It’s been a long five years since Kendrick Lamar dropped the Pulitzer Prize-winning album DAMN. A new president and global pandemic later, the Compton-bred MC has finally returned with Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers, his fifth official studio album.
Boasting 18 tracks split into two parts, the highly anticipated project features contributions from a wide range of guests, including Wu-Tang Clan luminary Ghostface Killah, Kodak Black, Baby Keem, Blxst, Sampha, Summer Walker and Beth Gibbons of Portishead, among others.
The project finds Kendrick Lamar rapping about cancel culture on “N95” with lines such as “Wtf is cancel culture I say what I want” and makes a brief reference to his fiancée Whitney Alford on “Worldwide Steppers.” Sonically, the album is all over the place — delicate piano notes open “United In Grief” and “Crown” while “Die Hard” is closer to ’80s pop.
The cover art was unveiled on Wednesday (May 11) and appeared to reveal Alford recently gave birth to their second child. The photo features K. Dot sporting a crown of thorns holding a toddler while 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.
Kendrick Lamar Announces Next Album Will End TDE Career: 'See You Soon Enough'
Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers follows the release of “The Heart Part 5” and serves as Kendrick’s final album Top Dawg Entertainment, which he revealed in August 2021.
“As I produce my final TDE album, I feel joy to have been a part of such a cultural imprint after 17 years,” he wrote in part. “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.”
Listen to Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers below.
His worst album by far. And I’m a fan, just keepin’ it a buck. It takes a while to give a proper review, but one listen is all you need to know it’s definitely his worst.
Nah it’s a dope album. The production is fire and he spits like a motherfucker.
Listening to crown,he told you he can’t please everybody…..the album is fire…..
Just because an artist say he cant please everybody doesnt mean that the album is great.
Haven’t heard it but it’s a classic, I’m a Kendrick fan boy..
Why is Kendrick not in prison after he confessed to his crimes in his songs? Young thug didn’t actually admit to anything and yet the police like the trigger happy racist locked him up. #FreeThug
Hahaha don’t be mad. Daddy thug will come home to you
N****, Shut Up
YoungButtPlugga is a flamming butt pirate and deserves to be in prison for attempted murder of the airwaves with that bullshit music of his. At least he’ll in a community we know will love and support him.
Young Thug has been caught with all kinds of shit all kinds of times, he’s def in jail for real reason. Not like they made it all up.
Don’t be dumb dude.
I get that he might have a message in his music but damn his music boring smh first song in he just rambling on..lol
That’s how I’ve always felt about the so called “big three” (Drake, J Cole and Kendrick Lamar).
I can’t hear it anymore. If I would really need a drop by Kendrick, Cole or Drake in order to save hip hop I would have stopped listening to hip hop since a long time. I also never got why Drake is even in that discussion. Sure, I give him the biggest numbers and biggest mass appeal, but everything else? This dude doesn’t have anything on real rappers.
People definitely need to widen their horizons, as if there are only these 3 in hip hop. One of them is a pop star and I also wouldn’t die without the other 2. I like Kendrick and Cole, but again, they are not the only rappers since the beginning of hip hop…
Not really feeling the new sonic approach, the concept and excution is solid but this is by far is worst project
How many of your therapy sessions are lit? It’s a therapy session.
This in my opinion is the best album because it’s the most honest album.
Album is definitely mid
Why do low iq people like you need to share your dumb ass opinions on things you lack the intelligence to understand?
You are the dumbass. Music is art, and art is subjective to one’s personal tastes.
It doesn’t make someone stupid to not like an artists music. It doesn’t make you low IQ to enjoy old DMX with no lyricism, just bangers.
It doesn’t make you any smarter to like lyricists like Lupe.
Leave people be. If they don’t like it, why do you care? Don’t be like the Eminem stans man…
And the more I see, the more I realize Kendrick fans are the new age STANS. This album is so radio sonically speaking.
Kendrick Lamar the king of concept albums. His work may not be a car banger music (well Damn. kind of was?) but it is what it is and I can not wait to take another journey with this album. 8 hours wait in work til I start listening though 🙂
This is one of those experimental albums that will be considered legendary later on, ahead of the game imo
I’ve just come to realise something. Kendrick is associated with some of the all-time big hitters in hip-hop history in Dr Dre and Eminem and he hardly ever uses them (which would make his music so much better). Secondly, he makes sure not to feature any real rappers because he doesn’t want to get the spotlight taken away from him on his album. Lol. What a shame.
Thank god he does that the last thing we need is a bunch of Dr. Dre or Snoop Dogg features on Kendrick Lamar album.
Typical Eminem Stan logic ?
Kendrick makes way better albums than Eminem. All of Em’s albums are bad. You’re just mad because you lack the intellect and maturity for Kendrick’s music.
Eminem’s music started to suck when he stopped using Dr Dre. Isn’t it any wonder that Relapse is considered Eminem’s last good album? It’s because it’s the last Eminem album that Dr Dre was heavily involved in.
That’s not true. Dre was heavily involved in Music To Be Mirdered By. And that sucks too!
But dre hasn’t really made dope music in decades. His new songs have been terrible.
Yo, how old are you? I like that you consider Relapse a good album, but when that first came out people shitted all over it and said Eminem was washed. It’s why he changed his style with Recovery and took a step back from Dre production.
Relapse is trash lmao, even eminem admits it was a bad album on later albums.
I know youre a troll because Ghostface is on the album and his verse is stellar.
Classic Album. Never thought Kendrick will top TPAB. He just did. Wow. He keeps getting better with each album. G. O. A. T
Good atmospheric and kind of experimental album. I’m not disappointed. And by the way, I thought it’s going to be double album
I wouldn’t call it a double album but it is sold like it with 9 songs on each side.
WHAT IS A DOUBLE ALBUM IN 2022? A DIVIDED PLAYLIST?
This album is like TPAB on steroids. Meaning the lyrics hit harder than ever but sonically and musically it might be too experimental for many people, myself included. Only played through it once with the lyrics up. I’m going to give it another listen, but my first impression is it could easily be trimmed down to one album or released each part separately with a couple of months in between them.
I’ve never come across a successful multi disc project. Havent listened to it yet, but not feeling good about this one.
all eyez on me?
looking at Kodak from a new perspective is a eyeopener. Kendrick nailed it. Again. This is hip-hop 2022.
Sit down and shut up, little boi that just got here
Savior and purple hearts were too dope. I remember TPAB came out and people were conflicted. Give this time it will be a classic, Kendrick now the certified GOAT.
No Black Hippy? ?
THANK GOODNESS. BESIDES JAY ROCK THE OTHERS ARE WASHED.
Dreams and Nightmares intro is way better than this entire album. Nothing special here. Just a rap album by a rap artist.
As a huge fan of kendrick, it disappoints me that he went from championing black women in to pimp a butterfly to becoming a spokesperson for men’s rights activists (who are misogynistic towards women)
Sounds to me like you need to listen to the album again
The kendrick fans are the same type as the Eminem fans. This shit is sonically horrible. Wtf happened to kendrick.
Sounds like every other mainstream rapper. Used to sound like a product of the old-school. I hate this stuff…
I’m a fan, listened to it twice and have enjoyed a fair amount of it. Don’t think it’s my favorite album but, for me, it’s nice to have another album after 5 years. People grow. To say it’s sonically horrible and that he sounds like every other mainstream artist is laughable though. There ain’t many mainstream rapping about how their uncle used to be their aunt and using orchestras on their albums. Just sayin’.
It’s not even a double album lol
Omg, this is the best album in world history! This is better than Section 80, GKMC, and TPAB COMBINED! Kendrick just became the best in history. This is better than Marshal Mathers LP, GRODT, The Black Album, Reasonable Doubt, All Eyez On Me, It’s Dark And Hell Is Hot, The Chronich, Doggystyle, etc. No artist has ever made ANYTHING close to this!!! Like, did you hear his singing voice? Better than any singer out today as well.
I do think (and hope) you are being sarcastic. Although with his insane fanbase, I wouldn’t be surprised to see a real comment like this.
HAH! This is straight garbage.. I downloaded it just to throw it in the trash
How are you gonna throw to the garbage a downloaded album? makes no sense
Recycle Bin?
Kendrick has reached the point where he isn’t looking to please anyone with his Art. He’s able to make what he wants when he wants. All of his previous offerings have been true plotted out Albums from track to track dating back to Section.80. He’s in a space where he doesn’t care about you Internet weirdos. Most of yall probably never listened to great Jazz Artists and the spontaneity and improvisation it takes to be a true great Artist….Grow up…….Stop waiting for Future to go tell you to drink 8 cups of lean
I haven’t heard it yet but I know it’s gonna be a classic and the best album of the year