Kendrick Lamar has shared the cover art for his forthcoming album Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers.
The image arrived on Wednesday (May 11) featuring K. Dot sporting a crown of thorns holding his eldest child while his fiancée Whitney Alford sits on a bed cradling an infant. All are sporting white tops, while Kendrick is wearing khaki pants with a gun tucked into his waistband.
The caption read simply, “Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers.” The cover art reveal follows the release of “The Heart Pt. 5,” which arrived on Sunday (May 8).
Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers is expected to arrive on Friday (May 13). It serves as the official follow-up to 2017’s Pulitzer Prize-winning album DAMN. Needles s to say, Kendrick fans have been eagerly awaiting the project for over five years.
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Early projections have Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with over 350,000 total album-equivalent units upon its release. By comparison, DAMN.landed at No. 1 with over 603,000 total album-equivalent units in its first week of release, becoming his third consecutive album after 2015’s To Pimp a Butterfly and 2016’s Untitled Unmastered to debut in the coveted spot.
The following week, the album remained at No. 1 with roughly 238,000 total album-equivalent units and continued its chart dominance into week three with around 173,000 total album-equivalent units. The album was certified 3x-platinum by April 2018.
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Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers will mark Kendrick Lamar’s final album for Top Dawg Entertainment, which he announced last August.
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“I spend most of my days with fleeting thoughts,” he wrote at the time. “Writing. Listening. And collecting old Beach cruisers. The morning rides keep me on a hill of silence. I go months without a phone. Love, loss, and grief have disturbed my comfort zone, but the glimmers of God speak through my music and family. While the world around me evolves, I reflect on what matters the most. The life in which my words will land next.”
He continued, “As I produce my final TDE album, I feel joy to have been a part of such a cultural imprint after 17 years. The Struggles. The Success. And most importantly, the Brotherhood. May the Most High continue to use Top Dawg as a vessel for candid creators. As I continue to pursue my life’s calling. There’s beauty in completion. And always faith in the unknown. Thank you for keeping me in your thoughts. I’ve prayed for you all. See you soon enough.”
