Kendrick Lamar returns with ‘Mr Morale & The Big Steppers’
Kendrick treats us to his fifth studio album: an autobiography of his life, highlighting the highs and lows of his own experiences with grief, trauma and society.
★★★★★
Photo: Renell Medrano
Serving up two nine-track LPs, Kendrick allows us to see into and reflect on the past five years that he has spent out of the spotlight. The opening track gets straight to the chase; United In Grief is a stand-out, powerful song, touching on a subject that can often be seen as taboo. Whilst also letting us know that over his break he’s been facing his own tribulations with lines such as “I’ve been going through something” and referring to those five years away with: “One-thousand, eight-hundred and fifty-five days”.
N95 is an upbeat, more comical track of Kendrick’s with one-liners such as “Take all that designer bullshit off and what do you have?” breaking up some of the more pressing issues Kendrick touches on in his other tunes. Worldwide Steppers is equally as captivating with its muffled sound like the spin of a vinyl playing. You can hear good kid, m.A.A.d city vibes with the ’90s beat all whilst touching on topics of society, racism and fatherhood.
Die Hard features Blxst and Amanda Reifer and makes for a great combination, with the melodic tones of the latter’s vocals against Kendrick’s gritty yet sensitive lines.
Possibly one of my favourites on the album is Father Time; a masterclass in exploring the importance of the father and son relationship, looking further into toxic masculinity and hiding emotions at the cost of your mental health. British singer-songwriter Sampha features on this track and adds a powerful element with his trademark soulful tones.
Rich, a piano-based interlude, breaks into Rich Spirit, where materialism and ego are mentioned throughout this track and the contrast between happiness and materialism is clear.
We Cry Together and Purple Hearts end the first part of the double album with a feature from Taylour Paige, heard in way of a confrontation, with Summer Walker and Ghostface Killah featuring on the final track. Both tracks show Kendrick’s more trademark style of pure, unfiltered hip-hop with looped beats and zippy one-liners.
Count Me Out is a strong opening to part two of Lamar’s album. Kendrick displays what he’s known and loved for by combining a beautiful mix of upbeat melodic rap tones alongside almost operatic vocals that follow smoothly into the next track.
Crown is drawn out from the visuals on the album cover where Kendrick can be seen wearing a crown — the same that he wore at his stand-out headline Glastonbury slot). A piano starts the track with deep lines that reflect on the importance of putting yourself first in certain situations.
The next track, Silent Hill, is a much-welcomed, looser feels track with heavy bass running throughout and assisted by American rapper Kodak Black, looking at what he faces now in his life. Another powerful violin-based interlude leads into Savior, which doesn’t hold anything back; with Kendrick being vocal about his views on a multitude of issues. This is why this album goes from strength to strength: it feels like you’re going through all the emotions that Kendrick has dealt with recently.
Auntie Diaries and Mr Morale begin to close the double LP, with the aforementioned track opening up Kendrick’s journey of queer and trans acceptance (“My auntie is a man now / I watch him and his girl hold their hands down”) whilst also calling out bigotry and queerphobia in the Black community. Mr Morale is another bass-heavy track touching on family members (“Watchin’ my cousin struggle with addiction / Then watchin’ her firstborn make a million”) and black trauma, a grittier song featuring hip-hop artist Tanna Leone.
The second to last track, Mother I Sober, is raw and stripped back with just a piano and soft vocals from Portishead’s Beth Gibbons. This touching song focuses on Kendrick’s own family upbringing and the rippling effects trauma has on one’s mental health: “Mother cried / Put they hands on her / It was family ties / I heard it all / I should’ve grabbed a gun / but I was only five”.
The places the esteemed rapper isn’t afraid to go shows his never-ending talent and secures him the title of one of the greatest rappers of all time. Being able to discuss first-hand his own experiences as a black adult allows fans to relate and gain some insight into his own trials and tribulations, which is especially powerful given his status.
The album ends on a high, encouraging everyone to find their own path to freedom whatever that may look like: “The mirror grievings / Then point it at me so the reflection can mirror freedom”.
The fifth instalment from Lamar is nothing short of magic, it feels as if you’re delving deep into his lived experiences like you’re the fly on the wall in his personal therapy session. Any artist who can allow the listener the privilege of baring their soul is a rare talent in my eyes — this album is a must-listen for anyone regardless of your taste, upbringing or values. It will not disappoint.
Mr Morale & The Big Steppers is out now via Interscope Records.
