Review: Kendrick Lamar gives hope to the broken-hearted on Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers
On Friday, May 13, 2022, Kendrick Lamar returned from a five year hiatus to release his fifth studio album titled Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers. The rapper from Compton, California has long been heralded as one of the most skilled emcees of today’s generation. With a career that spans nearly fifteen years, Kendrick has collected fourteen Grammy Awards (only Jay-z, Kanye West, and Eminem have more), six Billboard Music Awards, two American Music Awards, nineteen American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) Awards, twenty-six BET and BET Hip Hop Awards (“cuz urban support is important”), and the coveted Pulitzer Prize for Music (a first for hip hop). The music presented on the two-volume recording Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers, offers a sonic demonstration of what is at the root of his success: vulnerability. It’s his willingness to hold his feet to the fire for not being bigger than his transgressions while also using his lyrics as a tool to set himself free. Heavy is the crown.
The recording also features a number of guests who, for better or worse, helped shape the music. Lamar’s longtime girlfriend and mother of his children Ms. Whitney Alford narrated several of the songs presenting herself as a woman who is standing by a broken man and demanding that he heal if not for his own sake, then for the sake of the lives he will influence and the ones that he’s entrusted her to nurture. Audio clips from author and noted spiritual teacher Eckhart Tolle are also included on Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers. Offering perspectives on being responsible for our thoughts and how associating with pain impacts our lives, Tolle’s inclusion is fitting if not a bit odd. Next, there are tap dancers who represent the Big Steppers. Tap dancers appearing mostly on volume one represent both what Lamar may not have come to terms with while also representing those occasions he may have tap-danced metaphorically in his career for acceptance and approval. Every time the dancing occurs, it’s almost as if Kendrick uses it as a way to call himself out. Theirs is a great addition. Finally there’s Kodak Black. Known by some of us more for his transgressions and past troubles with the law than he is for his music, KB’s inclusion was a bold choice to make for an artist as highly regarded as Kendrick Lamar. Whether listeners turn to protestors over the inclusion, Kendrick is clear that he cares more about creating art than he does about coddling those who bear witness.
“The primary cause of unhappiness is never the situation but your thoughts about it.” – Eckhart Tolle
On volume one, Kendrick explores themes of personal struggle with a touch of self-loathing, toxic relationships (both familial and romantic), and healing. “United in Grief” begins with a lament for peace of mind with Lamar eventually confiding in listeners that for the past one thousand eight hundred and fifty-five days, he’s been going through something. The fact that he’s able to share the number of days probably means that he knows the hours, minutes, and seconds as well, because he’s been going through something. What does that mean from an artist’s perspective? In the case of Kendrick Lamar, it means that those feelings and his thoughts about those feelings are on full display in the song. “Starting to feel like it's only one answer to everything/I don't know where it is (woah)/Popping a bottle of Claritin (woah)/Is it my head or my arrogance? (woah)”
“Worldwide Steppers” presents Kendrick Lamar at his best. Though he spends the better part of volume one trying to understand why he’s struggling, here is where Kendrick can tell you exactly what’s going on and why. His command of language and the way he understands how to convey a thought and a feeling are top notch. The production is minimal. It doesn’t need to be anything other than what it is, because Kendrick’s on fire. “Writer’s block for two years/nothin’ moved me/asked God to speak through me/that’s what you hear now/the voice of yours truly.”
“Father Time” tackles the dynamic between a broken father (presumably Kendrick’s own) and the son he raised who ended up feeling ill-equipped and alone. “Daddy issues, fuck everybody/ go get your money, son/Protect yourself, trust nobody/ only your mama 'nem/This made relationships seem cloudy/ never attached to none/So if you took some likings around me/I might reject the love.” British singer Sampha provides an assist by delivering the catchy hook while the bass, drum, and keys accompaniment keeps things simple so that the lyrics receive the proper attention.
“Living up to an image that you have of yourself or that other people have of you is inauthentic living.”- Eckhart Tolle
Volume two seems to be about accepting the things he cannot change and setting himself free from it all. The chorus of two songs in this volume echo “I can’t please everybody,” and “I choose me, I’m sorry” respectively. He knows that he needs to climb from under what’s weighed him down. He wrote several songs about it.
While much has been made of the song “Auntie’s Diaries” and the powerfully chaotic account Kendrick gives of his relationship with transgender relatives and coming to terms with his own ignorance, the voice that he gives to the voiceless on “Mother I Sober” packs more than a punch. The lyrics and the beat are sedated to match the subject matter. In the African American community Kendrick Lamar’s tales of passed down trauma, sexual assault, and subsequent feelings of hopelessness are shared and largely unspoken. “Heal myself/ secrets that I hide, buried in these words/Death threats/ ego must die, but I let it purge/Pacify/ broken pieces of me, it was all a blur/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 song ends with Alford and the couple’s young daughter thanking the rapper for breaking the generational curse. It’s unclear why he chose that moment to cut onions…
“Mirrors” is the final track on the project and it wraps things up nicely. The addition of strings on the beat adds an airy element and makes the music sound as if the notes are floating. Kendrick proclaims “I choose me, I’m sorry” as he seemingly breaks off an affair or steps away from hip-hop and the fans who praise him. “She told me she need me the most/I didn't believe her/She even called me names on the post/the world can see it/Jokes and gaslightin'/Mad at me 'cause she didn't get my vote/she say I'm trifflin'/Disregardin' the way that I cope with my own vices/Maybe, it's time to break it off/Runaway from the culture to follow my heart.”
Other stand-out songs on the album are what they are thanks in large part to the production. Over the past few years in hip-hop, songs have largely been great because of great producers. That’s not fully the case with Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers, but on a few tracks, the production is worth shouting out. The production is so good that it elevates the listening experience. Ride down the street to any one of these songs with the volume raised just slightly above the highest, low setting and pay attention to how that feels. On “Die Hard” the beat is reminiscent of a summer time, wind in your hair, dance in slow-motion while vibing out at the beach or at an exclusive pool party or skate park even though the song itself lyrically feels like a confessional. “N95” (a play on the masks many of us donned as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak), is one of three songs on the album that offers the most commercial appeal. The beat, which includes some electronic drum elements, is the perfect canvas for Lamar’s use of his rapid-fire, sing-songy flow meets triplet style. The song is well crafted from start to finish. It feels like tough love meets inspiration. It feels like a soulful rave. “Rich Spirit” is a straight vibe. There’s no other way to describe it outside of that. And then there is “Mr. Morale.” Of the three songs that could chart as singles (the other songs being “N95” and “Purple Heart” featuring Summer Walker and Wu Tang Clan’s Ghostface Killah), “Mr. Morale” is the most radio and dance floor friendly. Super-producer Pharrell Williams is responsible for taking this song to the next level. While Kendrick recounts what he’s shared on the music to this point, Pharrell takes the beat and turns it into an HBCU march with a N.E.R.D. groove.
Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers has its hits and misses, and that’s ok. Overall the recording was a success, because it allowed Kendrick Lamar to be himself no matter what that looked like or sounded like to others. It’s his work and he’s taking it back from all of us as he should. “Kendrick made you think about it, but he is not your savior.”
