Album Review: Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers by Kendrick Lamar

Words by Alex Toor

As Kendrick himself reminds us in the beginning of his first track United In Grief, it’s been exactly 1,855 days since his last full-length studio album DAMN. dropped. And in the time since we last heard his voice, he’s “been going through something” —much as most of American society and the world at large has been in the last 5 years. Over the course of the last half decade, he has had virtually no social media presence either, leaving fans on their own to wonder what Kendrick, whom many regard as the most skilled rapper alive, might have to say in regards to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 era of the Black Lives Matter movement, the Capitol insurrection, and other pendulum swinging world events.

In Worldwide Steppers, K.Dot reveals nothing moved him during his 2 years of writer’s block. With this type of lead-up, your first impression may be to assume that his 18 track long return record is jam packed full of opinions on current events to catch us up. But this largely isn’t the case. Instead, Kendrick opens up his world to us and lets us peak inside his own psyche, quickly confirming that he’s been heavily involving himself in therapy and the spiritual and self-help teachings of Eckhart Tolle, both central themes of this two disc monument.

From “daddy issues” to mental health problems to struggling with the everlasting effects of toxic masculinity, childhood trauma, and sexual abuse, Kendrick sprawls out across the virtual chaise lounge of the album’s therapy session to speak his truth, outline his thought process, and let us in on his inner progression. Never talking down to his audience, we are all the more enlightened to have his insight.

Amongst a wide variety of topics spoken of here that are rarely, if ever, discussed at large by most mainstream artists on this level, the one that both caught me by surprise and moved me the most would be the platforming of transgender people on Auntie Diaries. On this track, Kung Fu Kenny tells us the story of his two trans relatives — whether based in reality or metaphor, the jury is still out. Kendrick describes his early life exposure to the transgender struggle and juggling his perspective with that of childhood onlookers chanting derogatory slurs. “We ain’t know no better.” Kendrick later describes standing up to his pastor in church in defense of his cousin, Mary-Ann, who is regarded as an abomination by their religious leaders. It’s at this point in the song that things shift dramatically. Kendrick immediately ceases his inconsistent practice of misgendering and deadnaming, demonstrating his progress as he formally chooses “humanity over religion”. The track closes with Kendrick’s cousin bringing up Kendrick’s own hypocrisy, referencing the viral incident at 2018’s Hangout Festival in Alabama when Kendrick brought a white fan on stage to rap along m.A.A.d city who chose to rap the lyrics verbatim. Kendrick disapproved of her use of the N-word on stage and ultimately cut her performance alongside him short as a result. Mary-Ann points out to Kendrick the parallels of non-LGBTQIA2S+ folks dropping “f-bombs” and suggests to him “to truly understand love, switch positions”.

Throughout tracks like Savior and closing-piece Mirror, Oklama informs listeners that he has been intensely focused on killing his ego wherever possible. That no matter what he had done or produced publicly in the last 5 years, he could not have fixed the world’s problems for us. That ultimately he had to choose to prioritize himself and his immediate family (as depicted on the album artwork, shot by Renell Medrano) during these times of both internal and external crisis.

“Sorry I didn’t save the world, my friend.

I was too busy building mine again.”

Kendrick may have chosen himself and his own therapeutic journey over pumping out 5 years worth of hits that his fans had grown accustomed to, but one thing’s for certain after listening to this record: we are all better off as a result of his own self-prioritization.

Rating: 10/10 - Modern Masterpiece

Listen to the album here, and follow Kendrick Lamar on Instagram.