Review: Kendrick Lamar – Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers

After a 5-year hiatus, Kendrick Lamar steps back on the scene with his fifth album Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers. Before we begin, let’s level set…this is not an album for everyone. It’s an experimental genre-bender that will leave those expecting a pure and unadulterated Rap album feeling ostracized and confused. I recommend listeners come to this album expecting “Alternative Rap” at best and “Not Even Rap” at its worst. Now shall we begin?

Analysis (3 Random Songs)​

Silent Hill

Silent Hill is boring. The lyrics are meaningless, the flow is lazy and both pair horribly with the subdued and introspective beat. In fact, Kendrick’s vocals are so banal that they fade into the beat right next to the hi hat. Kodak Black was slightly better; his flow was on point, but his lyrics were subpar:

“Pull out the stick, hit a bitch with the wood
First to park Rolls Royce. ‘vert in the hood
Don’t worry about us, over here we good
The AP Roman numeral, everywhere I go, I need pharmaceuticals”

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Women, Cars, Jewelry, and Drugs all within 4 bars. If you’ve been waiting for Silent Hill to come back, this ain’t it.

Rich Spirit

If you’ve read my Nas – Magic review, you will remember that I docked Nas for over-reliance on 16 random bars as a verse. In Rich Spirit, I believe Kendrick Lamar is guilty of the same exact infraction. The entire song feels “phoned in”. There’s very little energy in the vocals, the lyrics are nothing special, and the “white” voice in verse 3 is strange.

N95

Kendrick Lamar takes his mask off on N95 and shows the world why he is highly regarded in Rap. Verse 1 is the preamble; Verse 2 is Kendrick at his best:

“The world in a panic, the women is stranded, the men on a run
The Prophets abandoned, the law take advantage, the market is crashin’,
The industry wants niggas and bishes to sleep in a box while they makin’ a mockery followin’ us”

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The way he delivered these bars was amazing and I wish he gave us more of this on the album.

Life Factor​

Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers is an album that gives you an even number of tracks to listen to on the go and when you’re Sedentary. Since the album leans more towards the “somber” side of things, there is nothing exciting or hype for the Gym or a Party. In fact, some of the songs that I placed under “Commute” are borderline Sedentary which really masks how slow and somber this album truly is.

Skill Factor​

Instrumentation

The underlying compositions are sonically impressive but make for a very subpar rap album.

• 18% of the tracks do not fall under the genre of Rap.
• 43% of the tracks are somber, melancholy, or down tempo.
• More than half of the somber tracks do not have Kick and Snare combo: Auntie Diaries, Worldwide Steppers, Crown, Mother I Sober.

Lyrics

Kendrick’s pen game has always been first rate and this album is no different. Songs like Worldwide Steppers, Mother I Sober, and Auntie Diaries teleport listeners into Kendrick’s body for a “day in the life” of his world. His ability to communicate his life through his pen is top notch and that cannot be discounted no matter how you feel about the songs as a whole. However, after such a long hiatus, we wanted more “Verse 2 of N95” Kendrick on this album. His comeback should have re-established himself as the modern lyricist before springing out into the experimental “Starbucks Rap” lane.

Flows

Much like his lyrics, the flows are top notch. He is a master at using the requisite number of words to convey a thought without over cramming the bar and getting off-beat. But be aware, if you are not a fan of the constant voice changes this will not be the outing for you.

Parting Thoughts​

Every couple of years, the dominant society crowns an artistic endeavor as the pinnacle work of its time. During this period, we see White writers pushing over-analytical puff pieces that shower the art with acclaim and adulation, see The Heist, Coloring Book, etc. In this context, Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers is an aural “pick me”. It’s a genre-bending affair that sees Kendrick’s lyrical prowess given to melancholy, somber, and sometimes drumless backing tracks. While it may not be for everyone, I believe this album elevates Kendrick Lamar to the pound-for-pound king of coffee shop rap.

I give this album 3 out of 6ZEROS.