Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers

Kendrick Lamar’s 5th and possibly his last album, Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers is a journey into the introspective mind of a man battling himself and his “culture”. It opens with tracks like “United in Grief”, “N95”, and “World Wide Steppers”. “United in Grief” is jazz infused with a cadence and rhyme scheme that feels like a frantic sprint through the forest with the light just within reach. Quite possibly a run towards breaking away this false perception of culture that we have when interacting with our people. It’s a sprint to finally break the theoretical chains, or at least for people to put real thought to it. “N95” is a call to remove the masks that we hide behind to avoid doing the real work. He asks what are these material things worth to you, “tell me what you would do for aesthetic, would you sell your soul on credit? Would you sell your bro for leverage?” What would you really do for your Birkin? “World Wide Steppers” opens with a lyrical volley of personal growth, Kendrick explains how he had a writer’s block for two years and that this is the voice of God speaking. Surely his higher self. Kendrick dives back into his past and speaks about how his lust addiction first revealed itself in his relationship. He describes how he We grieve different so we must heal different.

As “Die Hard” drops the heavy weight of “World Wide Steppers” seems to dissipate, but the message stays within the same vein. A light production style is coupled with a strong message of setting your demons straight and seeing the god in yourself. “Father Time” is an examination of toxic masculinity and his daddy issues. Lyrics like “My niggas ain't got no daddy, grow up overcompensatin' Learn shit 'bout bein' a man and disguise it as bein' gangsta” show the level of vulnerability that Kendrick is at and has been coming with in this album. A beautiful shift that I believe is needed in hip hop/rap. He even goes as far as telling men to give women a break; I’m assuming a break from the misogyny, and a break from being the weight bearers and healers of our communities. Its time for men to step up. “Rich Spirit” is an anthem about boundaries. “Bitch I’m attractive, can’t fuck with you no more I’m fasting” it also a commentary on internet people, and how it feels fake. “Thoughts and prayers way better off timelines”. “We Cry Together” is a baby boy-esque examination of the relationship of black men and women, the aggression, and talking down to each other online but the fact of the matter is that we love each other and deserve to show that portion of us too. This song being a beautiful transition to "Purple Hearts”, a love anthem that I can’t wait to hear at parks during BBQs this summer. The production is that of a cruising jam, very chill but still following the theme of love. Summer Walker and Ghostface Killah features pull this track together so cleanly, as they tell you to “Shut the fuck up when you hear love talking”. Ghostface almost seems like he’s punching you in the face with love when he barrels in on the beat.

“Count Me Out” is about loving yourself despite the people around you or even the world counting you out. This song coupled with the self-love messages of the previous songs solidifies the foundation of healing. “Even my strong points couldn't survive If I didn't learn to love myself, forgive myself a hundred times, dawg.”

“Crown” is a jazzy emotional piece is about setting boundaries and skewed ideas of love. It’s a tale of being careful of what you take on because you can’t please everyone. “You say no and all you've done gives them amnesia One thing I've learned, love can change with the seasons” an anthem for folks plagued with people pleasing. “Heavy is the head that chose to wear the crown”.

“Silent Hill” is a banger that gives a small break from the self-reflection and allows you to immerse yourself in the heavy dirty 808. Still within the vein of healing cause as hard as this song feels, I still feel like that Lisa Simpson gif when it comes on. The Kodak Black feature is perfectly placed here, and the mood of the song feels like a black celebration in the midst of the heavy stress that we deal with daily.

Baby Keem goes ham on the “Savor interlude” and it is a testimonial that acts as a beautiful opener for “Savior”, the reminder that these people are not your idols; they are just flawed people that do not deserve to be looked up to. “Capitalist posing as compassionates be offending me” These celebrities are not too be looked up to or learned from, they are all broken people hiding behind masks. He even goes deeper by mentioning the collective consciousness and how all our minds are feeding off this negativity and creating more negativity.

“Auntie Diaries” is maybe the most open song on the album; A full testimonial of a straight man learning and understanding the love of all people. A raw examination on black men’s relationship with the LGBTQIA+ community. The verses open, “My auntie is a man, now, I think I’m old enough to understand now.” He explains how the men in his family treated his aunt, and how even the pastor in his church made them example disgustingly so. That was the day he “…chose humanity over religion” in defending his cousin. This kind of open-mindedness hasn’t been seen in today’s rap community. He even reveals that his Auntie was the reason he rapped. I think trying to bridge the gap between rap and the LGBTQIA+ community is a wonderful change in pace and surprising to say the least when you consider the rampant homophobia in the black community. With that being said, Kendrick does use an obligatory use of the "f" word while trying to prove his point. He compares it to a white girl saying nigga but i think this usage of the word does more harm than help, and wasn't necessary to bring attention to these things. “Mr. Morale” speaks on how a lot of our mothers and loved ones were abused in their households and how it was normalized or ignored. He even goes as far to bring up R. Kelly saying, “if he weren’t molested, I wonder if life’ll fail him.” These two songs begin a slide to level of openness that prepares us for the most vulnerable song on the album; “Mother I Sober.”

“Mother I Sober” comes in with a heartfelt piano and a bubbling baseline. Kendrick’s voice seems to almost mesh with the melody as one as he reveals that his mother was abused when he was a boy and how he held guilt because he wanted to help but did nothing. He goes on to explain how those feelings manifested in his insecurities and as those insecurities leaked out, resulting in him having these affairs. The level of vulnerability is so shocking in a genre where vulnerable is defaulted to weak, he is even completely candid about when his wife Whitney offers him therapy to handle these issues that are plaguing them. He goes on to dive even deeper by mentioning how slave trauma is still psychologically affecting us as Black people. “Psychotic torture between our lives we ain't recovered, still livin' as victims in the public eyes who pledge allegiance”. He ends the song by releasing the pain and trauma that has plagued his family. He is breaking a cycle.

“Mirror” is his message to the fans that he can’t keep being a part of this toxic industry. The chorus repeats, “I choose me, I’m sorry”. He has used his pain for his career and it’s not conducive to his family life. “Personal gain off my pain, it's nonsense. Darlin', my demons is off the leash for a mosh pit”. He Is choosing his family over us, and honestly with the body of work he has given I think it’s time to let Kdot go, as he says.

This album is a stunning breath of fresh air in a genre that’s felt stale for me for a while now. The level of vulnerability and openness that Kendrick shows in his lyricism is unmatched. He is usually known for his emotional albums, but this hit different. A black man calling to end the cycles of culture that we feed on daily. Using material things to mask our pain, chastising our LGBTQIA+ relatives, treating our women like crap, feeding into toxic masculinity traits, and so many more themes are tackled here. This album is a tome of introspection that should be used as a catalyst for us in our own journeys of breaking cycles. A beautiful farewell to his fans.