Who is Mr Morale?
Before we can properly examine this album, we must first look at the prequel track, "The Heart part 5". Here, Kendrick essentially presents a thesis statement/abstract for the album. It's a dense 5 1/2 minutes, covering many of the topics on the album over a disco-infused beat that builds up to a glorious climax as Kendrick raps, no, preaches to his family, friends, and fans, that this is heaven. The Marvin Gaye sample is impressively used to give his various thoughts on African-American culture shape.
This dissection of "the culture" is all over Mr Morale and the Big Steppers. Kendrick opens his first album in 5 years with a mediation on the grieving process with "United in Grief", stating: "I've been goin' through somethin'/One-thousand eight-hundred and fifty-five days/I've been goin' through somethin'/Be afraid". Immediately, we get the sense that this will be something entirely different from Kendrick, something personal. That's not to say the man's never been personal, far from it. However, in the past, the personal stuff was either covered in a concept to make it more digestible (e.g. Good Kid, M.A.A.D City) or left ambiguous as to how true it is (e.g. To Pimp A Butterfly). Immediately, we see on MMatBS that he will not be covering up his artistic statements in flowery concepts, we're getting raw. Sonically, "United in Grief" follows this template, switching beats from a sparse drum to an almost marching drum beat, as strings and piano float around the sample, to just rapping as vocal harmonies run. This sonic dissonance matches the scattered nature of the song's lyrics, as Kendrick considers moments of grief in his life, how everyone grieves different, as well as his attendance of therapy and how he uses materialism to cover his grief. This sense of contradiction permeates the record, especially on the next track, "N95" where Kendrick preaches against this materialism in Black culture, having acknowledged on the last track that he participates in this behaviour too. "Worldwide Steppers" discusses his sex addiction, something we haven't seen Kendrick do before. There is no "haha maybe I killed a guy" a la "The Blacker The Berry", there is simply, as his wife says to open the album, Kendrick telling the truth. Kendrick cheated on his wife, apparently often. He recounts fucking white girls on tour as retaliation for the crimes of their ancestors. Considering this, "Die Hard" feels like an apology, acknowledging that it may be too late to seek salvation, however the act of trying is necessary. Even though he has regrets, "the past won't keep [him] from his best".
"Father Time" takes us deeper into his trauma, opening with a conversation between him and his wife about how he needs to go to therapy. Instrumentally, this track is lush, featuring a beautiful Sampha vocal during the chorus. Lyrically, it feels like a therapy session examining his "daddy issues", before eventually extrapolating it to the culture in general. This examination of toxic masculinity is rare in any genre, let alone rap. By tackling this topic, Kendrick acknowledges that daddy issues are ingrained in a culture that responds with hypermasculinity to compensate. This theme continues with "Rich - Interlude" where Kodak Black recites a monologue over a rapidly manic and chaotic piano. Kodak's presence on the album is controversial due to his allegations of sexual assault, however it's also just kind of unexpected. This is even referenced in the interlude: "What you doing with Kendrick?/What you doing with a legend?". The answer is never made clear, but we'll get to it later. "Rich Spirit" follows on, discussing materialism in hip-hop over a sparse beat and the trials it brings. It's one of the weaker songs on here, but the hook is groovy enough to carry it. "We Cry Together" is a standout, displaying a spousal argument that is perfectly metered and timed to qualify as a song. It's an impressive achievement, and well displays the forms of marital strife many experienced or grew up around. It ends with the couple deciding on make-up sex spontaneously. Luckily we don't get a full sex skit. "Purple Hearts" finishes the first disc, acting almost as a condensation of the topics discussed over the disc. Kendrick considers his infidelity again in the verses while talking about love in the chorus. This duality permeates the album as a whole, but is exemplified at a personal level here. A phenomenal feature from Ghostface Killah closes out "Big Stepper" before we move on to disc 2, "Mr Morale".
"Count Me Out" is a mediation on regret. The feeling of proving doubters wrong and leaving behind past regrets to forge on a new path is palpable, however the chorus could use some work, simply repeating "I love when you count me out". The track is one of the weaker ones to be entirely honest, nothing really sticks, however it's as close to am emotional bright spot lyrically as we've gotten thus far. "Crown" returns to the dour mediations on fame and fortune. "You walk around like everything is in control" Kendrick opens, over a slow piano piece. His melodies, frail, soar as the sparse piano rises and he realises "I can't please everybody". "Crown" is a highlight personally, and it feels the most direct Kendrick has been on this album regarding his fame and influence. He reckons with his mortality, and asks us to "keep the music in rotation" after he's gone, it's implied. This builds to a crescendo where various Kendricks reinforce the fact that not everyone can be pleased over some beautiful vocal harmonies. Many find "Silent Hill", a pretty mindless trap banger, to be disappointing after "Crown"'s stately mediations. However, to me, it feels like there's no where else a mindless song featuring Kodak Black can go on the album. He can't please everybody, and this is a reflection of that mindset. "Head up, chest out", Kendrick barrels onto just having some fun for the first time on the album. Hearing him go "pushing these bitches off me like heugh" is infectious. "Silent Hill" is the last time Kodak will appear, so this feels like a good time to talk about Kodak.
His verse on Silent Hill is mindless, touching on the topics of flexing, flexing, and flexing. That is until the end, where he mentions spending every Thursday and Sunday with his kids and laments not having a father figure. After this, he returns to the flexing, but the added context of his upbringing consisting of "just a sawed-off shotgun" makes it feel sadder than before. A man lashing out at the poverty trap through violence and wealth acquisition. Kodak's presence on the album allows Kendrick to outline that despite the difference in critical reception, fanbase, and even the personal histories of the two, they both came from the same roots, that being the reality of many black Americans. Unfortunately, many of them don't have the talent and luck that Kodak and Kdot possess, and thus they lash out in the same ways Kodak outlined. Ultimately, despite Kodak's history of rape and violence, he is a perfect candidate to help Kendrick illustrate this point, that the deified Lamar is more similar than one would expect to a project baby from Florida.
Kendrick's shedding of this deified image continues on "Savior - Interlude" with cousin Baby Keem delivering an almost stream of consciousness string of bars regarding wealth accumulation and poverty, how his job is every black kid's dream. Kendrick follows this on "Savior" referencing other rappers such as J. Cole, Future, and himself, stating "he is not your savior" before Keem returns to ask the audience "are you happy for me?" in the hook. Taken together, these two tracks serve to continue the un-deification of Kendrick Lamar, discussing in the verses that he finds it "difficult to love thy neighbour". By having Keem as such a strong precense over the two tracks, he adds a layer of background. This is his cousin. They grew up together and are now poised to live similar lives as rap-stars. Don't act like you know Kendrick like Keem does. Are you happy for them? Does it matter? You don't know these people, they are not your saviours.
"Auntie Diaries" has Kendrick diving deep into the well of familial storytelling we know and love from him, relaying the story of two trans relatives, his unnamed uncle and Mary-anne, his cousin. It is a beautiful piece, layered and brimming with subtext, showcasing his evolution into a trans ally while also acknowledging the struggles he had with acceptance in a time where trans people were not seen or validated within greater culture. His usage of slurs has indeed raised controversy among some, however I believe contextually it is justified within the work. His usage of faggot serves to underline just how common that word was back in the day, and how little people thought of the gay community in general when throwing it around. As he says, "we ain't know no better/Just kids with no filter". Another few lines that garnered controversy is the choice to deadname Caitlyn Jenner ("Way before Bruce Jenner was certain") and his cousin ("Demetrious is Marianne now"). Much like the usage of the F-slur, the Jenner line is in the context of the past, referencing her deadname to acknowledge the massive change coming out as trans entails with regards to one's identity. The cousin line is thicker to parse, however I would argue that Kendrick is saying that one's name change or change in gender identification does not disclose them from their already existing personhood. Demetrious is and always was Marianne, but she is Marianne now, the past is simply a prelude. The song comes to a head with a confrontation with a preacher who singled out Marianne at church, and it's worth noting that Kendrick stops the deadnaming and slurs from this moment (well, except for saying the F-slur as Marianne), seemingly drawing a line in the sand when the preacher calls out Marianne and their auntie. The song ends with the two cousins talking, and (Kendrick as) Marianne saying perhaps the most potent lines in the track "Kendrick ain't no room for contradiction/To truly understand love switch positions/Faggot faggot faggot we can say it together/But only if you let a white girl say nigga". Here, the track reaches it's thesis; can culture be reclaimed if a community outside of it is taking part in it? Can the f-slur be deweaponised if someone like Kendrick speaks to it's power? Can a white girl on stage saying the n-word be normalised, and would that normalisation mean the word has lost it's power to hurt? I don't have the answer to these questions, but what I do know is that in current year, Kendrick speaking on trans issues with the platform he has and the culture he belongs to, is incredibly powerful. I think he does the topic justice, however I understand reservations held by some in the trans community who believe he should not be deadnaming and throwing around slurs even if it's artistically justified. I believe the good of "Auntie Diaries" in shedding light on LGBT issues in a culture that is normally not able to parse these topics beyond a sense of homophobia outweighs the bad, especially considering that the bad is written in a context where Kendrick is clearly in the wrong for doing so and acknowledges this through the ending's shift away from such terminology. In keeping with much of the album, it's a song about growth and change, in this case towards understanding and acceptance.
"Mother I Sober" is sparse instrumentally, carried by lonely piano keys. Lyrically, this track is dense, however the dour tone matches the words said. In contrast to his braggadocios words in "N95" near the start of the album, Kendrick opens by reclaiming his sensitivity and reaffirming his saviour complex, before continuing to detail childhood trauma. Kendrick's mother would apparently question him on if his cousin touched him. While he did not, the act of the questioning served to traumatize Kendrick anyway. It is revealed that his mother was abused young (also referenced in "Mr Morale") and was thus asking to ensure that what happened to her never happened to Kendrick. In short, generational trauma has occurred, spreading through Kendrick to the point where he would turn to drinking to cope before seeking therapy. This therapeutic undertaking has resulted in "Mr Morale and the Big Steppers", a point underlined by the final lines on "Mother I Sober", spoken by his wife and child, thanking him for breaking a generational curse by trying to work through his trauma in a healthy manner. This culminates in the celebratory "Mirror". Once again, Kendrick is speaking to his audience and his own saviour complex. When Kodak Black opens the track by saying "I choose me", when Kendrick opens his verse with "Better I spare your feelings and tell you the truth... You won't grow waiting on me" before moving onto the chorus "I choose me, I'm sorry"... it's cathartic to say the least. Choosing Kodak to open such a key track in the messaging of the album's themes is a move intended to restate the aforementioned comparison between the two rappers and play on the finale of "Mother I Sober", where Kendrick states he "set free all your abusers, this is transformation". The exoneration of Kodak Black through art is codified in this "I choose me" and therefore, Kendrick exonerates himself through attempting to use his saviour status to try and save Kodak Black from himself, as Kendrick did to himself. Whether this is successful is debatable, but the sentiment is powerful. Thus, as Kendrick says "Sorry I couldn't save the world my friend/I was too busy building mine again" we understand that part of this building process is the attempt to help people in a similar position to him, like Kodak, rappers who were likely abused/traumatised from their life before the fame. It's a strong ending and one that neatly surmises the themes of the album. Which is why it's interesting to me that the aforementioned prequel track "The Heart Part V" has been added to the album as a third disc and final track on streaming platforms. This is an odd choice to me, as while it is effective at touching on the themes of the album, and reaches a catharsis in it's final refrain of this being heaven, it does not match the power of "Mirror" as a closer. The way it addresses the audience/artist divide, the saviour complex, the generational trauma, it all just works so well as a capstone to a confessional and personal work.
So who are Mr Morale and the Big Steppers? Most would say Mr Morale is Kendrick himself, with the Big Steppers being his family, his fans, his therapists, his supporters in general. While this is not a bad idea, and likely true, doesn't it seem a little boring? That's the fun of critical analysis after all, to over analyse and make tenuous connections based on little evidence. So let's do that. The interesting thing to note is that Mr Morale is the name of disc 2 (Count Me Out - Mirror) while Big Steppers is the title of disc 1 (United in Grief - Purple Hearts). Let's start there
BIG STEPPERS
This disc is darker, dealing with grief, materialism, infidelity, daddy issues, among other things. It's a disc meant to represent the mindset pre-therapy, pre-healing. As such, we can argue that the Big Steppers are the demons, the negative aspects of life that drag you down and whittle you bit by bit until you are a worse person than before. Or at least, you feel that way.
MR MORALE
Acceptance, love, dealing with trauma and choosing oneself. That's what Mr Morale is about as a disc and that's what the concept of Mr Morale is about. It's consciousness and conscientiousness as one, working through your own issues to help those around you.
Taken through this interpretation, Mr Morale and the Big Steppers is almost a yin-yang constellation. What I mean is, it's an endless battle between the two, between leaning into the demons and accepting your faults and choosing to try and fix them. Mr Morale isn't specifically Kendrick, it's a phrase representing the human act to choose the right path to help fix yourself. I haven't mentioned the most frequent collaborator on the album aside from Kodak Black yet. Eckhart Tolle has various spoken word sections at the beginning of tracks. He's a German self-help author and spirtual teacher (what is that i dont know what that is) affiliated with the New Age movement. One of his concepts is the "Pain-body". Mentioned in the ending of Mr Morale (the track), the pain-body is a representation of the buildup of stress and trauma in the body and soul over time. Actually it's got a bit to do with energy fields and the pain is carried in your energy field. To be frank, it's a bit pseudo-sciencey because Eckhart Tolle is a pseudo-sciencey type of guy. Regardless, the concept has informed Kendrick and I believe it holds some merit, divorced from the context of energy fields. Trauma stays with you, transmitting across generations to your kids and grandkids. My dad's still working through his childhood, and I'm sure my grandfather was dealing with his. Tolle's pain-body theory states that "periodically, the pain-body awakens from its dormant state and needs them to experience additional pain in order to stay alive. It needs to feed on additional pain, so it actually creates emotional pain. This is an unconscious process for most. They’re so identified with the emotion that they have no space of awareness from which they can witness the emotion. Suddenly, the person feels they’re in the grip of a very negative emotion.". Even if this strikes me as too literal a representation, I believe the point being made has some validity. An example of this in... actual science, is the psychological theory of learned helplessness where people who have experienced stressors enough tend towards feeling a lack of control and thus attempting nothing to help themselves with regards to a given issue. Kendrick's Mr Morale as a concept is about overcoming the beatdown of trauma and finding it within oneself to seek help and put in the work to overcome those problems you can change. The Big Steppers are simply a way to conceptualise the inner struggles and faults we must all overcome. The usage of Tolle as a narrator imparting his ideas and it's effectiveness will depend on how receptive you are to his brand of spirtual self-help. For me, it doesn't land, however I won't discredit the core concepts at play; that of overcoming adversity and past trauma. If Tolle's inclusion here helps someone, great, it's just not my bag.
What is my bag is Paulo Freire's Pedagogy of the Oppressed, and I think it's themes apply to this work. Freire's concept of "conscientizacao" refers to "learning to perceive social, political and economic contradictions, and to take action against the oppressive elements of reality." At the core of this album, I believe Kendrick is asking the audience to find "conscientizacao". He also asks them at various times throughout the album (namely through the Kodak prescence) to understand that abuse perpetrated stems from a deeper-lying trauma and general societal oppression. "To truly understand love switch positions", to love your fellow human you must understand their perspective. In Freire's terms, you must also free your oppressor to free yourself as you are both oppressed by greater powers. The act of oppression leads to what is termed dehumanisation in both the oppressed and the oppressor as they are stripped of their humanity due to their social roles. To reclaim one's humanity, the oppressed must also liberate the oppressor, thereby breaking the cycle of trauma. Kendrick believes the culture must be shifted to allow for both the abused and the abuser to be freed from abuse itself and that shift starts with individuals embodying Mr Morale through taking on the demons, the faults, the Big Steppers in their own life.
Through these ideas and themes, Kendrick utilises his platform not only to outline his own story and struggles, but to create a jumping off point for change manifesting through art. In essence, the album's focus on reclaiming humanity and finding "conscientizacao" is one that places Kendrick's saviour complex at the heart, compelled to create a work that can inspire others to live better. It's an admirable goal, and one I believe he succeeds in. It's a dense work if this long piece hasn't tipped you off, but it's rich with detail and strong thematic resonance. In summation, it's another great work from one of the greatest artists alive. We may have no real answer as to what the title actually signifies, however the work itself is as clear cut as any in his discography. Eat your veggies, put down the bottle, choose yourself. Be Mr Morale and fight off the Big Steppers.
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