Kendrick Lamar's Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers Pt.1 and My Thoughts on Zoe Gabrielle's Copy Video

                 Hey guys what’s up and welcome back to my blog for my thoughts on the new Kendrick Lamar album “Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers”. It’s been about two months since my last post where I interviewed amazing artist Zoe Gabrielle so let’s hope I’m not too rusty. I remember when Kendrick’s last album “DAMN.” came out, I was in my senior year of high school. I actually had the amazing opportunity that year to not only listen to the album but to visit Compton to see TDE’s Christmas Drive Fundraiser concert as well as had the chance to shake Kendrick’s hand and have him sign my “DAMN.” CD. That was a really special time for me and seeing how it’s been around six years since then, I’m excited to see how Kendrick has changed just as I have over the years. That being said, let’s just get into this. (For my thoughts on Zoe Gabrielle’s music video, just scroll down!)  

                Starting off with the intro song “United in Grief”, I think Kendrick does a great job at setting the stage for describing the current state in the world when we’re listening to this album. The world is going through a lot of conflicts, having the pandemic be the smoking gun that started this sense of grief. Kendrick starts off with him hoping that everyone in his audience finds peace in this lifetime and notes that he’s been thinking a lot since his last album. He then starts rapping about things that he sees in current times like sensitive people, broken relationships, predators, corrupt figures, broken families, fake rappers, etc. you get the point. For him though, he was able to seek out therapy and use that as a form of guidance on how he’s been able to get up every day witnessing the same things he described appear over and over again. The second part of the song shows how Kendrick tried to find solutions to his pain before he saw treatment. He notes that he tried buying things and tried living a lavish lifestyle but couldn’t find the peace he was looking for. He also talks hints towards his ‘lust addiction’ that will be talked about more in song 3, “Worldwide Steppers”.

                This song is a pretty heavy track to take in at the start of an album, even for a Kendrick album that’s been known to go over some tough topics in previous albums like the social and racial dynamic in America. However, this album takes a different approach as it tells the story about Kendrick as a man instead of the stories of people from the city he lived with as a youngster in Compton. The story of Kendrick is a complicated one, and he chooses to show us right off the bat that he’s not perfect as he’s searching for what a lot of people are looking for in today’s age, a peace of mind and a sense of belonging.

                The second song “N95” is a pretty energetic song as we see Kendrick rapping more about what he mentions in the intro. He goes over three concepts in this song things will be mixed in and scattered throughout the album with other songs. One, the song starts off with Kendrick criticizing those who think they’re better than others by the amount of material wealth that they own. Two, the second verse has him talking about how the world is trying to heal from the COVID pandemic but clearly has a long way to go as he notices that the figures we should be looking up to like “prophets” and “the law” are corrupt as they take advantage of people who don’t know better. Finally three, the bridge and outro with Baby Keem is used to criticize his community for hypocritical behavior as he feels like the black community claims that they’re the only relevant minority group in America. With the outro sharing his opinions on how cancel culture can be used as a form of suppression instead of a safety net for people, you can clearly tell that Kendrick has been watching the state of the world for quite a while now and has been meaning to share his thoughts on this.

                The third song, “Worldwide Steppers” is a little turn in the album as Kendrick starts sharing a lot more about himself. The chorus has him saying “I’m a killer, she’s a killer, bitch we some killers walkin’ zombies tryna scratch that itch…” which is a unique way of saying that we hurt each other as humans in a society in many ways as we judge one another on who they are, how they act, and who they love. The first verse has Kendrick sharing his perspective as a father, something we didn’t haven’t seen before in his previous work. He worries for his children but knows that he’ll raise them to be strong figures that will make the world a better place. Then.. we get into his ‘lust addiction’ that was hinted from the introduction. Kendrick shares numerous occasions where he specifically had sex with white women, subconsciously using this as a way to get back at the white race for his ancestors, saying “I might be racist…ancestors watchin’ me fuck was like retaliation” However, this created an issue as his act of revenge became an addiction in the eyes of his wife, leading him to seek different answers to the issues that constantly bother him. Kendrick also talks about how he had really bad writer’s block after the release of “DAMN.” and didn’t know what to do until he turned to spiritualism and religion to get the confidence to release this music. He says that he’s not the same person as before, that he thinks and acts different, and honestly I believe him. It was at this point in the album that I saw a much more humane face to the artist Kendrick Lamar, and it was honestly really inspiring to see a man highly acclaimed to open up about his insecurities and troubles, showing that no one is immune to their own vices. Finally, Kendrick talks more about corrupt institutions in society with him mentioning churches, schools, and certain platforms in the media that take advantage of the public instead of helping them through knowledge and overall guidance. He also brings up cancel culture again and criticizes it on how it scares people from sharing their opinions out of fear of being cancelled or worse.

                The fourth song “Die Hard” is a BANGER. If you’re only going to listen to a couple songs in this project, this is a really groovy one that will at least make your head bob a little or make your shoulders shimmy just a bit. This song is about dealing with personal demons while learning about how to open up to people and assessing who’s worth putting trust in. Kendrick shares his lack of trust in those around him and feels the constant stress of feeling like he’s alone in his issues and can’t really communicate to others that he needs help. Even when he does find people he cherishes and wants to open up, he is constantly fighting the lack of comfort that comes with this process and it ultimately makes him question himself even more. From this song, you can see a lot more about the issues that affect Kendrick. The amount of loss he feels from having his friends and family die at a young age keeps him up at night, and he can’t help but go over all the mistakes he’s made up to this point. This can be crippling for one’s sense of identity, and he becomes fragile when it comes to opening up to others, asking “If I told you who I am, would you use it against me?” “Can I open up? Is it safe or not?” “I’m afraid a little, you relate or not?”

                Song five is called “Father Time” and I personally think that this is a very good song. It starts off with an intro of Whitney, Kendrick’s partner, and him discussing the idea of going to seek therapy with a man named Eckhart. While it isn’t crucial to know about this guy to know what’s going on in the album, I did want to see who this dude is and apparently he’s a German author and spiritual teacher mostly known for his writings that go over topics like spiritual awakening and finding your life’s purpose. This is pretty deep stuff, and this can explain why Kendrick portrays himself the way he has thus far in the album. This song also does a great job at showing Kendrick’s new ability of self-reflection as he goes over the issues that come from living in a generation of poverty, violence, and specifically absent fathers. Kendrick shares a lot about his behavior in the past, how not having a supportive father can create an emotional callus on the child, making him feel like he can’t be emotionally available to anyone because that can be perceived as weakness in a world where you can’t show it. This has bleeding effects as it can affect your ability to open up in relationships or create this false, toxic image of masculinity in how you think about concepts like gangs and violence in the neighborhood. All of this can be extremely strenuous for someone’s mind, and even if you have the ability to escape this mentality and lifestyle, you can also hurt your mental health if you don’t give yourself time to properly analyze your past and heal from the wounds that still recur. This song is amazing because I think it does a great job at not only criticizing the illusion that men have to be emotionally insensitive, but also shows Kendrick taking that first step in confessing that he’s constantly emotional and scared. But moments like being a father can give you a second chance in facing your fears as you allow yourself to be the visible figure for your kids that you didn’t have growing up. Really cool stuff coming out from Kendrick so far.

                Song six is an interlude with artist Kodak Black sharing his experiences with the concepts discussed in the previous song as he talks to a really cool piano instrumental. He talks about how he got into trapping through his environment, seeing smart people stay in the hood to make questionable decisions. What started off as Kodak trying to fight poverty became a vicious game of kill or be killed through robberies and gang violence. The feeling of being on the top of the world from this lifestyle can be short-lived when you or a loved one enters prison, making you wonder if it’s all worth it when you waste your life behind a cell door. Kodak personally understands this as he recently went to prison, so he reflects on this by rapping about how he still tries to be a part in the hood in the ways he chooses such as feeding families and taking care of the elders he found to be inspirational in his life. I really like the line “Gotta come from something, God don’t come from nothing”, showing a sense of dignity in acknowledging where your roots are, even if it’s not the prettiest story to share. For Kodak’s case, the story ends with him being the best him as he now owns property and is able to be the man he wants to be for himself and those around him. I personally enjoyed this interlude because it shows a deeper perspective of what it’s like to live in the ghettos of Florida, something that can be often glorified in a lot of rap songs from artists from that area.

                In song seven “Rich Spirit”, we see another transition in the album as Kendrick starts rapping with more self-love towards himself. We start off with a verse that shows a fatherly instinct as he talks about how he wants to protect himself just as much as he wants to protect his daughter. He chorus is really cool as he raps “Tryna keep the balance, I’m stayin’ strong, stop playin’ with me ‘fore I turn you to a song…ayy, bitch, I’m attractive…”. This chorus shows more self-confidence in Kendrick’s ability to rap with a threat to diss anyone who comes his way with bad intentions. In verse two, Kendrick talks about how he’s struggling to form his moral compass and create the best version of himself, but also understands that situations that others put him into have nothing to do with who he is as a person and as long as he has a rich spirit, he’ll be able to get through anything. This song also includes more comparisons between white and black culture and criticizes society’s relationship with God, showing that Kendrick notices how he’ll have to find his own composure during turbulent times.

                And now we get to song eight, “We Cry Together”. Man, oh man is this…something. I was at first offput by the aggression this song promotes but damn does it do a good job at replicating an argument between a toxic couple while symbolizing both the insecurities men and women face that lead to certain toxic behaviors. I appreciate the different structure of the song having the verses have lines switching between Kendrick and Taylour Paige as if they’re talking to each other instead of singing to their audience. The chemistry between the two really shows and I like how their voices at certain points crack and sound tired as they try to imitate what it would be like to be in an actual fight like this. I thought it was interesting how the third verse addresses the idea that it’s not only men that put down women in this patriarchic society but other women as well. The lines “face innocent, fake feminist, stop pretendin’ y’all sentitments ain’t realer than what you defendin’” and “let’s talk the truth, women in general just can’t get along..” really shocked me because I personally didn’t expect Kendrick to really mention this concept as a male rapper. I definitely think it’s an interesting idea to discuss and I think this follows Kendrick’s previous notions of cancel culture and promoting how he isn’t afraid to talk about what he personally sees. The couple ends up getting back together in the end and shows the toxic cycle of relationships repeating even though there can be moments that sound like breaking points. Love is a messy emotion, and it can get tangled in a lot of inner insecurities both people may have so it’s important to talk about things like this because those same insecurities can become a fuse that can later blow up in an argument. Overall, I liked this song!

                Finally, we have track nine that concludes the first half of the album. The song “Purple Hearts” is honestly a really great song as Kendrick promotes love while contemplating the things that ails society today. I really liked the line “I know y’all love when the drugs talkin’ but shut the fuck up when you hear love talkin’” because I personally have seen circumstances where rappers that try to rap about something personal get shunned by popular artists that make music that centers around drug abuse and partying. There’s nothing wrong with making either type of music, but there isn’t a need to put down songs that center around different topics just because it isn’t hype. Kendrick’s verse does a nice job at showing his perspective on the music industry and how he sees himself in the ‘people business’ instead as he shares the stories of the people he supports and loves instead of participating in the predatory  industry we see today. The second verse with Summer Walker is AMAZING as her vocals really added a sweet emphasis on what was seen earlier in the song while promoting the growth of women that constantly fights misogyny, sexism, double standards, and the idea of a successful woman without the presence of a man in the world. The third verse by Ghostface Killah is a nice touch as well as we get his perspective on how love should be brought into the world. “Shut the fuck up when you hear His love talkin…’” is probably the best line to show his view on God and how his word can help the world if you just listen and stop talking about it’s interpretations instead. It’s only then that you’ll get the ability to really convey the message behind what God stands for and if you truly implement this form of love, you can kill greed, homelessness, and seek value within each person you come across in life.

                PHEW, okay so we went over the first half of the album and I think I’m going to call it for now just because I don’t want to drop a whole research paper on you guys. I personally think that this first half was Kendrick communicating the issues that he’s come across within himself and acknowledges that he can’t make progress within himself if he’s not able to first tackle the traumas and thoughts that keep him up at night. Whether its his ‘lust addiction’, his upbringing in a generation living with poverty and absent fathers, his upbringing in a city that was accustomed to gang violence for the sake of survival, his inner insecurities that come with being both a father and a proper partner, Kendrick has shown that acceptance is the first step to finding your true self. However, he also shares that it requires time, patience, and understanding to not only address the complications we face within ourselves, but to also understand where other people are coming from and how they think about life as well.  

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                OH, BUT YOU THOUGHT THIS POST WAS OVER?! Heck no, we got one more thing to go over. So, for those on my blog probably know I recently interviewed an artist that goes by the name of Zoe Gabrielle. During that time, her newest single “copy” just came out and it was amazing! Well, guess what folks… the music video came out. And it’s just as amazing. I really enjoy the personas she creates in her music video through the girl in a straitjacket (crazy), the girl in a pretty dress with makeup (sophisticated and nice), and the girl with messy hair ponytails (ugly). It definitely promotes the idea that there’s different sides to people and it brings up an interesting question that when you copy someone, what side of them are you actually copying? I also really enjoyed the repetition with imagery of Zoe looking inanimate yet alive in certain shots, making her look like a doll in some moments and a fleshed-out person in others. The acting and the singing was on point, and I definitely enjoyed seeing that aspect of her given everything she said in the interview about how much she enjoys theatre and acting out different characters. This was an awesome song and I think the music video did it justice! I’m excited to see what more comes out from this amazing singer, but until then, I’m going to keep this song on repeat for just a bit longer.

 

I hope you guys enjoyed this post and I’ll catch you guys next time for part 2 of Kendrick’s album.