Kendrick Lamar - Mr Morale & the Big Steppers
Genre: Hip Hop
Score: 9/10
This is the fifth studio album from one of the greatest rappers of all time, Compton's Very Own Kendrick Lamar.What to Expect: :
Another Classic. He is in my personal Top 10 rappers of all time. He should be your Top 10 Rappers of all Time. Listen to every track he’s ever made if you haven’t already. He has something for absolutely everybody, especially non hip hop heads. He’s a true poet, and deserves a Nobel Prize in Writing for his pen. He’s one for the museums and vinyl shelves. His catalog should be preserved in the Library of Congress if it hasn’t already. He embodies the spirit of hip hop in every single musical, visual, and promotional way. For this album’s rollout, he continued his famous The Heart series with Part 5 and withheld every other person’s album credits upon release. It’s a very lowkey rollout, much like he is. It adds to the hype that this record has built for the past year now.
Overall:
Upon release, I love it. In real time, I have never seen a city rally like LA did for Kendrick and this record since Jay Z “retired” at MSG. Is it my personal favorite Kendrick Lamar album of all time? It is still too early to say. Among his own catalog, I don’t really see this album as objectively better or worse than any of the other ones. This one feels more of a logical artistic conclusion to Kendrick’s musical journey so far, and an update on the entire past five years since his last album DAMN. On that album he was depressed and kind of anxious, in a way we did not really see within Kendrick before on a full album. On this album, he has grown up and taken on more adult responsibilities. He has two kids now. He’s a crystal daddy whom I hope regularly wears lotion. But let’s call a spade a spade: He has Hotep tendencies and takes. But he’s always been around Hoteps. He is a product of the environment that he is from, which has an iconic track record of producing the greatest of all time for many aspects of sports and art, despite the racist and classist environment that comes with the income inequality we have in America. And he tells you that you should not idolize him because he messes up as much as the average person does. He describes his experiences and emotions with very quality performances and well executed songwriting choices, particularly the production and instrumentation. This album would be a very fun and dynamic instrumental listen. At worst, I just disagree with what he says. But his performances are still incredible, and Kendrick embodies dad rap perfectly, awkward takes and all.
Play by Play:
The Big Steppers:
United in Grief - This beginning is very dramatic. I’m loving how progressive the instrumental is. It’s very jazzy and dramatic. The beat switch is a great execution. The piano sounds so sad and dramatic. The strings sound so well mixed. The beat is so anxious and Kendrick is reflecting on how he processes grief within his own life.
N95 - If anyone can get away with a pandemic track, it’s Kendrick. It’s a banger, and he’s eating this beat like a horse eating hay. That hook is so goddamn catchy. Each part of the song is phrased so well and well written. And he’s right: for the sake of your mental health, do not listen or care about what critics say, including myself. Like this album as much as I do or hate it as much as I love it. In fact, I encourage you to be open to not enjoying this record as much as many are because I would be fascinated to understand what that says about what you personally value about the music that you personally enjoy. I just don’t personally agree with his solutions to a lot of the problems he is eloquently pointing out.
Worldwide Steppers - I love this beat so much. Kendrick’s trademark flow is in rare form over a very anxious instrumental. I appreciate his vulnerability and acknowledgement of his very revealing self reports, I personally find them quite cringe as a black man and his subsequent journey to healing and therapy. I understand his situation as a product of his environment very much becoming the icon he did not ever expect people to be.
Die Hard - This simple beat is so groovy. Blxst sounds like Phonte so much on this song, but in the best way possible. The way the instruments and features lock into the beat sound so great. It’s Kendrick’s love song, but as the father that he became. It’s Dad Rap perfected. The string outro is also pretty.
Father Time - I also love this beat. The transition is very Hamilton-like, but better. It reminds me of TPAB. Kendrick is in rare form. He can play this at stadiums and his kid’s career day concert with everyone’s cell phones out. It embodies Tupac perfectly, with Sampha delivering an iconic hook.
Rich (Interlude) - Kodak’s performance sounds like a Def Jam spoken word vocal performance. The chaotic piano’s progression sounds absolutely stunning though. The producers really used creative ideas on this record so far.
Rich Spirit - This is a very West Coast beat. I love how catchy Kendrick’s hook is on this song. I also love how electronic the beat sounds. It is very textured.
Ain’t No Way (6LACK, Rico Nasty, JID, Powers Pleasant, Jasiah, Kitty Ca$h) - 6LACK’s hook is great, especially with the beat switch to it. This beat is fantastic once it comes on. Rico is flexing on this beat. JID was floating on the beat like Hermes. It’s a Denzel floats in and bridges the song together with a confident verse. “Run the Jewels, cause I’ll kill a Mic on any LP” is an awesome bar delivered so effortlessly.
Purple Hearts - I love how bright the beat sounds. I love how optimistic he sounds on this track. Summer Walker’s contributions are perfect as well. Ghostface Killah might have also preached the most hotep verse in the entire history of hip hop. It reminded me of DMX’s prayers, God Rest His Soul. It actually choked me up.
Mr Morale:
Count Me Out - I love the guitar and the bass keeping all of the vocals together like Krazy Glue. Kendrick’s verse is so self deprecating and the chorals sound so incredible. Credit again to the producers, everything sounds so perfectly produced and spaced out. The short bridge is so impactful. Kendrick’s second verse is great. I don’t totally agree with only completely shutting yourself off of your phone as the solution, oddly enough. If you require that level of communication to survive and eat, I cannot blame you for being online. However, you do have the power to curate and filter your information as well as the ability to place limiters on your devices to reduce usage. Mute people who suck. Follow hashtags you actually want to see on your devices. Watch incredibly funny content but also remain present. And then go touch grass. But that’s literally just me, and we’re all on a spectrum with this kind of stuff.
Crown - See? He literally made this song anticipating us giving his thoughts on the response to this album and how it will not please everyone. Case in point. Instrumental is absolutely beautiful and Kendrick sounds so down on himself on this song.
Silent Hill - This beat is a banger. Kendrick’s hook is infectious. His verse is very hedonistic and wavy. Kodak’s contributions and progressively offbeat flow is a perfect addition to round out the song.
Savior (Interlude) - Keem kills it. Great suspenseful strings and piano. It is a very intense interlude.
Savior - His lines are very on the nose from the very first second of playback. That one vaccine skeptical bar is raising an eyebrow, but Kendrick is not my savior.
Auntie’s Dreams - Oh lord, this song is gonna piss a lot of people off. But it is personal, so I can not even blame him for making so many people mad about this, especially since he was using the f slur, despite him literally acknowledging it within the song. It’s a content trap, strong headed folks. Do not fall into it like dummies.
Mr Morale - This is one of the best beats that Pharrell has made in years. Tanna Leone’s hook is fantastic and the instrumental reminds me of a very intense Daft Punk beat. Kendrick sounds very anxious. This song sounds like a Donda track.
Mother I Sober - Kendrick’s harrowing verses were delivered in a way that only makes me feel for the guy. Beth’s hook is absolutely haunting. It does not even feel like it’s seven minutes long. Does this qualify as a Christian Rap album?
Mirror - The outro instrumental is so fitting, like the dancing part at the end of a Tyler Perry movie. Kendrick sounds like he’s preaching to a group of reformed folks that felt chips on their shoulders and want some form of closure. The performance is very inspiring though, so I still find it to be an enjoyable listen.
Score: 9/10
Favorite Track in Bold
Just my opinion