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

[CourtesyFlush]

I think N95 is his worst song. That's the only "bad" song on the album but I think the quality of multiple other ones is low or lower than usual. Purple Hearts is whatever to me. Not bad, would have been better from someone else.. I like Die Hard but it feels like Kendrick doesn't do much on it. It's like a Black Panther track and again feels like someone else would have elevated it higher. Crown is whatever to me...I feel like Ann Wise or someone would have sounded better doing those melodies. I like the lyrics. Silent Hill again sounds like dumbing down especially in contrast to Kodak who immediately starts killing that beat. I like Mirror but again, it's not particularly noteworthy.

Not hating on the album, I feel like it's a 3/5 or 3.5. So I'm just coming from the perspective where everything else he's done has been a 4.5 or 5 to me.

It's funny how subjective music is cause I think N95 is easily the best track. Then again I like songs that BUMP, the slower r&b tracks on this album don't do it for me at all.

 

[Killmongerplaycousin]

I didn’t like it when it first dropped, but this album has grown on me a little bit. It feels like this album has a lot of cut content. The sequencing sonically isn’t what Kendrick fans are used to. Mr. Morale is definitely the better body of work; the big steppers just felt like he had nothing to really say. To me, this feels like it may be his yeezus. That album was made for touring and the visuals conceptualized that album for a lot of ye’s audience and made yeezus more enjoyable. This also might be the case for the big steppers tour. Either that or he put this album out to hurry up and get out of the TDE deal, but that doesn’t seem like something Kendrick would do. Decent album though, Savior on repeat.

 

[SNG]

Some of y’all nikkaz be having fukked up ears if you think this album is trash. This shyt is elite. fukkin Elite. Kendrick is one of those rappers that pushes the rap game forward. A lot of y’all won’t see what he’s doing now but I guarantee you this album is going to change the game up. It’s like a biblical album certain tracks you won’t feel until your going through that feeling.

 

[Hersh]

damn Kendricks numbers gotta be hurting.. new album all over Pandora

 

[LiveFromLondon]

That We Cry Together beat should've been nothing but out and out rapping talking bar after bar type shyt

 

[ineedsleep212]

B!TCH.... are you happy for me?

 

[ineedsleep212]

Mirror and Mr. Morale grew on me a bit. I also feel like I appreciate We Cry Together on this even more. Just cuz you wouldn't bump it in a car or like randomly play it with guests in your house and shyt doesn't mean it isn't fire. It's also dope how Kendrick pushed the savior type shyt prior to the release with the album cover only to tell ppl to chill even though he himself kinda put that on himself in his career imo.

 

[Pure Water]

Only song I can listen to is Silent Hill. I can not describe how disappointed I was in this album. I get mad thinking about this shyt and just how long we waited for this album only for him to drop this shyt. shyt is infuriating.

Edit: Maybe I'm being dramatic, but it's the fukking summer. I ain't tryna hear this shyt. You drop an album like DAMN. in the summer, not something like this.

 

[Izanami]

I thought I would be playing this album front to back all year. I’m disappointed

 

[cornercommission2k12]

the cat is out the bag nikka I'm not your savior!

 

[CrimsonTider]

Only song I can listen to is Silent Hill. I can not describe how disappointed I was in this album. I get mad thinking about this shyt and just how long we waited for this album only for him to drop this shyt. shyt is infuriating.

Edit: Maybe I'm being dramatic, but it's the fukking summer. I ain't tryna hear this shyt. You drop an album like DAMN. in the summer, not something like this.

Most rap fans feel like this

 

[MeachTheMonster]

Only song thats gone stick with me going forward is Die Hard.

The rest

 

[Tennessee Ninja]

Am I the only one who starts the album from Savior Interlude and just play it out from there to the end? Savior on repeat, Auntie Diaries grew on me, Mr. Morale is the bounce beat, Mother I Sober hits different when you're driving at night in the empty streets, and Mirror wraps up the mood.

 

[Piff Perkins]

I didn’t like it when it first dropped, but this album has grown on me a little bit. It feels like this album has a lot of cut content. The sequencing sonically isn’t what Kendrick fans are used to. Mr. Morale is definitely the better body of work; the big steppers just felt like he had nothing to really say. To me, this feels like it may be his yeezus. That album was made for touring and the visuals conceptualized that album for a lot of ye’s audience and made yeezus more enjoyable. This also might be the case for the big steppers tour. Either that or he put this album out to hurry up and get out of the TDE deal, but that doesn’t seem like something Kendrick would do. Decent album though, Savior on repeat.

I get the comparison in a sense but Yeezus was more up tempo and the production really knocks. Many people on the Coli never fukked with that album but you can't deny it sounds "big" which is why that tour worked so well. It fit those huge venues and shows and sounds dramatic as fukk.


I'm very curious how this Kendrick album works live. To me it doesn't have that Yeezus sound. To me it sounds more like Pablo, for good and bad. Including with the almost troll like hooks/lyrics that you can imagine a packed arena screaming (bytch you ugly as fukk; bytch I'm attractive; Silent Hill hook; hello, crackers etc).

If I had to guess...

N95
Die Hard
Father Time
Rich Spirit
Count Me Out (with a live chorus?)
Silent Hill
Mr. Morale
Mirror

With various interludes from other tracks. The intro of We Cry Together (the Florence & The Machine sample), Worldwide Steppers beat, piano from United In Grief etc.

 

[Da King]

Y’all still pretending to listen to this?