Kendrick as Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers stands at a safe distance beside the character’s experiences but his natural performance begs for an immersive listen. With 18 tracks total, 9 for Mr. Morale and 9 for Big Steppers, (I still wonder why artists drop double albums) his rap flows on each song are consistent with a studied and social scientist. Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers album cover features Kendrick donning the thorn crown, holding a baby with a gun in his waist. He stands across from a mother holding another child on the bed inside paint lifted brown walls. The album is feature heavy with sinful confessions, traumatic thoughts as he tries to understand his own judgments and sins against humanity.
The condition of humanity has changed a bit since his last album 5 years ago, and the anticipation from hardline pundits like Joe Budden amped up the pressure on the Compton native. He is a poet, not moved by praises or criticisms or so he says, “nothing moves me, the spirit of God is in me.”
Although Kendrick is deliberate with his lyrical empathy, he is not trying to make hit songs that appeal to mass audiences, he floats slightly above that quest for fame. He employs words from authors and gurus, to make his point more timeless. With layered stories, throughout the album, he makes it clear he is not here to “please everybody” as he contextualizes culture with interludes over nuanced Jazz beats.
The album is a stretch from the traditional Californian hip hop and hardcore rap fans will be hard pressed to do a Nas comparison, but if you travel deep enough it’s more like a broadway play.
He did the usual music rollout by dropping a single and video titled “The Heart Part 5” which confirmed to fans that an album was coming called Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers Friday, May 13.
At first listen, the standout track was Worldwide Steppers with J.LBS, Sounwave and Tae on the production. He narrates life over the haunting beat as a protective father who also “fucked a white bitch.”
An indifferent assessment:
“I don’t know how to feel like the first time I fucked a white bitch.”
There goes his Dr. Umar co-sign but Kendrick is just a Pulitzer prize winner not a Nobel peace prize winner.
“Ancestors watching me fuck is like retaliation,” he rhymes ferociously.
Other producers on the album include Pharrell, Duval Timothy, Beach Noise, The Alchemist,, Dahi, FNZ,, Bekon,Boi-1da and others.
On the topic of love and family relationships We Cry Together, is the most relatable song that explains the plight of the black man and woman. Lil Kim, Vybez Kartel, Papa San and Lady G have similar concept songs in their time but Kendrick and Taylour Paige brings deep emotions and mental health to the conversation. Lamar’s long time partner Whitney Alford is credited as a narrator on several songs, including “We Cry Together,” which has Florence Welch and the Machine sample on the intro.
He gets into a verbal back and forth with Paige whose convincing performance is award worthy.
The song takes on the patriarchy, politics, black music feminism, and gender roles.
“See, you the reason why strong women fucked up,” Paige screams in rap rage. “Why they say it’s a man’s world, see, you the reason for Trump / You the reason we overlooked, underpaid, under-booked, under shame.”
Paige blames him for the abuses in the entertainment industry, “You the reason Harvey Weinstein had to see his conclusion / You the reason R. Kelly can’t recognize that he’s abusive.”
Lamar fires back, “Man, shut the fuck up, we all know you still playin’ his music / Said I’m tired of these emotional-ass, ungrateful-ass bitches / Fake innocent, fake feminist, stop pretendin’ / Y’all sentiments ain’t realer than what you defendin’.”
He defends his egotistic position on behalf of all men as he wonders why “women in general just can’t get along,” and why “R&B bitches don’t feature on each other’s songs.” That was where the conversation went incoherently flat and the toxic couple calmed down as she proposed, “fuck you, fuck me nigga”. They rekindle without resolving whatever issues they were arguing about. Paige closed out with the last word, “Stop tap-dancing around the conversation.”
Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers gets high marks for the feature performances which include legends like Ghostface Killah, Kodak Black, Blxst, Sampha, singers like Summer Walker and all interludes with Eckhart Tolle and Lil Wayne but the best song is the outrageous, Baby Boy ode, We Cry Together.
Kendrick’s last album on TDE comes across as risky for a mainstream artist because nowadays hits drive the playlists.
His Bertolt Brecht strategy allows him to process all this information without getting caught up in the characters but the album at times can be complex. He gets credit for exploring themes that are absent from popular rap culture but could have taken three songs off each album and make it easier to digest.
4.5 Stars
