By Trey Alessio
A lot has happened in the world since April 14, 2017 when Kendrick Lamar released DAMN., and when I say a lot, I mean A LOT. We’ve experienced some dark times, and, in the back of my head, I couldn’t help but think to myself, “What would Kendrick say about this?” “How would he react to what’s going on in the world?” “What would a Kendrick album sound like in 2020?” “How would his music bring us together in these trying times?” Well, 1855 days later, those questions were answered. Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers has been stuck on my brain since I stayed up late Thursday, May 12 to take in this new body of work. Since then, I’ve listened to this album more times than I care to admit. Spoiler alert: I love it. I can’t bring myself to fully dive into anything else because the level of artistry is in a whole other vicinity and, to be honest, can’t be matched by hardly any other album or song out right now. I’ve been wanting to give my thoughts about this for a minute, so here it goes–my take on Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers.
(I think the best way to do this breakdown is by going chronologically through this album’s rollout and how it has grown with me.)
(I think the best way to do this breakdown is by going chronologically through this album’s rollout and how it has grown with me.)
On August 20, 2021, Kendrick released a note via a new website https://oklama.com/. To sum it up, Kendrick revealed the album he’s been working on would be his last with Top Dawg Entertainment. He said, “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.” He finished the note with the words, “See you soon enough. - oklama” (I also have to admit, I strive to reach the intersection of success and happiness that Kendrick has achieved in order to go months without a phone.) Of course, this note sent the internet (including me) into a frenzy. Everyone wanted to know if Kendrick was going to retire after this album, what his relationship was like with TDE and, most importantly, when this final TDE album would be coming out.
On April 18, 2022, Kendrick released a press release on the same website that revealed the album title and release date for his album. We finally got some concrete information: Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers would drop on May 13, 2022. Immediately, I tried to analyze and break down what the title meant and how it might tie in with the moniker “oklama.” We’ll circle back to this name.
On May 3, 2022, Kendrick posted a picture of himself holding two CDs and a book entitled Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers. One CD was marked “Morale” and the other was marked “Steppers.” This led people to believe Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers would be a double-album.
On May 8, 2022, Kendrick unleashed a new installment in the ongoing promotional series with the single “The Heart Part 5.” First of all, this song is incredible. It starts off with Kendrick saying, “As I get a little older, I realize life is perspective. And my perspective may differ from yours. I want to say thank you to everyone that’s been down with me. All my fans, all my beautiful fans. Anyone who’s ever gave me a listen, all my people.” Before we get into the song, I want to highlight the words, “all my people.” Dissect, one of my favorite music podcasts, found the meaning of “oklama.” It means “my people,” which could mean Kendrick is speaking to his people as a representative for the black community. Aside from that, K Dot came back with a vengeance after his long hiatus to prove to the world that he’s still one of the best rappers to ever do it. The song samples Marvin Gaye’s song “I Want You,” and the video face-swaps Kendrick with OJ Simpson, Kanye West, Jussie Smollett, Kobe Bryant and Nipsey Hussle using deep-fake technology. The entire third verse is also rapped from Nip’s perspective, which was very powerful. I believe Kendrick chose these people for the video because each of them can be viewed either as a hero or a villain depending on the perspective. I believe Kendrick is leaning into this theme of perspective with this song. Maybe he’s saying we all–himself included–have a little good and a little bad in us. I believe the message of the song is “perspective leads to empathy,” which serves as a perfect appetizer to the album Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers.
Later in the week, Kendrick revealed the album cover, which depicts himself holding his child. He also has a gun tucked in his pants and a diamond-encrusted crown of thorns on his head. In the background, his wife-to-be Whitney is sitting up in a bed holding their other child. It’s a powerful image and something that I immediately tried to dissect. (Kendrick is so intentional with every detail in his music and his rollouts, so it begs to be analyzed.) I believe there’s an apparent contrast here: a crown of thorns made of diamonds and a gun; the status and popularity of Kendrick Lamar and the prestige of the room itself. I think it could represent the good and the bad–again, depending on the perspective.
When Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers dropped, I tried not to go in with too many expectations, but my anticipation was through the roof. It had been five long years without a Kendrick album, and I was ready.
I’ll be honest. After one listen, I didn’t LOVE this album. I was expecting a perfectly put-together body of work with an easily digestible story, but that’s not what Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers is. So, I kept listening. After a few more listens, it grew on me. I remember driving around with my sister while the album was playing, and she said, “I don’t like the way he’s talking about women on this album.” (I think “We Cry Together” was playing, so these feelings were completely valid.) Her words stuck with me though. I ran the album back again, and it felt like I cracked the code.
Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers is an 18-part therapy session. Each song has a different theme or message, but ultimately, on every track, Kendrick is facing a demon or getting something off his chest or revealing his candid thoughts about an issue. Every one of these moments is intended to lead to Kendrick’s self-growth. We don’t get the polished answer or response to the dark times over the past few years like we were expecting. Instead, we get the messy back-and-forth of internal thought that comes with therapy. We get the contradiction. We get the unpopular opinion. This is an album designed to piss some people off, and above all else, this is an album designed to grow on people—how meta, right?
I’ll be honest. After one listen, I didn’t LOVE this album. I was expecting a perfectly put-together body of work with an easily digestible story, but that’s not what Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers is. So, I kept listening. After a few more listens, it grew on me. I remember driving around with my sister while the album was playing, and she said, “I don’t like the way he’s talking about women on this album.” (I think “We Cry Together” was playing, so these feelings were completely valid.) Her words stuck with me though. I ran the album back again, and it felt like I cracked the code.
Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers is an 18-part therapy session. Each song has a different theme or message, but ultimately, on every track, Kendrick is facing a demon or getting something off his chest or revealing his candid thoughts about an issue. Every one of these moments is intended to lead to Kendrick’s self-growth. We don’t get the polished answer or response to the dark times over the past few years like we were expecting. Instead, we get the messy back-and-forth of internal thought that comes with therapy. We get the contradiction. We get the unpopular opinion. This is an album designed to piss some people off, and above all else, this is an album designed to grow on people—how meta, right?
Let’s break it down on the most-simplistic level. “United In Grief” deals with handling grief by excessively buying luxurious items. “N95” deals with taking off a literal and/or metaphorical mask to reveal your true self. “Worldwide Steppers” deals with political correctness and cancel-culture. “Die Hard” deals with avoiding relationship issues and Kendrick's insecurities about loyalty and commitment. “Father Time” deals with tough love and pride through the lens of Kendrick's relationship with his father. “Rich Spirit” deals with finding balance. “We Cry Together” deals with toxic relationships. “Purple Hearts” deals with overcoming toxicity in a relationship and coming out stronger on the other side. “Count Me Out” deals with finding self-worth and proving people wrong. (At the beginning of “Count Me Out,” we hear Whitney say, “Session 10: breakthrough.” I believe this is because Kendrick faced that toxicity and chose to overcome it.) “Crown” deals with Kendrick’s realization that he can’t please everybody. “Silent Hill” deals with avoiding negative influences. “Savior” deals with Kendrick’s realization that he’s just a human and not a higher power even when some people may put him on that kind of pedestal. “Auntie Diaries” deals with homophobia, transphobia (especially within the black community) and religion. “Mr. Morale” deals with self-care. “Mother I Sober” deals with facing trauma. “Mirror” doubles down on the theme from “Savior” and deals with Kendrick and his family’s well-being. All of these themes deal with Kendrick revealing a candid thought, facing a demon or trying to better himself.
I want to circle back to the moment when it felt like I unlocked something about this album. After my sister told me she didn’t like the way Kendrick was speaking about women and I listened to the album again, the song “Mother I Sober” really hit me. In this song, he talks about his mother constantly asking him if his cousin ever molested him. He tells his mom that the cousin never touched him but the constant asking traumatized him and always made him question things. Later in the song, he raps, “There’s a lustful nature that I failed to mention. / Insecurities that I project, sleeping with other women. / Whitney’s hurt, the purest soul I know, I found her in the kitchen. / Asking God, “Where did I lose myself? And can it be forgiven? / Broke me down, she looked me in my eyes. “Is there an addiction?” I said, “No,” but this time I lied. I knew that I can’t fix it. / Pure soul, even in her pain, know she cared for me. / Gave me a number, said she recommended some therapy. / I asked my momma why she didn’t believe me when I told her “no.” / I never knew she was violated in Chicago.” At the end of this song, Kendrick’s fiancé Whitney says to him, “You did it. I’m proud of you. You broke a generational curse.” To me, it feels like Kendrick’s trauma of constantly being asked if his cousin molested him correlates with how he treated women. Of course, he always had a choice whether or not to treat women the right way, but I think Kendrick was subconsciously affected by this in a negative way. Now that he faced that trauma while also discovering the truth about his mom being abused–on this song and after the therapy–he’s able to overcome that pain. While overcoming that pain and vowing to be a good husband and father, Kendrick has now broken a generational curse. I believe this is the piece of the puzzle that unlocks a deeper, more powerful meaning for Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers.
I want to circle back to the moment when it felt like I unlocked something about this album. After my sister told me she didn’t like the way Kendrick was speaking about women and I listened to the album again, the song “Mother I Sober” really hit me. In this song, he talks about his mother constantly asking him if his cousin ever molested him. He tells his mom that the cousin never touched him but the constant asking traumatized him and always made him question things. Later in the song, he raps, “There’s a lustful nature that I failed to mention. / Insecurities that I project, sleeping with other women. / Whitney’s hurt, the purest soul I know, I found her in the kitchen. / Asking God, “Where did I lose myself? And can it be forgiven? / Broke me down, she looked me in my eyes. “Is there an addiction?” I said, “No,” but this time I lied. I knew that I can’t fix it. / Pure soul, even in her pain, know she cared for me. / Gave me a number, said she recommended some therapy. / I asked my momma why she didn’t believe me when I told her “no.” / I never knew she was violated in Chicago.” At the end of this song, Kendrick’s fiancé Whitney says to him, “You did it. I’m proud of you. You broke a generational curse.” To me, it feels like Kendrick’s trauma of constantly being asked if his cousin molested him correlates with how he treated women. Of course, he always had a choice whether or not to treat women the right way, but I think Kendrick was subconsciously affected by this in a negative way. Now that he faced that trauma while also discovering the truth about his mom being abused–on this song and after the therapy–he’s able to overcome that pain. While overcoming that pain and vowing to be a good husband and father, Kendrick has now broken a generational curse. I believe this is the piece of the puzzle that unlocks a deeper, more powerful meaning for Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers.
Throughout the album, we hear tap-dancing on numerous songs. At the end of “We Cry Together,” we also hear Whitney say, “Stop tap-dancing around the conversation.” I believe Mr. Morale is Kendrick trying to be good and attempting to abide by his morals, and I believe The Big Steppers are the demons and vices trying to pull Kendrick in the wrong direction. I think the tap-dancing sounds represent The Big Steppers approaching Mr. Morale–whether he chooses to indulge or avoid these demons is on him.
Circling back to the thesis that was provided by the theme of “The Heart Part 5,” the big message that I took away from this album is “perspective leads to empathy, and empathy leads to healing.” Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers is ultimately an album about healing. It’s about the peaks and valleys of being a human. It’s about the beauty and the flaws. I’ve never been to therapy, but I would bet that it’s hard work that isn’t very pretty. I’m sure it’s messy and probably brings out the ugly. But I’d like to think the goal is to come out better.
Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers is Kendrick Lamar’s most personal and vulnerable album to date. We all wanted his response to everything that’s happened over the last few years, but instead, he chose himself, his family, his happiness and his well-being. For that, I’m happy.
Circling back to the thesis that was provided by the theme of “The Heart Part 5,” the big message that I took away from this album is “perspective leads to empathy, and empathy leads to healing.” Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers is ultimately an album about healing. It’s about the peaks and valleys of being a human. It’s about the beauty and the flaws. I’ve never been to therapy, but I would bet that it’s hard work that isn’t very pretty. I’m sure it’s messy and probably brings out the ugly. But I’d like to think the goal is to come out better.
Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers is Kendrick Lamar’s most personal and vulnerable album to date. We all wanted his response to everything that’s happened over the last few years, but instead, he chose himself, his family, his happiness and his well-being. For that, I’m happy.
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