Kendrick Lamar brought his latest album Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers to life for the season 48 opener of Saturday Night Live.
Introduced by actor Miles Teller, the Pulitzer Prize-winner performed a trifecta of tracks from his critically acclaimed fifth LP on Saturday night (October 1).
Wearing a pink hoodie, trucker hat and black leather pants, along with an assortment of bejeweled accessories, Kendrick opened with “Rich Spirit” while stood still inside a sparse, dimly-lit cube — a nod to his Big Steppers Tour, which asked fans to “help Mr. Morale get out of the box.”
Halfway through the song, the modest set design was infused with a tough of magic as K. Dot’s shadow, which was projected onto the wall behind him, began to move on its own.
The Compton native then cranked up the energy by transitioning into “N95,” becoming much more animated as a lights show unfolded around him.
Various messages were projected onto the walls, such as: “Lil L Got His Passport Yall,” “4 Peez Kee Riches,” “The Homie Jason Keaton Wrote Two Books In Prison The Edges [And] Envy In The Eyes” and “Yea We Still Playing Industry Politics.”
Kee Riches, a fellow Los Angeles rapper, was shot and killed in Compton on September 24, while Keaton is a Compton-bred author who Kendrick has referenced in his music in the past (see: 2009’s “Uncle Bobby & Jason Keaton”).
Kendrick later returned to perform “Father Time” with British crooner Sampha, who joined him inside the cubic stage, newly-decorated with a bed, armchair, bedside table, lamp and a stack of books.
The set yet again came to life as the walls slowly closed in on the duo, seemingly reflecting the emotionally-restricted upbringing that K. Dot unpacks on the song.
“I come from a generation of home invasions and I got daddy issues, that’s on me / Everything them four walls had taught me, made habits bury deep,” he raps.
This time, Kendrick’s eccentric outfit was swapped out for a more modest ensemble, complete with a custom blue pgLang L.A. Dodgers cap — which his longtime manager and pgLang partner Dave Free insisted is for members only. “You gotta be from pg to get a fitted. Not for sale,” he tweeted during the broadcast.
Kendrick Lamar’s Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers medley marked his fifth appearance on SNL and first in four years.
He made his debut in 2013 to perform good kid, m.A.A.d city hits “Swimming Pools (Drank)” and “Poetic Justice,” before returning in 2014 to play would-be To Pimp a Butterfly single “i” and “Pay For It” alongside Jay Rock and singer/pianist Chantal Kreviazuk.
He’s also appeared twice as a guest, joining Imagine Dragons for “Radioactive” in 2014 and assisting Anderson .Paak with “Tints” in 2018.
Kendrick Lamar Has Already Started His Next Album Says Sounwave: ‘There’s No Breaks’
Kendrick has been gracing stages across the continent of late. Between July and September, he packed arenas across North America on his Big Steppers Tour alongside fellow pgLang signees Baby Keem and Tanna Leone. He also headlined Glastonbury Festival and Rolling Loud Miami this past summer.
As for Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers, the album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in May after earning 295,000 album-equivalent units in its first week. It has since surpassed one billion streams on Spotify — the first rap album from this year to achieve the feat — while reportedly selling over 800,000 units in the U.S.
The project has helped power Kendrick to nine nominations at the 2022 BET Hip Hop Awards, including Hip Hop Artist of the Year, Hip Hop Album of the Year and Lyricist of the Year.
Meanwhile, Hip Hop will continue to make its presence felt on SNL later this month with Megan Thee Stallion pulling double duty as the show’s host and musical guest on October 15.
The fu$@ is he wearing in the first set. Look like he’s been in young thugs closet.
Fyi this is not how you format a headline. This infers Kendrick performed with a slain rapper sampha
Day 1 Kendrick Lamar , Back when he was Kdot and was active on MySpace back in the day and I did submit beats to him and Top around 2008/2009 . Always a good dude but this Kendrick, I don’t recognize at all.
I’m not going to support or stand by someone who is flat out blaming White people for his Sex addiction . Sounds like a real coward. I was extremely excited for his new body of work but after the first track , it lead us into a absolute shit show of hypocritical BS. having Kodak Whack on there was pretty insulting to just about anyone who remembers how disrespectful he was in his comments towards Tupac. I am very disappointed but , sometimes, it can be a good thing. At least I know now how fake and unbelievably shallow Kendrick has become. I wish him luck moving forward but , I won’t be anticipating his next project. Been pretty shit for TDE … Sza exposed as a lying Washed up stripper , Kendrick leaving the label , Isaiah caught slurping on Latino Twinks dicks… I love Q and Soulo Hoe not to mention Jay Rock and Sir but that’s all I can fuck with now from TDE. The fun ride was over but you allowed Kendrick to become an asshole and now it’s all falling apart.
I agree with everything you said. Kendrick is meh these days. I don’t like him. And was a mega fan from 2008 to 2014. Jay rocks last album was not my style, but his other 2 are great. Qs last album sucker tbh, but I like Q. And Soulo is always great to hear from. The rest, I don’t care to hear from anymore.
Ab soul will blow all the doubters away with his next album. Will be a much more enjoyable listen than Mr Morale but bcos he isn’t in the elite sellout crossdresser club like Kendrick, he won’t get the respect he deserves
Bye, I assure nobody will miss you. Plus, the point of the album is he’s just a human being like you and I and not the over righteous messiah that ppl like you see him as. Not standing up for him, just saying let him be who he is in peace without self righteous ppl like you judging others and telling them what to do
When did I suggest he should do what I say? He is ruining his own reputation. No help needed. I see him as a Messiah? I’m not the one blowing his cock on all fours . Wasn’t Kendrick wearing a thorn crown on his cover and multiple appearances??? Your a delusional little boy. His new album was very very underwhelming due to his choice of poppy beats and The awful guests.
Plus, when did he blame white ppl for sex addiction? Do you fools listen to music or just skim through it?