the production on this track are impeccable, and the discussions of the normalization of toxic masculinity in the Black community are poignant and impactful.
“Rich - Interlude” utilizes the contributions of controversial figure Kodak Black - the perfect representation of a “big stepper” or contributor to “the culture.” It seems that Kodak has shown some maturation, though, recognizing how far he’s come on his own while still wary and aware of how far he has to go to escape his former lifestyle. “Rich Spirit” finds an irreverent Kendrick navigating criticisms that he has faced, remaining steadfast in a newfound confidence that is beginning to emerge due to his therapy sessions. “We Cry Together” is unlike anything I’ve heard before: an Alchemist-produced, nearly 6-minute-long argument that depicts “what the world sounds like.” The female voice found on this track is portrayed by Taylour Paige, who pours her heart out into her viscerally uncomfortable performance. Argument-style tracks have been attempted before, but none executed as memorably and impactfully as “We Cry Together” - this is a perfect track so uncomfortable, toxic, and unsettling that I will likely have to avoid it on future listens. Disc one closes with “Purple Hearts”, and while this is a melodic pop cut, it doesn’t add much more to the project’s narrative besides condemning the toxicity of the previous track, and the features here didn’t leave an impact on me. Luckily, though, there is an entire second disc to follow.
The back half of Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers starts with “Count On Me”, a breakthrough session with Eckhart Tolle that catapults Kendrick into confronting his traumas throughout the rest of the project. This track represents closure, acceptance, and a willingness to move on from prior negative experiences in his life. On “Crown”, Kendrick grapples with the idea that truly conquering his traumas and mental health journey will involve making decisions that can’t please everyone in his life, including the listener. Kendrick recognizes the savior role he has played in his career up until this point, with the lines “Heavy is the head that chose to wear the crown / To whom is given much is required now.” This piano-backed track builds and culminates in Kendrick choosing to pursue his mental health journey, accepting that he has to come first. “Silent Hill” is next, a mellow trap cut featuring Kodak Black that, while inoffensive, would’ve fit much better in the album’s first half of tracks. “Savior - Interlude” features Baby Keem, who echoes the opening refrain from Eckhart Tolle discussing the negative consequences of basing one’s identity on prior traumatic experiences. On “Savior”, Kendrick severs himself from the savior persona that many have associated him with. Toward the end of the track, he discusses how he was likely taken for granted, and states that while he was away, he was “protecting [his] soul in the valley of silence”.
Now that Kendrick has acknowledged that he needs help, that seeking this help will change the way others perceive him, and relieved himself from the self-imposed responsibility of solving other people’s problems (or so he thinks), he is ready to address and explain the traumas and experiences that shaped him. This, naturally, leads to three of the best songs that Kendrick Lamar has even written, starting with “Auntie Diaries”. The track opens with the lines “Heart plays in ways the mind can’t figure out”, and Tolle frames the song by stating “this is how we conceptualize human beings.” On this track, Kendrick outlines his relationships with two different transgender individuals close to him, using this narrative structure to address his internial biases, the hypocrisy of the church, and all-too-often societal condemnation and mistreatment of the LGBTQ+ community. After describing how he naturally accepted the transition of his Auntie and of his cousin, he reflects on the accidental mistreatment he partook in by deadnaming these individuals, using derogatory and hurtful slurs, and hiding their identities from those around him. In the moving track’s climactic moments, Kendrick likens the use of the f-slur to that of the n-word, attempting to convince an often homophobic and transphobic hip-hop community to recognize how their prejudices are hurtful by reflecting on their own inequities and mistreatment. Overall, this is an amazing track, and I personally excuse Kendrick’s use of certain language on the song as it serves a much greater, very necessary purpose. More pro-trans and pro-LGBTQ+ songs need to be normalized in rap, and I commend Kendrick for “Auntie Diaries”.
The second disc’s title track, “Mr. Morale”, is next. This Pharrell Williams-produced banger continues discussions of generational trauma over a bouncy instrumental with unique flow from Kendrick. The most important line to pull from this track is Kendrick stating “I’m sacrificing myself to start the healing” not just of himself, but of his community and society altogether. “Mother I Sober (feat. Beth Gibbons of Portishead)” is next, and is quite honestly one of the most moving songs I’ve ever heard. On this track, Kendrick reflects on his childhood, his mother’s experience with sexual assault, his shortcomings and disloyalty to his wife, and how the often under-discussed presence of sexual abuse of young members of the Black community is a generational curse that needs to be addressed before any advancements can be made. Kendrick’s initially quiet and raw vocal delivery builds in the track’s most impactful moments, with lines like “So I set free the power of Whitney, may she heal us all / So I set free our children, may good karma keep them with God / So I set free the hearts filled with hatred, keep our bodies sacred / As I set free all you abusers, this is transformation.” The track closes with a recording of Kendrick’s daughter thanking him for owning his shortcomings and allowing their household the freedom to begin healing, which is what Kendrick wants his entire community to do. The closing track “Mirror” reiterates that Kendrick is choosing to focus on healing himself and his family instead of addressing systemic issues as he did on previous projects, apologizing but definitively stating that this is the decision that his therapy has led him to. This closing track is cathartic and triumphant, demonstrating how far Kendrick has come from where he started the album. The Mr. Morale persona is now in full effect, and the healing can start.
But not just for him. Although throughout this project Kendrick Lamar seems to create a dichotomy between healing his own instead of healing the world, I think that he can do both incredibly effectively, and that this type of masterfully introspective, contemplative project is an example of how. By discussing issues like toxic masculinity, sexual abuse, toxic relationships, and internalized prejudices in his community, Kendrick is leading by example on how to reflect, put in the work, and heal instead of preaching or acting as a savior for others. Now a role model, Kendrick has proven that he can continue to grow, advance, and succeed as an artist, but more importantly as a man who escaped insurmountable adversity in his upbringing. Because of that, and because of all of the good that will do for anyone who truly listens, this project was absolutely worth the wait.
Favorite tracks: “United In Grief”, “N95”, “Worldwide Steppers”, “Father Time (feat. Sampha)”, “Rich Spirit”, “We Cry Together”, “Count Me Out”, “Crown”, “Savior - Interlude”, “Savior”, “Auntie Diaries”, “Mr. Morale”, “Mother I Sober (feat. Beth Gibbons of Portishead)”, “Mirror”
SCORE: 9/10
