I’ve been goin’ through somethin’
United in Grief – Track 1 on Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers
One-thousand eight-hundred and fifty-five days
Kendrick Lamar lays it all out there in his newest release, Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers. This man is not the “Savior” of hip-hop, but his artistic expression is still unmatched. The production has never been better. His lyrical work has never been better. To say “this is better (or worse) than TPAB” is a distinction that honestly misses the point.
This IS TPAB 2. This is DAMN. 2. This is GKMC 2. This is Section.80 2.
Soundscapes and thematic material come directly from Kendrick’s past work. Both discs in this double album will instantly bring you back to these past eras. It’s fantastic. We knew it would be and it is.
But of course, the million-dollar question is:
what do this album mean?
Kendrick has always been self-reflective, but never quite at this level. This isn’t just storytelling à la GKMC, or politics à la TPAB. This is deeper. This is self-work. Mindfulness. Looking within to find answers to life’s biggest questions.
- Everybody grieves differently – United in Grief
- Take off the material goods and work on yourself – N95
- We are all hypocrites in one way or another – Worldwide Steppers
These are all simple truths. There’s nothing exceptionally difficult to grasp here.
- Get out of your toxic relationships – We Cry Together
- Don’t idolize others – Savior
- Experience creates who we are – Mr. Morale
Sure, Kendrick embellishes these truths with winding stanzas entranced in hypnotizing instrumentals; his craftsmanship is undeniable, forcing us to think critically about his words and the way he says them. Yet, as fun as analyzing his music is, there’s almost an urgency to this album.
This urgency, I believe, is a direct follow-up to his previous projects:
We look at Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City, and we see Kendrick’s struggle with survivor’s guilt, his pride in his community, and his desire to make that community better.
To Pimp A Butterfly is Kendrick attempting to do something about that survivor’s guilt. That desire manifested into action. For all intents and purposes, this was a piece of art that was meant to really change the system.
“We goin’ be alrig-
Alright – Track 7 on To Pimp A Butterfly
as I write this, another racially charged mass shooting happened in a church in california
yesterday, another racially charged mass shooting happened at a supermarket in buffalo
on https://www.gunviolencearchive.org/reports/mass-shooting, there are 200 reported mass shooting ‘incidents’ that have occurred in the United States since January 1st, 2022. (By the way, this website can easily be located by google searching “mass shooting”.)
Are we alright?
Did Kendrick fail?
Of course not.
One man cannot change 246 years of systematic injustice with a single album. (even if it is the best album ever made)
So what does a man with such a mission do to come to grips with his self-imposed failure?
He looks to his past…
DAMN. is autobiographical. Kendrick shows us the dichotomy of who he is:
“Is it weakness? Is it wickedness? You decide.”
BLOOD.– Track 1 on DAMN.
- GKMC – He criticizes the culture.
- TPAB – He criticizes the system.
- DAMN. – He criticizes himself.
5 YEARS LATER.
Where do you go from this?
Why is Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers more urgent than Kendrick’s previous albums?
because it’s not about the criticisms.
We know the problems.
This album is all about the SOLUTION.
And that solution is quite uncomfortable for most…
it’s spiritual.
If I were to ascribe ‘the point’ of this album, it’s Kendrick begging people to look inward, during a time where it is increasingly more difficult to do so.
We live in a capitalistic society that urges us to be as productive as possible. Our idea of ‘self-care’ is spending money, consuming media, and scrolling through our phones as a way to distract ourselves from our dystopic reality.
And yes, this is a dystopia.
I don’t use that word lightly.
At the same time, all of our “coping mechanisms” are in danger too. The gig economy forces creators to adhere to algorithms instead of artistic intent, therapy is commoditized and unavailable to most people, meditation is oftentimes just a trend on social media, and let’s be honest – religion is all but organized these days.
And this doesn’t even get into the issues surrounding young people on social media.
Children are desensitized to events that most adults aren’t even emotionally mature enough to work through. Mental illness is at a seemingly all-time high, and we’re not even sure if that’s a result of more people being aware of the issues they struggle with, or if our system is just so royally screwed that most people don’t know how to handle daily life anymore.
These are the REAL problems that plague our people.
These are the problems that must be solved or there is no ‘fixing the system.’
The solution that Kendrick presents?
It’s that inner work.
Self-reflection. Self-evaluation.
It doesn’t matter what you call it, or how you get there.
It just matters that you get there.
I think back to my past “one-thousand eight-hundred and fifty-five days.”
How much I’ve changed in these past 5 years.
How much I’ve gained. How much I’ve lost.
I struggle with survivor’s guilt. I struggle with imposter syndrome.
I deal with depression. I probably have undiagnosed ADHD.
I act out of selfishness a lot. I try to act out of selflessness more.
It doesn’t always work.
The similarities I share with Kendrick will always be greater than our differences.
The same goes for my family… my friends… the community that keeps up with my art… you.
We all have work to do. Macro AND Micro.
We can’t do it alone.
We live “in a generation of pain, where murder is minor.”
We’ve gotta change that.
It sounds all ‘kumbaya’.
To say, “life is perspective” is easy. To LIVE, “life is perspective” is hard.
But we’ve got to do better.
That’s what this album illuminates for me personally.
The urgency in Kendrick’s voice – not just the sounds coming out of his vocal cords – I mean, his voice. His artistic expression.
His message could not be any clearer: Find a way to look inward.
Get alone and reflect on who you are.
Figure out what makes you tick.
Emotionally. Physically. Mentally.
And then dig deeper.
Again, this is all spiritual.
Find religion, get therapy, meditate, create – whatever works for you. Even if our system abuses these coping mechanisms and tries to use them against us.
I truly believe – if each of us worked just a little bit harder at evaluating our beliefs, our goals, and our desires; not only would we be happier individually, but we’d be happier as a culture.
Find yourself.
It’s the only answer to this madness called life.
Side note: Kendrick Lamar utilizes a variety of vocal techniques and flows that have always made him standout in hip-hop. I think back on his performance on u a lot. (For the non-initiated, this TPAB track showed Kendrick at his most vulnerable, as he directly confronts himself about his deepest insecurities.) That raspy, emotionally drenched voice is haunting, and until now, I would argue that it’s the pinnacle of Kendrick using his vocal cords in an interesting and creative way. Unfortunately, that crown has been taken. I think we can now confidently say that Kendrick’s best vocal inflection ever… it’s the “huh!” in Silent Hill. Don’t @ me.
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