Kendrick Lamar - Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers Review
Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers is an incredibly heartfelt, intimate, and vulnerable album from the once-in-a-lifetime talent that is Kendrick Lamar.
Kendrick Lamar. The very name commands a level of respect very few artists achieve in their lifetime. The praise he has received over his career stems from his discography, one of the strongest in all of music. But, as Kendrick alludes to in this album, going in and trying to compare it to his previous works is nothing but detrimental to the listener’s experience. Every Kendrick album is different than the last, both conceptually and sonically. However, this isn’t a review on any of his previous albums. This is about Kendrick’s latest album, a double album, Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers.
Thematically, Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers depicts Kendrick turning his sights inwards and his journey navigating trauma, which is done through a myriad of deeply personal and introspective songs. This is accomplished with the structure of a double-sided album, with side A being the Steppers side, and side B being the Morale side. While there is no definitive explanation, there is something to be said about the parallels between the two sides.
There are many arguments to be made towards the album being a chiasmus: art that inversely mirrors itself, where “folding” it in half would cause the respective parts to line up. In this case, the first track of side A would mirror the last track of side B, and so on. When looked at through this lens, the songs that line up share similar elements, like how “N95” deals with masking insecurities, while “Mother I Sober” confronts them head-on. The most obvious correlations are that “Worldwide Steppers” lines up with “Mr. Morale” as well as the two interludes lining up. Considering Kendrick’s intricate concepts from past projects, this theory isn’t far from the realm of possibility. But it’s still just a theory. Now let’s look at the concrete music Kendrick has provided.
“I’ve been goin’ through somethin’” are the first words we hear from Kendrick on the album’s first track, “United In Grief”. This is quite the understatement for the hour and 13 minutes to come. Right away, Kendrick details some of the things he has been going through for the past 1,855 days, the number of days since the release of DAMN. Kendrick raps about heavy topics that are expanded upon throughout the rest of the album such as infidelity, seeking therapy, using sex to cope with trauma, and how materialistic things that came with fame haven’t alleviated his pain. He does this with intricate lyrics, passionate vocals, and focused delivery. Sonically, “United In Grief” is a powerful progression, making use of theatrical piano and strings, as well as a hypnotic drum roll that comes in after a heavy beat switch.
Most songs on this album take a relatively experimental and minimal approach when it comes to accompanying Kendrick’s vocals, which emphasizes the content Kendrick is talking about and heightens each song’s intimacy. This minimalism along with the heaviness of the topics Kendrick discusses means that Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers doesn’t have many songs tailored towards radio and mainstream play. There are a few exceptions, and they mostly occur on the Steppers side of the album, the most notable being “N95”. This song has a more modern hip-hop beat, with an uplifting arrangement of synths and piano. Kendrick’s cousin Baby Keem’s influence is apparent, with the chorus being very akin to Keem’s high-pitched vocal style, as well as Keem even being featured on the adlibs in the third verse.
However, most of the songs were not made to be played in social settings. If someone was at a party and played “We Cry Together” from the Steppers side, it would make for one uncomfortable get-together. On this track, Taylour Paige delivers an outstanding performance as she and Kendrick portray a toxic relationship and rip into each other during an argument. The emotion both sides display, especially Taylour, can make the listener forget they’re even listening to a song. After over five minutes of hurling insults at each other, they finally reconcile with sex. At the very end, a tap-dancing sound can be heard, one that is repeated throughout the album, and Kendrick’s wife Whitney says, “stop tap-dancing around the conversation”. While sex may have temporarily put their argument on hold, there was no direct conversation to address the root of the problem, a reoccurring theme on the album.
The song that shines the most on the Steppers side is “Father Time”. The track begins with Whitney telling Kendrick to seek therapy and Kendrick refusing, followed by the same tap-dancing sound, fitting into this theme of avoidance. His refusal is most likely due to his father’s teachings, which he then laments about. Kendrick describes how growing up, he was taught to suppress his feelings, a mentality that still plagues him as well as others as “grown men with daddy issues”. Kendrick even recalls when his father’s own mother passed away, how his father immediately returned to work, saying “son, that's life, the bills got no silver spoon”. Kendrick delivers his bars in his usual aggressive manner, aided by a beautiful chorus from Sampha as well as a particularly powerful keyboard loop.
On the Morale side of the album, the clear standout is “Mother I Sober”. This track is arguably the darkest Kendrick has ever made and is the emotional climax to Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers, with some of the biggest takeaways of the album occurring on this song. Kendrick touches on cycles of abuse and puts his personal experience on full display, specifically within his family. He then dives head-first into addressing these traumas as a sober person, saying “you never felt guilt ‘til you felt it sober”. He reveals his own vice, lust, detailing his infidelity while with Whitney. Kendrick ends the track by addressing the unspoken abuse widespread throughout the hip-hop and black community and having to be the one to break this “generational curse” within his own family.
Overall, “Mother I Sober” is an extremely touching, yet heart-wrenching song, arguably even heavier than “u” from To Pimp A Butterfly. The inclusion of Beth Gibbons of Portishead adds a very somber element and serves as a great transition from verse to verse, and the accompanying piano is just as heartbreaking as Kendrick’s storytelling. Kendrick’s delivery is also one of the timidest and weariest he has ever given on a track.
Despite Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers’ critical acclaim, Kendrick has faced a backlash of criticism over this album. This is particularly over the inclusion of Kodak Black throughout the album, a problematic artist who has faced abuse allegations, as well as Kendrick’s use of the f-slur and deadnaming on “Auntie Diaries”, a trans acceptance song. Both situations have caused a divide among listeners, with some arguing that these were necessary for getting Kendrick’s point of the album across, while it has left a sour taste in many others’ mouths. Whether these truly were important to have on the album or just poor execution that takes away from an otherwise great idea, is up for the listener’s interpretation.
Regardless of what side of the conversation you are on, these talking points do support one of Kendrick’s main takeaway from this album: he is only human and can’t please everybody. A lot of the album is Kendrick dealing with being on this almost god-like pedestal fans have put him on and trying to shed this savior complex that has been apparent in his previous releases. All of this culminates in the pivotal moment that is “Savior”. Kendrick reminds listeners that people like himself, J. Cole, Future, Lebron James, and Ye are only human and challenges the notion that entertainment can be used as a moral compass. Kendrick relinquishes this responsibility that people, and even himself in the past, have placed on him as the voice of a generation on the final track “Mirror”, saying that “you won’t grow waiting on me”.
Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers is an incredibly heartfelt, intimate, and vulnerable album from the once-in-a-lifetime talent that is Kendrick Lamar. The album is incredibly well-crafted and detail-oriented, with each listen bringing something new to the listener’s attention. To tell his story, Kendrick utilizes his consistently fantastic lyricism and some of his most daring sonic palettes yet. It is a journey to come to terms with one’s past, aided by a professional, and to better oneself from that knowledge. This is an album that answers the question, “who is Kendrick Lamar?”