Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers album cover. (Kendrick Lamar, pgLang/Top Dawg Entertainment/Aftermath/Interscope Records)

Score: A 

“One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five days / I’ve been going through somethin’” . That’s a line from the first song off the new album Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers. One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five days alludes to the five year gap between his last album DAMN. and this one. Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers is Lamar’s fifth album and he doesn’t disappoint. This double album features 18 songs split into two discs and will be the last album with his long time record label Top Dawg Entertainment. It also boasts an array of stars including Kodak Black, Summer Walker, Ghostface Killah and Baby Keem. 

Steeped in intricate wordplay and the cynical lyricism that seems to define his music, I felt at home with this album. Lamar reflects on himself and the world, touching on topics like grief, toxic masculinity and trans identity.  Lamar has the uncanny ability to interweave lyrics together in a composition to not only make it flow smoothly to your ears but also let the words tell a story with substance. 

His lyrics don’t hide behind honeyed words, Lamar continues his trend of authentic lyricism grounded in reality. In Auntie Diaries, Lamar raps about accepting relatives who transitioned in his childhood. “My auntie is a man now / I think I’m old enough to understand now,” Lamar writes. He continues to write how they became an inspiration to him. “The first person I seen write a rap / That’s when my life had changed”. 

The song has garnered lots of attention for its direct usage of a gay slur but also has received praise from fans for touching on the topic. Lamar closed the song with a memory of how he questioned a preacher when the preacher singled out Lamar’s aunt. “The day I chose humanity over religion / The family got closer, it was all forgiven,” Lamar writes. The end of the song takes a different tone. It reflects on the usage of the gay slur. “I said them F-bombs, I ain’t know any better / Mistakenly, I ain’t think that you’d know any different / See, I was taught words was nothing more than a sound”. For me, the song is characteristic of the album in that it represents Lamar’s journey as he explores ideas behind identity, religion and society. 

Although the album almost hits a whopping 75 minutes, none of it feels forced – each song is constructed with care and patience. “United in Grief” dives into how he’s dealing with his mental health, “Father Time” discusses the trauma he received from his father and “Savior” tries to remind the public that celebrities are still just people. And while it explores complex topics such as these, it flows like the sea. Sometimes delicate and meticulous and other times, unstoppable and empowering but at all times, immersive and pleasing to the ear. If you’re looking for a great rap album for your mind to ponder about and your ears to thank you for, check out Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers. 

– Keo Bunny