Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers by Kendrick Lamar | Album Review
Heavy is the head that wears the crown
It’s been a long time coming, a little over 5 years to be exact since we last heard from Compton’s own Kendrick Lamar. His last output of solo music was 2017’s DAMN, a more radio-friendly album that still showcased his niche of exploring a high-concept narrative. Besides his contribution to the Black Panther soundtrack in 2018, and the slew of guest verses he dropped for artists like Lil Wayne, and Baby Keem, Lamar has remained relatively quiet in the last few years.
Since his inception, Kendrick’s music has always tapped into something deeper. Each album tells a layered story that unfolds with every listen, while sonically the music itself attempts to represent that story with Kendrick’s constant experimentation with his sound. His albums feel more like experiences rather than a collection of songs, with each project inviting us into his worldview piece by piece.
On what will be remembered as his most confessional album, Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers deconstructs the very notion of what we think we know of Kendrick Lamar. Split into 2 parts, he details his own experiences dealing with infidelity, generational trauma, and much more. A lot of what Kendrick unpacks is cathartic as it is uncomfortable, but unmasking himself and revealing his troubles to the world allows him to achieve a much-needed sense of self-growth.
Production-wise, I’ve learned to go in blindly when it comes to a Kendrick album, as he always subverts expectations sonically. The instrumentals here are much more varied on Mr. Morale compared to anything from 2017’s very straightforward DAMN. Reuniting with his mainstays like Sounwave, DJ Dahi, and Bekon among others, The album is a collage of sounds ranging from the danceable, Kanye-Esque “Die Hard” to the throbbing bass of the spoken word “Worldwide Steppers”.
There are little to almost no bangers on the album, save for “N95” and “Mr. Morale”. Taking cues from R&B and a mix of alternative music makes for one of Kendrick’s most subtle-sounding albums. His flows and delivery throughout the album are clearly inspired by his younger cousin Baby Keem. It’s evident that his time mentoring Keem has rubbed off on him as Kendrick's cadences and inflections on songs like “Savior” sound very similar to the young artist. Kendrick even takes some inspiration from fellow PgLang signee Tanna Leone, whose mix of psychedelia can be heard on tracks like “Mirror”.
The features of Mr. Morale are also a welcome surprise. guests like Summer Walker and Sampha shine on their respective tracks, the legendary Ghostface Killah also makes an appearance with his spiritually driven verse on “Purple Hearts”. Kodak Black makes himself known throughout the album, dropping a few lines here and there acting as a segway between tracks.
There’s an old saying that kept repeating in my head while listening to Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers, and with every listen this statement started to ring true:
“Heavy is the head that wears the crown.”
As evident by the album cover, where Kendrick is fitted with a diamond crown of thorns, the king/savior we have uplifted him to be throughout the last decade is just as flawed and imperfect as we are. Throughout the album, Kendrick reveals some ugly truths that slowly bring him one step closer to peace. Starting with the first half: The Steppers.
The album opens with “United in Grief”, with the lines “I hope you find some peace in mind”, followed by Kendrick’s wife Whitney Alford begging him to tell the truth, to tell us, the truth. In the 1,855 days since DAMN, Kendrick has taken the time to heal himself from a myriad of traumas he’s endured, leaving no stone unturned. Kendrick’s ego gets the best of him on the next track “N95”, where he encourages other rappers to take off the mask of luxury and fake-wokeness to reveal just how ugly they really are.
Kendrick dives deep into his family life, starting with the relationship he had with his father on “Father Time”. Kendrick deconstructs the toxic masculinity ingrained in him through his father’s tough love, such as bottling up one’s emotions :(“Daddy issues, hid my emotions, never expressed myself. Men should never show feelings, being sensitive never helped.”). As sung by Sampha on the song’s chorus, Kendrick coped with these feelings through alcoholism, and as the song continues, we learn how this same mentality made Kendrick more competitive among his peers, developing a prideful and jealous sense of thinking.
Love and infidelity permeate the album. Starting with “Worldwide Steppers” Kendrick reveals his lust addiction. It’s an unsettling discovery when he goes into detail about sleeping with white women, from the age of 16 to when he went on tour for Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City. Despite his wife Whitney confronting him about his cheating, he uses the excuse that this is his way of fighting against slavery (“I might be racist. Ancestors watchin’ me fuck was like retaliation.”). Although he attempts to make things right, and for her to see the god in him among his demons on “Die Hard”, things explode on “We Cry Together”.
Clearly inspired by Eminem’s “Kim”, Kendrick and actress Taylour Paige go for each other's throats in a toxic back and forth argument with more profanity than a Safdie Brother’s film. The track addresses the vicious cycle of a couple that argues without getting to a proper resolution. Evident that his behaviour handling confrontation, in particular, stems from his deep-rooted issues growing up.
As Kendrick unveils these harsh and at times, uncomfortable aspects of his life, he starts to get one step closer to forgiveness and healing as we get into the 2nd half of the album: Mr. Morale. “Count Me Out” and “Crown” see Kendrick do away with those who don’t want him to overcome his troubles, and acknowledge the fact that he can’t please everybody, especially the fans who expect him to be their guiding saviour.
This translates nicely into the track “Savior” Where Lamar drives home the notion that celebrities like himself are not the messiah’s we as fans shape them up to be. While they may inspire us, the reality is that not many are in the position to lead, or at the very least should not be forced to be a voice. Case in point, bringing up the Geoge Floyd Protests in 2020. Kendrick stayed silent during this time, which resulted in him getting called out by artists like Noname. However, Kendrick openly proclaims that issues like racial injustice are things he fights every day (“One protest for you, 365 for me.”). Honing in the fact that just because his music may speak on the black experience, doesn’t necessarily mean he as an individual can or should lead the fight against these bigger issues. His openness to admit that makes the track truly stand out.
This openness plays a vital role in how he tackles the ever-evolving concept of gender, the main talking point for “Auntie Diaries”. Kendrick reveals to listeners that two of his closest family members have transitioned, and how they played an important part in his life. Kendrick spends the bulk of the song holding himself accountable for the initial homo/transphobia that was commonplace growing up, specifically calling out the pastors that spread this disillusion in their prayers and the culture he grew up into.
As the album comes to a close, Kendrick begins to unravel the generational trauma he’s witnessed, touching on it briefly in “Mr. Morale” before dissecting it fully with the penultimate track “Mother I Sober”. He reveals how the sexual abuse his mother endured growing up began to traumatize him. Developing insecurities about himself, Kendrick began projecting them through his addiction to lust. He ultimately reveals that his wife left him for a period of time after trying her best. As the song closes, Kendrick starts to unpack this generational curse of abuse affecting black families, a conversation not being addressed enough. He sees how it affects rappers like himself who try to cover it up (“I see ’em daily buryin’ they pain in chains and tattoos. So listen close before you start to pass judgment.”). He encourages those like him to free themselves from this trauma, from this collective pain.
Ending off on a high note, “Mirror” sees Kendrick in a new light. He’s finally grown past his trials and tribulations. As sung in the chorus (“I choose me, I’m sorry.”) He’s accepting to face his problems head-on. Doing so made him become a better man, husband, and father.
In the 5 years, he went missing, Kendrick took the time for his own self-growth. Despite starting some uncomfortable conversations, it was needed if he ever wanted to escape his past. As his last album with TDE, Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers couldn’t have been a better send-off for Kendrick Lamar. Revealing a lot more to himself and starting his journey to forgiveness and healing as he set his sights on his next undertaking.
While there are some unsavory duds on the album, namely “Rich Spirit” and “Silent Hill” which sound like throwaway tracks off of Baby Keem’s last album. Overall, I was greatly impressed with the album’s emotional brevity and abstract production.
I’m giving Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers a solid 8/10. This new album is quite dense and like most Kendrick albums, takes a lot of time to fully process. Nearly over a decade into his career, his storytelling abilities and knack for delivering a highly developed concept are still as great as they were when he first started. Although Kendrick has generated some controversy with this album, I still do believe it’s one of his strongest outputs in terms of lyricism and the overall openness and honesty of him to tackle these taboo issues. Where Kendrick Lamar will go next as he ventures off with PgLang is uncertain, but after listening to him confront his past traumas and accept himself as a human being, I can only wish nothing but the best for him.
Essential Tracks: United In Grief, N95, Worldwide Steppers, Die Hard, Father Time, We Cry Together, Count Me Out, Crown, Savior, Auntie Diaries, Mr. Morale, Mother I Sober, Mirror.
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