Kendrick Lamar - Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers (Discussion Thread)

[MeachTheMonster]

This is how I know you didn’t listen fully. These are the same criticisms that have been made since TPAB that people are still applying to every album. There are max three songs on here that deal with social issues in a major way.

Stop it, i’m not the one NOT listening apparently. There’s only a few songs on the album that DONT deal with these issues.

Die hard, Purple hearts, Crown.

The Few songs i actually like and will listen to going forward

if you listened you would know that he specifically says don’t look to him as a savior on these topics.

Nobody said he needs to be a savior.

I said the topics are shallow and the music itself is not fun to listen too.

Everyone doesn’t have to be deep. But the music gotta be fun/entertaining. He hit neither on this album. Audibly it’s a chore to listen to, and the lyrics don’t give me anything to come back for.

The theme of this album is his own experiences and trauma not lecturing or trying to add something new to conversations. Why would you even look to him or any rapper for that anyway? He’s not a sociologist

Any media i consume i’m looking for fun/entertainment/enlightenment.

Outside 1 or 2 songs this album has none of that

 

[Big Boss]

This is how I know none of you simple muthafukkas behind this screen name are black men
Whether some of you nikkas like it or not
Or too scared to talk about black male trauma in families
Or were the lucky ones that never had to endure shyt like this
This was an important piece for the times we are living in
Everything ain’t about entertainment, making you feel good or vibe to
This album should be highlighted on getting tough conversations going about what’s going on with black men
Black men’s mental status
Black men/women relationships
It’s always funny to me how this board is suppose to be so problack
Especially this tired ass screen name that has said the most egregious shyt time and time again about black men
Loves posting threads on black pathology in the TLR
Casting aspersions and down talking black men as whole
And it’s goofy nikkas co-signing this shyt
Ain’t no way boy, ain’t no fukkin way y’all proud black men
Nor are you trying to see PERSPECTIVE(message)
It’s easy to talk about crash test dummies
What you would do
Blah, Blah, Blah
But a black man finally gives you an important piece of work to marinate on
Take away from and to finally start dealing with your demons/demons as a whole that black men face 24/7
And this the shyt that’s not profound to you
You wonder why Andre 3k doesn’t make music anymore
Why Lute, Caleborate, Earthgang, Domo Genesis and so many more aren’t as big
Because nikkas don’t want shyt like this
I’ll even throw Isiah Rashad in there
It takes a lot to be vulnerable and live in your truth as a black man
We still trying to hold on to that stereotype of I don’t need nobody
That couldn’t have happened to you because I didn’t experience that
But want to run your goofy asses into a thread screaming RIP
When a nikka dies from self induced illnesses because he didn’t work on his trauma
Trying to keep the image of being strong
Ain’t no black man walking this earth that hard 24/7
You a gotdamn lie if you say you are
I thank KDot for this
It’s making friends and brothers text me and vice versa
But this thecoli so I don’t expect much out of most you nikkas anyway
He’s not a savior but he is one of our most important rappers of right now

 

[Black Mamba]

bytch EWWW YOU UGLY AS fukk!!!!!!!!

This album god damn god damn GOD DAMN
N95 GOD DAMNNNNN

 

[Peak]

Mans really recorded a domestic dispute over an alchemist beat lol song made me turn the album off.

A complete waste of an Alchemist beat.

 

[Why-Fi]

i like the first song and the joint with kodak. huh

 

[Da_Eggman]

youtube

it's 2022

 

[GoldenGlove]

This thread

J Cole isn’t better than Kendrick at anything lol

Cole is more versatile and has leveled up lyrically since FHD. Kendrick can put together a better conceptual album and is a great storyteller.

However, J.Cole has surpassed him as a pure rapper.

Cole also already did 2 conceptual albums with 4YEO and KOD, at this point he's having fun, collaborating and just rapping. He doesn't need to do all the extra conceptual deep shyt anymore, Cole is able to express his sentiments on the same topics Kendrick covered on this album much more concisely than creating an entire project about it.

You nikkas just not listening.

I know for a fact I'm personally not going to listen to this Kendrick album more than I listened to The Off-Season or the last Dreamers release

 

[bigde09]

This is how I know none of you simple muthafukkas behind this screen name are black men
Whether some of you nikkas like it or not
Or too scared to talk about black male trauma in families
Or were the lucky ones that never had to endure shyt like this
This was an important piece for the times we are living in
Everything ain’t about entertainment, making you feel good or vibe to
This album should be highlighted on getting tough conversations going about what’s going on with black men
Black men’s mental status
Black men/women relationships
It’s always funny to me how this board is suppose to be so problack
Especially this tired ass screen name that has said the most egregious shyt time and time again about black men
Loves posting threads on black pathology in the TLR
Casting aspersions and down talking black men as whole
And it’s goofy nikkas co-signing this shyt
Ain’t no way boy, ain’t no fukkin way y’all proud black men
Nor are you trying to see PERSPECTIVE(message)
It’s easy to talk about crash test dummies
What you would do
Blah, Blah, Blah
But a black man finally gives you an important piece of work to marinate on
Take away from and to finally start dealing with your demons/demons as a whole that black men face 24/7
And this the shyt that’s not profound to you
You wonder why Andre 3k doesn’t make music anymore
Why Lute, Caleborate, Earthgang, Domo Genesis and so many more aren’t as big
Because nikkas don’t want shyt like this
I’ll even throw Isiah Rashad in there
It takes a lot to be vulnerable and live in your truth as a black man
We still trying to hold on to that stereotype of I don’t need nobody
That couldn’t have happened to you because I didn’t experience that
But want to run your goofy asses into a thread screaming RIP
When a nikka dies from self induced illnesses because he didn’t work on his trauma
Trying to keep the image of being strong
Ain’t no black man walking this earth that hard 24/7
You a gotdamn lie if you say you are
I thank KDot for this
It’s making friends and brothers text me and vice versa
But this thecoli so I don’t expect much out of most you nikkas anyway
He’s not a savior but he is one of our most important rappers of right now

Great post.

 

[Loose]

Cole is more versatile and has leveled up lyrically since FHD. Kendrick can put together a better conceptual album and is a great storyteller.

However, J.Cole has surpassed him as a pure rapper.

Cole also already did 2 conceptual albums with 4YEO and KOD, at this point he's having fun, collaborating and just rapping. He doesn't need to do all the extra conceptual deep shyt anymore, Cole is able to express his sentiments on the same topics Kendrick covered on this album much more concisely than creating an entire project about it.

You nikkas just not listening.

I know for a fact I'm personally not going to listen to this Kendrick album more than I listened to The Off-Season or the last Dreamers release

Yeah i agree with this kendrick struggled with the entertainment part this album, we cry together for example while a dope concept i I'd probably never go back to cause its not entertaining song. DAMN for example was a really straight foward album but it was really entertaining and had replay value.

 

[Diunx]

Who has the mustard?

 

[spliz]

Cole is more versatile and has leveled up lyrically since FHD. Kendrick can put together a better conceptual album and is a great storyteller.

However, J.Cole has surpassed him as a pure rapper.

Cole also already did 2 conceptual albums with 4YEO and KOD, at this point he's having fun, collaborating and just rapping. He doesn't need to do all the extra conceptual deep shyt anymore, Cole is able to express his sentiments on the same topics Kendrick covered on this album much more concisely than creating an entire project about it.

You nikkas just not listening.

I know for a fact I'm personally not going to listen to this Kendrick album more than I listened to The Off-Season or the last Dreamers release

It’s funny. I’m seeing people accuse nikkas of being non black and all kinda shyt because they have criticism of Kendrick and the album but will be quick as fukk to shyt on Cole and have been shytting on Cole regardless of what he puts out or the themes attached. He’s been tackling the same themes as Kendrick and a lot of the same things Kendrick tackled on this album and nikkas shytted on him and compared him to Kendrick. Called him boring. All kinda shyt.

 

[spliz]

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.

I can’t tell if ur agreeing with me or not.

 

[Piff Perkins]

Is it bad that it reminded me of electric circus?

Disjointed polarizing etc. I don't hate either albums but I'll def pick and choose what I run through again from this. I usually let his albums flow thru.

Pissing off gays tho? There's literally nothing to be mad about unless you don't understand English. Song wasn't gay bashing at all.

They ain't happy and it'll bleed in virtually every think piece that comes out on this album.

I'm not gay or trans. I'm not going to tell people in those communities I should be able to say words they find harm in. Ironically that's literally the point he was making so while I get your argument it comes off sloppy. I wouldn't expect a white rapper to get away with saying nikka to make some wider sociological point. And before I get hit with "it's the same" nah. It's not an Olympics competition on which word is worse (undeniably ****** is worse), the point there are some words you shouldn't say if you aren't in that community. You call a Polish person a pollack and you getting knocked yet they use it amongst themselves. You call an Italian a wop and you getting knocked out, yet they use it.

End of the day I don't think Kendrick's intentions were bad and he even goes far enough to say he lost faith in religion watching Christians judge his family member for who they were.

 

[Mastamimd]

They ain't happy and it'll bleed in virtually every think piece that comes out on this album.

I'm not gay or trans. I'm not going to tell people in those communities I should be able to say words they find harm in. Ironically that's literally the point he was making so while I get your argument it comes off sloppy. I wouldn't expect a white rapper to get away with saying nikka to make some wider sociological point. And before I get hit with "it's the same" nah. It's not an Olympics competition on which word is worse (undeniably ****** is worse), the point there are some words you shouldn't say if you aren't in that community. You call a Polish person a pollack and you getting knocked yet they use it amongst themselves. You call an Italian a wop and you getting knocked out, yet they use it.

End of the day I don't think Kendrick's intentions were bad and he even goes far enough to say he lost faith in religion watching Christians judge his family member for who they were.

The most honest and balanced critique of the song came from a trans person that I saw on Twitter, where the gist of their argument was that those that cry from the LGBT community need to realize that the ideal way they look at allyship won't work. We were all kids and ignorant as hell, some are still adults as well. He's showing growth and they're still complaining

@spilz I kind of do agree, because giving an album a 100 after being out for 24 is just as bad as giving it a zero to me...this is coming from a guy that really likes this album.

 

[Ziggiy]

Cole is more versatile and has leveled up lyrically since FHD. Kendrick can put together a better conceptual album and is a great storyteller.

However, J.Cole has surpassed him as a pure rapper.

Cole also already did 2 conceptual albums with 4YEO and KOD, at this point he's having fun, collaborating and just rapping. He doesn't need to do all the extra conceptual deep shyt anymore, Cole is able to express his sentiments on the same topics Kendrick covered on this album much more concisely than creating an entire project about it.

You nikkas just not listening.

I know for a fact I'm personally not going to listen to this Kendrick album more than I listened to The Off-Season or the last Dreamers release

I honestly think its unfair to compare THIS particular album to Cole’s conceptual albums like 4YEO and KOD. This album is a very very personal, raw, even uncomfortable at times treatise on one man’s reckoning with his own trauma and attempts to heal. I hesitate to even call this a “concept album” in the traditional sense of telling a cohesive story. This album literally sounds like Kendrick rapping his therapy sessions. I don’t think its fair to say that Cole, or any MC, could do “better” at this type of project.


Comparing Cole’s conceptual work to albums like GKMC and TPAB seems like a more fitting assessment, and as much as I fukking LOVE 4YEO (I think Cole pulled it off pretty flawlessly and its my favorite album of his) I think both of Kendrick’s albums are objectively better than Cole’s.