Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers

Deep breaths my friends. One of the most polarizing rap albums of the year just dropped. The prophetic poet of the west returned with his last entry into TDE's discography. It's one that you REALLY need to sit with of course so that's what I did. Kendrick Lamar's latest album "Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers" is filled with Kendrick's self-reflecting glances into his flaws and our own...glances may be too light of a word here as Kendrick tends to "rip the bandaid off" when it comes to certain themes.

Sidenote: I can tell you now if you came here looking for the deepest dive into every theme and bar, keep on scrolling. You know that's not what I do here. I'm here to let you know what sticks and what you need to click and drag to the recycle bin expeditiously at 5G LTE speeds. So let's get into it.

"I hope you find some peace of mind" rings out as the intro "United In Grief" plays. As far as intros go it's my least favorite one from K dot although it's probably his best one message-wise. It's exquisite high-level wordsmithing over a multifaceted beat that hurls a lot at you 2 minutes into the song. I can acknowledge that it's good but can also tell you I haven't played it again since the first day.

"United In Grief" fades and "N95" starts and as soon as the chords hit it's lit! An entire song of OKlama telling us to take the fake ass facades(our mask) off over one of the 3 best beats on the album. A choppy flow full of bars over a constantly changing beat that you'd have to listen to multiple times to catch every moving piece. I could only imagine what first week numbers would have been if we would have got this as a lead single.

As "N95" comes to a close I begin to notice the weird thing about "Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers". The sequencing doesn't seem as polished as previous albums because this song coming after what I just witnessed on "N95" doesn't make sense to me at all. It's like they came from 2 different albums. Although the lines about him feeling like fucking a white woman was retaliation for his ancestors are funny the song as a whole just doesn't stick and is just an obstacle sitting between me and the next song "Die Hard"

"I hope I'm not too late, to set my demons straight" croons Blxst who is probably the best feature on the album next to summer walker. the use of "Remember The Rain" by 21st century is probably my favorite thing about "Die Hard" which is hands down the most feel-good vibe on the album. It's a love song that almost doubles as a lost recording from a Kendrick therapy session. It's also my first time hearing the unique voice of Amanda Reifer as it meshes with the instrumental like a red and black colorway on an Air Jordan shoe. At the time of writing this it's probably my most played song because it just works everywhere but like I said before due to Kendricks's sequencing where one song takes your energy up the next one is ready to bring you back to earth.

You all remember Sampha right? You should because he's shooting 100% from the field when it comes to being featured on a rap album so it's no surprise that Father Time is one of the best songs on the album. "Early morning wake-ups, practicing on day-offs, tough love bottled up no chaser" the singer echoes between some of the best verses from Kendrick that touch on his relationship with his father. One that mirrors those of a good percentage of black boys who were raised in a household in which crying and showing emotion was a form of weakness. It's a reflection of most of us men with a few daddy issues we refuse to address because we've seen them as normal. "Everyone went through it"

Songs like "Rich Spirit", "Count Me Out" and "Silent Hill" has gotten equal amounts of replay as well although the Kodak Black feature is a bit questionable considering Kendrick's musical deep dives into how rape has hurt the black community. I think Kodak is featured here because Kendrick wants to show that people deserve second chances and redemption but it's still somewhat a head-scratcher.

There's a line in "Purple Hearts" that has been tweeted 156k times at the time of this review. You know the one. Regardless it's a great song with one of Summer's best verses pen-wise and the 2 seem to coexist in exuberant harmony on the chorus which brings me to my most pressing question...Why is Ghostface Killer here? If you asked Kendrick I'm sure he'd say it's because Ghostface is a legend and one of the most important people to ever rap and that's very true. Hell, it's an immaculate verse even but it just doesn't make sense here. It's not needed or it could've been its own interlude but hey what do I know maybe I should shut the fuck up when I hear love talking.

Kendrick's albums have always done an exemplary job of making us think. So much so that it has become a meme at this point. Though I think Kendrick's real objective was to make us FEEL something here. Whether it's positive or negative. In the song "Auntie Diaries" Kendrick walks us through the struggle he dealt with watching his aunt transition from a woman to a man. It's a beautiful story painted by the brush of a wordsmith who at times seems to come off ignorant in his delivery. While there's heavy use of the F word here(not fuck) I find myself torn between 2 narratives. Of course, he shouldn't use it cause it's hurtful towards a community but also it's needed here for the art...No matter how you feel about it though the story is worth a listen.

With all of that being said, I've told you all I can. "Savior", "Mother I Sober", and "Mirror" are a perfect wind-down and ending to the album. Kendrick made you think, but he is not your savior. Oh, and I know what you're thinking, "Vince, what about We Cry Together?". Well, my friends, that beat had me waiting for Westside Gunn's "Boom boom boom" adlibs to come in. "We Cry Together" is an artistic masterpiece of a song that is amazing in its performance and with that being said I will skip that shit every time it comes on until the end of time.