Kendrick Lamar - Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers (Discussion Thread)
- Thread starter FS4LFE
- Start date
Sing about me dying of thirst probably one his best songs ever on that album. And its more digestible album front 2 back, pretty easy to see how a hiphop fan would prefer that
spliz
SplizThaDon
shyt is a joke. Lol
spliz
SplizThaDon
Who are u nikkas man? Lol
IIVI
Superstar
50+ pages on this thread in less than 24 hours 
.
For an album release in 2022 on here that's a lot of discussion.
.For an album release in 2022 on here that's a lot of discussion.
Mastamimd
Ain't shyt
Dog I'm all for you feeling a certain way, but the album hasn't been out for 24 hours...I like it a lot, but this is one of my main problems with criticism...there's definitely a bias lol. But it won't matter...they want him to have the crown *shrugs*
8.5/10 over here by the way, potential to be a 9 maybe.
FappleMeOff
All Star
When Kendrick tries to make R&B songs 
Piff Perkins
Veteran
This is a baffling album. At times reaching stunning highs and disappointing lows. Often times uncomfortable, powerful, sometimes embarrassing. The long wait for the album makes sense now. God knows how many iterations he went through - initially the rumor was a heavily rock influenced album - before getting here. This is a man bearing his soul and daring you to criticize him without looking in the mirror first.
Musically the album starts off with misteps. United In Grief isn't bad but is a rather jarring and unexpected intro, especially for a Kendrick album. N95, to me, is the worst Kdot song since No Makeup off S80. So imagine my terror when Worldwide Steppers started and he hit me with some Canibus flows; thankfully the track calms down and became the first track I enjoyed. The first standout doesn't come until Father Time for me, which is also where you start to get a sense of the anguish this man has been in. Generational traumas and hurt we pass down like heirlooms, no thought or care involved. The beat, the lyrics...the hook/feature...just a perfect song.
We Cry Together confirmed yea...this isn't a game. That shyt is hell on earth. The birth of a lot of us. My parents get to arguing over the most minor shyt and I just bounce now. Whether it's a random day or Thanksgiving, I just gotta get outta there and go home. BTW I love the horns at the beginning of the song, and the singing (sounds like the chick from Florence And The Machine?)...and IMO having heard the album a couple times it kinda makes the absence of Terrance Martin more noticeable. That intro is so dope and I wish there were more horns (and better strings) on other tracks.
Speaking of instrumentation there's this simple, elementary school play vibe to some of the piano stuff. There is definitely something theatrical about it, it feels like there are act breaks. Not to mention the (literal) tap dancing.
Second disc is def more consistent....and more unsettling. The trauma...especially black male trauma. I don't think I've heard a major black man speak about this, on a platform like this.
More thoughts later, including stuff I didn't like.
Musically the album starts off with misteps. United In Grief isn't bad but is a rather jarring and unexpected intro, especially for a Kendrick album. N95, to me, is the worst Kdot song since No Makeup off S80. So imagine my terror when Worldwide Steppers started and he hit me with some Canibus flows; thankfully the track calms down and became the first track I enjoyed. The first standout doesn't come until Father Time for me, which is also where you start to get a sense of the anguish this man has been in. Generational traumas and hurt we pass down like heirlooms, no thought or care involved. The beat, the lyrics...the hook/feature...just a perfect song.
We Cry Together confirmed yea...this isn't a game. That shyt is hell on earth. The birth of a lot of us. My parents get to arguing over the most minor shyt and I just bounce now. Whether it's a random day or Thanksgiving, I just gotta get outta there and go home. BTW I love the horns at the beginning of the song, and the singing (sounds like the chick from Florence And The Machine?)...and IMO having heard the album a couple times it kinda makes the absence of Terrance Martin more noticeable. That intro is so dope and I wish there were more horns (and better strings) on other tracks.
Speaking of instrumentation there's this simple, elementary school play vibe to some of the piano stuff. There is definitely something theatrical about it, it feels like there are act breaks. Not to mention the (literal) tap dancing.
Second disc is def more consistent....and more unsettling. The trauma...especially black male trauma. I don't think I've heard a major black man speak about this, on a platform like this.
More thoughts later, including stuff I didn't like.
I know it's been addressed but when I say "digestible" I'm mostly referring to the instrumentation and song structure. I'm talking about the improvisation, weird voice changeups etc. Hell even featuring a singer like Bilal is out of left field. There's a formula to "pop appeal" and I think he straddles the fence pretty nicely but isn't afraid to veer off. Same reason I like Earthgang or Tank & the Bangas. Jazz fusion type shyt.
Seems you just wanted to attack me to defend Kendrick.
Do better.
People have opinions. You don’t need to defend Kendrick.
What i mean by “woke twitter” is it’s fake “deep”. Same like the nikkas on twitter that wanna tell you to “wake up” and drink Alkaline water.
There’s clearly an attempt at enlightenment, but it’s coming from a very shallow place, from a guy who’s still learning himself and doesn’t really have anything unique to add to the conversation. Just repeating things he’s heard elsewhere. All on top of weird ass annoying “artsy” production and arrangement.
Type of shyt i would a been drooling over as a teen/young adult. But now it’s just annoying like them young nikkas on twitter that think they are more enlightened than everyone else cause they read some DR. Sebi teachings. And cooked some Alkaline cookies for their girl
Ultimately it’s a very shallow, tertiary commentary on the issues we all know too well. And the songs ain’t even fun to bop to
You’re just throwing a bunch of word salad nonsense out there that has no bearing or meaning no matter how many times you mention “alkaline” It’s ironically what you are trying to accuse fans of this album of doing. Just say it’s not for you fam. All this reverse psychoanalysis trying to out work the other side just makes you as bad as the hardcore fan boys.
PS- You being pointed out as a failed SoundCloud rapper trying to give deep substantive criticism on not just Kendrick but any successful artist isn’t an attack it’s just stating the obvious
This is some condescending ass shyt right here. You wrongly assume he isn't self aware. He never suggests that his ideas are novel. Hell, on something like Savior he addresses the topic directly:
Fun fact, I ain't taking shyt back
Like it when they pro-Black, but I'm more Kodak Black
The few times he’s actually speaking on social issues it’s to shyt on that whole summer of 2020 movement and Twitter activism in general. You can always tell who actually listens to shyt on here
Scustin Bieburr
Baby baybee baybee UUUGH
If you started the stream or spun the disc expecting bangers you could bump in the whip(like swimming pools) or at the gym(like DNA) you'll be disappointed. This album feels very personal, its him speaking on his emotions and those around him. I probably won't be listening to it that often because to be honest I've got enough shyt to make me upset and the tone of the album to me just made me think "pain" this man is speaking on all forms of pain that a person goes through, and I'm just not in the head space for that.