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

[Regular_P]

I lowkey think Kendrick made this album just to stump Logic from trying to copy him on various songs

for example, people like Jay-Z use "The Game" to talk about the rap game but it's a double entendre talking about Game the rapper on various subliminal songs, but Kendrick like on N95 talked about "Logic" but may be a double entendre/subliminal as to "Take off the new Logic" and "who do you think they copy? they copy off us" and "you out of pocket, you entertain the mediocre, you need to stop it" because this new Logic has been copying Kendrick for practically years...kendrick can basically shoot himself in the foot on this album and still have fanfare, but if Logic copies this shyt, he's basically shooting his career in the head, which is probably what might happen if Logic is stupid enough to copy this evasive maneuver pulled by Kendrick, and may have had an hiatus or is sitting on unreleased music to see if Logic would copy anyone else and Logic fake-retired and shyt when Kendrick didn't have any new songs to copy from these last 5 years...so basically the rest of Kendrick's new album was making up artistic shyt and changing his voice inflections so that Logic can't easily distill and copy...instead of beefing and being fully confrontational about it, Kendrick is playing an elaborate chess game so Logic doesn't get any exposure, because in beef parody, both sides get attention, but Kendrick is downplaying his copycat opponent by not mentioning him but only for those who can figure out subluminals like we are back in the 90s as listeners

i may be reading too much into this -- kendrick could have really just made post-corona club bangers the whole album to get people out of cabin fever from staying indoors and it would have been lit, but he's too smart to not have a reason for all of this to be an album, strategically have singles with subliminal messages, and not just some throwaway songs for a mixtape...for example, Humble's "sit down lil bytch" from his DAMN album was directed towards Big Sean and partially Jay Electronica the whole song (read rapgenius annotations) -- it was fire but went above everyone's heads on who the lil bytch he is talking about to be humble the whole song...when kendrick is making someone take off their fake persona, it might be towards everyone in the industry or real life and also towards logic, we're just not certain at the moment until more details come out of kendrick's camp

other notes if this is true "take off the black and white" may be a subliminal at logic being biracial, "take off the flex" -- flex is logic's favorite word...and there are a lot of Quentin Tarantino type shots for the N95 music video, which may be another layer of the diss given logic claims he is the Quentin Tarantino of rap, so a bunch of collage type shyt was in the video almost mocking Logic to copy it, like "THIS shyt HARD" on the video may induce logic to come up with another 3 words and put it on his music video almost as a taunt because kendrick knows he's being copied. N95 is obviously talking about taking off the corona mask that people hide behind.."what would you do for aesthetic" and talking about sell your soul and sell your bro for leverage talking about hypocrites sounds like blatant Logic disses because kendrick is ticked Logic is copying him so much...look into this to see if any of this has any weight or merit

@KingBenji

 

[JodyHiighroller]

@KingBenji

I ain’t reading that bullshyt

 

[Tetris v2.0]

The idea that Kendrick made this album just so Logic's cat-in-the-hat ass couldn't copy him is hilarious

 

[John Mexico]

The idea that Kendrick made this album just so Logic's cat-in-the-hat ass couldn't copy him is hilarious

Hes such a weirdo artist that I can see it

If he ever comes out and says it or this fact leaks he is the greatest artist of all time

 

[tuckgod]

Kendrick is a special artist. I'd probably put this at the bottom of his major releases, yet I'd still give it an 8.5. Who else has 4 releases this ambitious and conceptual, yet commercially successful? I really like that he went left on this album and focused more on his personal well-being and state of mind. I have a baby on the way and have worked myself to the bone during COVID. I've done a lot of therapy to deal with losing people close to me and adjusting to my new normal. I find this album to be the most relatable to my current situation even if it's less accessible and harder to just "throw on" in the background

Repped

 

[tuckgod]

We all know Kendrick is an amazing artist. A lot of people are feeling this album and a lot of people aren't. Its just getting mixed reviews. Why are some of yall trying to force people to sway their opinion on it. You can't hit a home run everytime. Im cool with it being a average album at best. Some high highs and low lows.

Point out the low lows.

Also some albums this year you think is better.

 

[dora_da_destroyer]

We all know Kendrick is an amazing artist. A lot of people are feeling this album and a lot of people aren't. Its just getting mixed reviews. Why are some of yall trying to force people to sway their opinion on it. You can't hit a home run everytime. Im cool with it being a average album at best. Some high highs and low lows.

Exact reason I usually visit Kendrick threads at least a month after release. I got dude in my top 5 but the amount of spin people on both side put on his projects make them a drag to discuss

 

[Pinyapplesuckas]

on listen 4 or 5 and this album just aint clicking for me brehs. kendrick still the chosen one but i cant get into this album at all. just nothing i want to run back.

 

[ineedsleep212]

I can’t accept this when Kodak has shown no remorse for what he’s done, on the album or in the past. It comes off as a weird contradiction to buildup to a climax about sexual molestation and rape of our women AND men, after having a literal rapist help narrate the album.

The question for me becomes when you say you don’t judge does that mean you don’t think anyone should pay consequences for anything? If your sister or family member is raped? I get the forgiveness factor, but do you think the rapist should go to jail? Be ostracized? Anything? That’s my question and concern about this.

I 100% get the bolded and why people have an issue with it. I don't think he's saying even to forgive. I don't know if he thinks Kodak is on that path to change but he is saying he identifies with him and his behavior reminds him of his own and is probably derived from the same type or intergenerational trauma.

On the second bolded part, again I don't think he's saying we should excuse people's actions and that justice shouldn't be served. It's similar to the cancel culture mentioned. It's about the rehabilitation process. I don't know all the details of all of the alleged rape cases but there's obviously a pattern of disturbing behavior which makes this idea harder to deal and probably intentional.

Hurt people hurt people
-from The Heart Pt 5

I think about Robert Kelly
If he weren’t molested, I wonder if life’ll fail him

From Mr Morale

Kendrick is basically looking at the world with the new knowledge of how his own trauma affected his behavior. You mentioned being ostracized. I think thats more of what he's looking at. Again Kodak aint the cleanest example of this cuz he hasn't faced his own behavior, sounded remorseful but at the end of the day, you have to believe people can change (thats what hes saying cuz he did) otherwise why even let em out.

 

[Suspicions]

I saw someone compare this to one of the Roots albums. I forgot which one but wanna say things fall apart? Anyone feel that way?

 

[tuckgod]

I feel like Rich spirit will end up being the smash hit on the album.

Song of the summer

 

[Chip Skylark]

I saw someone compare this to one of the Roots albums. I forgot which one but wanna say things fall apart? Anyone feel that way?

I know it give me a sec

 

[Abstract83]

Exact reason I usually visit Kendrick threads at least a month after release. I got dude in my top 5 but the amount of spin people on both side put on his projects make them a drag to discuss

Factz. Its ok for your favorite artists to have a underwhelming project. He'll bounce back on the next one. I do appreciate the effort. Its songs I'll go back to like

United In Grief
N95
Silent Hill
Rich Spirit
Savior
Auntie Diaries

 

[breakfuss]

I saw someone compare this to one of the Roots albums. I forgot which one but wanna say things fall apart? Anyone feel that way?

I can't think of a single album from either discog that's similar. And I tried.

 

[InstantKlassik]

Dudes get mad because you don't love an album just as much as they do fukking children.