Anatomy of an Album. How “Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers” Took Shape During a Pandemic

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A Different Feeling

8 min readJun 27, 2022

It took us five entire years to hear a new full-length project from Compton-born megastar Kendrick Lamar. After the release of 2017’s DAMN. rumors flowed through the internet for years about when the greatest rapper alive would drop again. Now we are in 2022 and Mr. Morale and The Big Steppers has had some time to sit so why not take a trip down memory lane to see how we got to the project, why it took to so long to release, and how the relationship between Kendrick and TDE deteriorated. For the purpose of this article, I am going to separate the sections between eras following the release of DAMN. and explaining in best detail what went on at that time. Please remember that (unfortunately) I am not Kendrick Lamar and can only go off the best information, leaks, and rumors that went on between these times. I spent countless hours trying to get my information and more importantly the timeline correct however i am not perfect so some things could definitely be out of place. With that being said please enjoy.

The Post-DAMN. Era and Black Panther Soundtrack(2017–2018)

Baby Keem and Kendrick Lamar in the tour bus during the *DAMN. Tour*

On July 7th, 2017 the DAMN. tour kicked off celebrating the release of Kendrick’s fourth studio album. Spanning North America, Europe, and Oceania the tour ran for a total of 64 shows and grossed over 60 million dollars for the rapper. It was during this year-long tour that Kendrick Lamar and TDE in-house producer Sounwave were approached by Marvel Studios with the opportunity to create and curate an entire soundtrack for the upcoming film Black Panther. It was around this time that Kendrick brought on his cousin Hykeem (better known as Baby Keem) along the tour to assist with the production of the soundtrack. While he only had one writing/production credit on the album it would begin a long span of Keem working on TDE projects like Schoolboy Q’s Crash Talk and Jay Rock’s Redemption. This would be the beginning of their long-standing relationship that would eventually culminate in the creation of PG. Lang and departure from TDE.

Pg Lang and the rift with TDE (2019– Early 2020)

Dave Free has been a friend of Kendrick Lamar ever since their days in Compton, California. He was the first person to introduce Kendrick to Top Dawg and is the primary creative force behind many of Kendrick’s most iconic videos. Anyone who is remotely a big Kendrick fan knows about Free and how much of his influence can be felt ever since their first collaboration with Ignorance Is Bliss. Eventually becoming the president of Top Dawg Entertainment you could call Free the leader of the label that would dominate the 2010s. While not much was heard from Kendrick during this time there were certainly rumors about the growing rift between the label that Kendrick once called home and the now Pulitzer Prize-winning rapper. Baby Keem was coming off the release of his first official studio album Die For My Bitch and sources close to the label had all but confirmed that Free had taken a leave of absence from his responsibilities in the label to help develop Keem’s career. This leave of absence turned into a full-on departure when it was announced by Rolling Stone that Dave Free would be leaving Top Dawg Entertainment to pursue his own ventures. While many on the outside saw this as simply an up and coming filmmaker and creative director outgrowing the label he came up with rumors began to spread from people inside the TDE camp. In 2019 a group by the name of AntixBound began to post inside information on the growing feelings of animosity between Free and TDE. The group (which claims to have affiliation with Kendrick’s camp) reported that Free had left the label disgruntled not agreeing with the creative direction that TDE was heading towards. With what we know now it was slightly troubling to hear about Free’s departure through an independent Rolling Stone article and to this day there was never a statement from either party on the reason for the departure.

In early 2020 Pg. Lang was officially created and promoted by Free, Lamar, and Baby Keem. While initial posts were vague it seemed to corroborate many of the rumors that the three were looking to create their own company and move forward with their own artistic direction. The introductory video was posted online just before the global pandemic took hold and introduced us to some of the major players that would eventually be involved in the final version of Mr. Morale. We get our first look into the therapy session that Kendrick had with self-help guru Eckhart Tolle and also our first glimpse of the final product with a snippet that would eventually become We Cry Together.

The Album Cycle, leaks and a Global Pandemic (Mid 2020–2021)

Leaked image originally posted in late 2019 which would eventually be released in 2022 for the music video N95

Around this time rumors also began to swirl about Kendrick Lamar leaving TDE to pursue his own media company joining Dave Free. While this rumor was originally shot down by founder Top Dawg and Kendrick himself, why now know this to be true and that his next studio album would be the last with the label. While the exact reason was never revealed both camps have repeatedly said there is no bad blood and they had simply outgrown each other. It was also around this time that rumors of a new Kendrick project first took shape. Billboard insiders reported that Kendrick’s fifth studio album had been completed and featured heavy rock influences. This was the first clue we had that Kendrick had even been working on a new project.

This was followed by songs that leaked online around the same time. Gotta Love Me was the first collaboration we had heard with his cousin Baby Keem, a now very successful Drake co-signed rapper following his debut album. The song takes a low-key darker tone almost reminiscent of Rich Spirit, a song that would eventually make Mr. Morale. We also eventually got a leak entitled Handsome that was essentially the same song under a different beat and with additional verses. The 2nd song released Prayer is often discussed because by many it is considered one of the greatest songs Kendrick has ever made. It is also one of the first looks we got into the topics that Lamar was looking to tackle with his newest record. An ode for some of his idols and how the media is quick to criticize and often erase legends’ accomplishments and art for accusations against them. This topic would be expanded upon greatly on Mr Morale with commentary on cancel culture, sexual assault, and the inclusion of controversial artist Kodak Black. The third song that was released online was Shaolin Temple. While bits and pieces like the abrasive and aggressive intro by Kendrick would eventually be released on Baby Keems 2nd album The Melodic Blue on the song Vent there are also elements that would be reworked into the song N95, the lead single from Mr. Morale. These elements include the nursery rhyme style bridge (albiet slightly changed lyrics) and much of Kendricks verse. The fourth song leaked onto the internet Somebody seemed to lean into the rumors of a rock-influenced album featuring live instrumentation including traditional rock drum patterns and electric guitars. While the verses have yet to be officially released the hook on the song would eventually be repurposed and sung by Beth Gibbions (of Portishead fame) for the song Mother I Sober.

While there is no official word on when most of these demos were recorded clearly they took shape sometime before the release of Mr Morale and The Melodic Blue alike. It was also around late 2020 that reports from insiders like AntixBound were released that much of the album had either been reworked or completely scrapped. The developing COVID-19 situation forced the label and Kendrick to delay the project. It is no secret that in today’s industry most money is made by large worldwide tours and with a global pandemic just beginning to take hold around this time it was near impossible to release an album of that magnitude. In August of 2021, he made one of his first public notices released on a new website Oklama. In this message, he indicated his studio album would be released “soon enough” and would indeed be his final with TDE. This would also eventually culminate in Kendrick still playing festivals he was contractually obligated to perform at, instead opting to go through a retrospective of his previous works. During his 2021 performance in Day N Vegas he teased that new music would be coming soon.

The Last of the Leaks and Release (2021–2022)

Before the rumors of the album being completed and its eventual release, we got a few more leaks that began to really tell the story of the album. The first one was a rough phone recording of We Fight Together essentially in the same form that ended up on the album. Alongside that, we got the beginning piano of United in Grief originally titled Therapy Session #9. The final leak Out of Pocket was seemingly the final recording of N95 albeit with different production accompanying Lamar’s vocals.

One of the first indications we received that the album was done and really ready to be distributed was a new slew of festival dates. Particularly one from his return to Italy 8 years in the making. The Milan Summer Festival announced Kendrick as a headliner playing new songs from his long-awaited album.

In Mid-April he announced the title Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers and gave us a Mid-May release date. Since then the album has been released to critical and public acclaim. While not selling as much as Lamar’s previous efforts it seems to be widely appreciated for both its deeply personal storytelling and infectious rhythms. While the pandemic may have delayed its release it was clear that the album took many forms before the final product that we have now heard on streaming services. Regardless Ihope this article gave you some insight into the music-making process and how an album truly takes shape.

Thank you for reading.

Sources and more:

DAMN. Tour

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Damn_Tour

Kendrick Keem Old Pic

https://www.reddit.com/r/KendrickLamar/comments/u3twr7/a_photo_from_the_damn_recording_sessions_shared/

Kendrick Therapy Session Leak

https://www.reddit.com/r/KendrickLamar/comments/t0gcbp/therapy_session_9_snippet_this_has_to_be_on_the/

PG. Lang Introduction and research

https://www.reddit.com/r/KendrickLamar/comments/gd9l5i/what_is_pglang_a_look_into_who_kendrick_lamar_and/?sort=new

Antixbound Beef Rumors

https://www.okayplayer.com/culture/kendrick-lamar-leaving-tde.html