Crossfade Reviews: Kendrick Lamar "Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers"

 by Karl W.

Kendrick Lamar "Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers"
[PGLang/TDE/Aftermath/Interscope]
Rap/Conscious Hip Hop

    1855 days. That is how long it has been since the release of Kendrick Lamar's previous album "DAMN.", an album that saw the Compton-based rapper gaining the biggest commercial success of his entire career, with multiple charting singles including the chart-topper "HUMBLE.". Though, to say that Kendrick has been an underground star until then would be a gross miscalculation. Kendrick went from a cult artist, to a critical darling, to an artist who would dominate the music world upon a single release, and for damn good reason too. "good kid, m.A.A.d. city" and "To Pimp A Butterfly" have been some of the best rap albums of the century so far, so to expect quality from Kendrick would not be unfounded. Though, after five years of no release, it begs people to wonder, not just what the new album would sound like, but if it would be any good to begin with. Sure, maybe that is an unfounded fear, but the music world has changed, as did the world as a whole, so would Kendrick be able to string together another poignant and incredible album like "good kid, m.A.A.d. city" or "To Pimp A Butterfly"?

    This is a complicated album to really dissect, hence why I'm so late in making a review of this album. "Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers" is quite possibly Kendrick Lamar's least accessible album in his catalogue, hooks and catchy choruses that have been prevalent in his previous albums are mostly unaccounted for on this album. Though, that seems to be intentional, as Kendrick delves into one of his most open, revealing, and complicated albums in his category, to the point where I'm not even sure if this'll end up as one of my favorites of the year. It's not an album that will be for everyone, honestly, though it seems to be an album that Kendrick felt like had to be made.

    This is a double album that is framed as a therapy session as the openings of both of the discs open with a sung opening by singer Sam Dew that details the theme of each disc. The first disc (the "Big Steppers" disc) is about Kendrick opening up. As he mentions in the first track, "United in Grief", he has been going through some things, as he details the time that has been between 2017 up to now. You get to hear a lot more of the insecurities and hardships in Kendrick's life being conveyed through this album, tackling things like his guilt towards certain relationships like on "Die Hard" or his hardships with his father on "Father Time" and how that toxic masculinity might have affected him. He reflects on his success and idol worship on "N95", a song that also challenges others to those off those coping mechanisms and projections onto other people, including himself. Kendrick has tackled his savior complex on songs before, like on "Mortal Man" on "To Pimp a Butterfly", but that topic is only further explored on this album. The topic of masculinity and how it affected him in his life is best portrayed on songs like "Worldwide Steppers" where he tells stories of having white women in his youth to feel like the bigger man to his peers, or on the impeccable "We Cry Together" with Taylour Paige, where he and Paige go into an argument put to music where they shout at each other and hurl insults at each other until at the end of the song, they have sex, practically evading the conversation as a whole for a moment of escape while not addressing the larger issue.

    The second disc on this album (the "Mr. Morale" disc) opens with the phrase "Session 10, breakthrough", which is the theme of this disc, as Kendrick learns to tackle with these internal struggles, trauma, and mental worries and reaches his epiphany of sorts. He challenges the idea of a savior complex on the song "Savior", saying that even if people like him are able to shine a light on certain issues such as racial violence or racial profiling, he isn't a savior. He isn't a flawless figure who everyone should look to to solve the problems of the world, he's just a man who is as flawed as anyone else. He brings up his own failures such as on "Worldwide Steppers" on the first disc or on "Auntie Diaries" on the second disc where he has shown disgust with homosexuals in the past, though as he grows up, he learned to accept his transgender aunt and cousin. The album ends with the two most open songs on this album. The first is "Mother I Sober" where he mentions his own mother's abuse, how that might've affected him, his initial view of women as we've seen on previous songs on this album. It is definitely the heaviest hitting song on this album, as he contextualizes the cycle of abuse both on the outside and domestically, a theme that is present on this whole album. The last song on this album, "Mirror", though not as detailed as "Mother I Sober", finalizes this arc of him being a savior as he decides to focus on his family and his daughter, saying "I choose me, I'm sorry."

    Now, as I've taken in this album more on the surface level, I feel like this album does truly feel like a therapy session, one where he does focus on himself, his savior complex, his history of abuse, but there are points where some cracks begin to show. The inclusion of Kodak Black, a rapper infamous for his own cycle of abuse, has been controversial to some, and while I think his verses on this album aren't terrible by any stretch, it does poke some holes in the narrative of abuse. This isn't to say that Kendrick supports what Kodak did, obviously, but it still feels counterintuitive to include someone like this on an album where Kendrick tries to right his wrongs while also shining a light on those who have also been guilty of abuse. Though, while that guilt is truly there, it feels like it doesn't go far enough to truly highlight those that have been caught in that cycle of abuse (with the exception of "Mother I Sober"). It just feels kinda gross how someone who has been guilty of some heinous crimes has gotten the attention on this album instead of those who could've used that light or attention that rarely if ever sees it. Kendrick does tackle the topic of cancel culture on this album, and what an excessive worship of others and over reliance on the media can do to a person's perspective on others, and how one bad step would lead to the end of one's career. It's definitely not a bad topic to handle, though it feels more like Kendrick complaining about how he and others in his lane are viewed instead of truly taking the steps to better himself. You can see him taking the steps, but he doesn't really cross the finish line.

    This is definitely going to go down as Kendrick's most contentious album to date, and the more I truly think about it, the more I both understand it and also feel hesitant about revisiting it. Even on a purely instrumental level, I would not call this my favorite Kendrick album by a large margin, as the hooks aren't nearly as pronounced on previous albums, the features, though mostly good like Taylour Paige on "We Cry Together" or Ghostface Killah on "Purple Hearts", are also not as plentiful or impactful like on previous albums. Not to say that this album is devoid of great hooks or production, like the bass driven "Worldwide Steppers", the bubbly and rhythmic instrumentation on "Mr. Morale", or the triumphant sounding "Purple Hearts", but instrumentally, this was not as strong as Kendrick's other albums, which is a bit disappointing. I went from not really liking this album at first, and while it has grown on me in some aspects, there are others where it feels like it kind of dwindles. But at the end of day...I suppose that is the point, as Kendrick says this is a therapy album for him. He said himself on "Mirror" that he chose himself and to focus on himself. It's an album that I think is meant for himself at the end of the day, and while I can fully appreciate himself for being open about it, it might not make for the most pleasant of music at times. I appreciate Kendrick for taking those big steps at least, and even if this is his final album on TDE (and maybe his last album for a while), it was a solid way to close this chapter in his career.

Best Songs: "United in Grief", "Worldwide Steppers", "Father Time" ft. Sampha, "We Cry Together" ft. Taylour Paige, "Auntie Diaries", "Mr. Morale" ft. Tanna Leone, "Mother I Sober" ft. Beth Gibbons

Worst Song: "Crown"

Light 8/10 (Great)