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

[MasterThought]

Listened to every song front to back earlier today.

Can't say I enjoyed it. Doubt I'll ever revisit it.

We Cry Together is the only beat I really enjoyed and I get the premise of the song but all the profanity ruined it for me personally.

I'm at a point in my life where I can't listen to music with too much profanity.

That whole "fukk you n1gga!!" , "fukk you b1tch!!" Over and over is just cringey to me.

I'd rather listen to the instrumental.

 

[Chip Skylark]

The choir on count me out was in my head all night, thought it was a sample but the credits say otherwise. Perfectly executed by Kendrick, Sounwave, DJ Dahi, and whoever J. LBS, and Tim Maxey by getting a choir to sing on it:

The more I listened the more this album does sound like a huge rebuttal to Noname and social media critics.lol he’s not a savior, he’s not a leader, but ever since Hii power, alright, mortal man, fear, and family ties he’s called himself great and the goat and placed himself to be a “revolutionary” even entertaining it in interviews. Only to really not be not Nelson

I do wish he went into more detail on some topics he touched on instead of critiquing a issue give depth and a way to solve something you have issues with. The “I choose me” is understandable but also the equivalent to “I said what I said”

Mother I sober is beautiful.

Rich Spirit is the one! I hope it gets the video treatment.

Realizing We Cry Together was originally made for Griselda the more I want to actually hear them on that beat!


It reminds me of Dave’s Psychodrama but not as focused.
3.5/5 for me. Another good album from him.

 

[Da_Eggman]

Count me out gonna go diamond watch

 

[FunkDoc1112]

Regarding Kendrick's discog, GKMC is definitely meant to be a commercial, accessible album. TBAP feels perfectly in line with the trajectory I saw from OD and section.80, whereas GKMC is very much a 2012 major label album, just on Kendrick's terms - but it was still a departure from section.80 and I picked that up immediately at the time. For that reason, DAMN actually feels more like a followup to GKMC but with enough of Kendrick's weirdness enduring that it feels satirical at times. And now this album feels like a mix of everything.

TPAB is still everything I've wanted from a Kenny album since I first heard The Heart Pt. 2 though. That's his best work

 

[FunkDoc1112]

Nothing about J Cole is genuine

nikka just slid in after Blu fell off and managed not to be the tragic mulatto, dollar tree version of Logic

Jesus Christ, the J. Cole/ Blu comparison continues to be the laziest fukking thing ever. Just say they're light skinned

Only thing Cole has in common with Blu is the cool everyman persona; but their styles are very different and Cole was bigger than him from like the moment he got signed lmao

 

[Piff Perkins]

Album sounds amazing in the car. It started raining a couple hours ago so I decided to just drive around. I love doing that with new albums. I remember when King's Disease came out and I felt like a kid waiting for Christmas days later, just waiting for it to rain so I could listen to Car 85.

Also wanted to talk about the Kodak issue I have. I love the idea of having Kodak on the album as a fukk you to the pretentious fans who only listen to black artists if it's Kendrick/Tyler/Fran Ocean/etc. Just like Tyler through them a fukk you by having NBA Youngboy on his album, I like it in that sense.

But my issue is that the album builds to this titan climax about sexual trauma, molestation, harassment etc...and the guy narrating the album is a sexual abuser. Who also said some utterly flagrant shyt about Lauren London after Nip died. I get forgiveness and god but I feel like at some point you either take a stand or stand for nothing. And I just question how you can hope for healing when you dap up the perpetrator. I think Kodak was amazing on the interlude and Silent Hill btw. I just feel like this is a contradiction that makes it feel like all of this could be more incoherent than people want it to be.

 

[shopthatwrecks]

The amount of women that love “we cry together” is very telling lol

 

[Lucky_Lefty]

Count me out gonna go diamond watch

man, that's why I said he has to close his shows with that joint, with a choir. nikkas gonna be shedding tears in the audience. Powerful track

 

[semicko82]

Ever since GKMC Kendrick has given a spotlight to a hip hop OG

GKMC- MC Eight
TPAB- Snoop
DAMN- Kid Capri
Mr Morale-Ghostface

 

[spliz]

Album sounds amazing in the car. It started raining a couple hours ago so I decided to just drive around. I love doing that with new albums. I remember when King's Disease came out and I felt like a kid waiting for Christmas days later, just waiting for it to rain so I could listen to Car 85.

Also wanted to talk about the Kodak issue I have. I love the idea of having Kodak on the album as a fukk you to the pretentious fans who only listen to black artists if it's Kendrick/Tyler/Fran Ocean/etc. Just like Tyler through them a fukk you by having NBA Youngboy on his album, I like it in that sense.

But my issue is that the album builds to this titan climax about sexual trauma, molestation, harassment etc...and the guy narrating the album is a sexual abuser. Who also said some utterly flagrant shyt about Lauren London after Nip died. I get forgiveness and god but I feel like at some point you either take a stand or stand for nothing. And I just question how you can hope for healing when you dap up the perpetrator. I think Kodak was amazing on the interlude and Silent Hill btw. I just feel like this is a contradiction that makes it feel like all of this could be more incoherent than people want it to be.

This is the issue I tend to have with Kendrick. U never really know where he stands with shyt. Lol.

 

[Jermio]

He'll have like 30 second sections of songs that works well, but alot of it feels lazily cobbled together, and his rapping style is increasingly boring/monotonous. Why would I relisten to any of this?

 

[spliz]

I have my rating on this album. I give it a 3.75-4/5. Or a 7/10. I feel it’s better than DAMN. I could see why people would put TPAB over it. And Section 80 and GKMC are just flat out better.

 

[shopthatwrecks]

we cry together video

he should get a mail truck.... him n taylour dress up like lucky n justice...

n have regina n joe tory reprised their iesha n chicago roles..



this is the first thing i thought of when i heard that fukkin song...

 

[superchoops]

everybody talking about mother i sober and auntie diaries but father time tho?

i got daddy issues, thats on me

not gonna rate this album but definitely my favorite kdot album. i think its got a bit of everything i actually wanted from a kdot album

 

[beenz]

OK, so I like this album and all, but I DON'T like it better than pusha t's album.

and on metacritic, it has a 96/100, which is higher than MBDTF. and this album doesn't come close to touching that album sonically. yes, kendrick is much better lyrically, but MBDTF had so many scene stealing guest appearances, the rapping is closer than one would think.