Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers

Last updated

Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers
Kendrick Lamar - Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers.png
Studio album by
ReleasedMay 13, 2022 (2022-05-13)
Recorded2019–2022
Studio
Genre Conscious hip hop
Length73:06
Label
Producer
Kendrick Lamar chronology
Black Panther: The Album
(2018)
Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers
(2022)
Singles from Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers
  1. "N95"
    Released: May 20, 2022
  2. "Silent Hill"
    Released: May 31, 2022
  3. "Die Hard"
    Released: August 9, 2022

Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers is the fifth studio album by American rapper Kendrick Lamar, released on May 13, 2022, by PGLang, Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE), Aftermath Entertainment, and Interscope Records. The album serves as his first release under his creative company PGLang, and his final project with TDE. It features narration by Whitney Alford and Eckhart Tolle, and guest appearances from Blxst, Amanda Reifer, Sampha, Taylour Paige, Summer Walker, Ghostface Killah, Baby Keem, Kodak Black, Sam Dew, Tanna Leone, and Beth Gibbons of Portishead. Lamar, who executive produced the album under the pseudonym Oklama, reunited with frequent collaborators Sounwave, J. Lbs, DJ Dahi, and Bekon for the majority of the album's production.

Contents

Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers is a concept album that analyzes and reflects on his life experiences during his therapy journey. Its lyrics touches on a variety of personal themes, including childhood and generational trauma, infidelity, and celebrity worship. Primarily a conscious hip hop record, the album experiments with minimalist production while incorporating elements of jazz, R&B, trap, and soul.

Upon release, Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers was met with widespread acclaim from critics, who praised Lamar's lyricism and the album's scope, although some found it inconsistent and Kodak Black's appearance controversial. The album was supported by three singles: "N95", which was a top-five song on the US Billboard Hot 100, "Silent Hill", and "Die Hard". Other promotional initiatives included headlining performances at Glastonbury Festival and Rolling Loud, and a musical guest appearance on the season 48 premiere of Saturday Night Live . Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers debuted atop the Billboard 200, marking Lamar's fourth number-one album in the United States. The album won Best Rap Album at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards and received eight nominations, including a historic fourth nomination for Album of the Year. To further promote the album, Lamar embarked on his fifth solo headlining tour, titled the Big Steppers Tour, which visited Europe, North America and Oceania.

Background

Following the release of his fourth studio album Damn (2017), Kendrick Lamar took a five-year musical hiatus. [1] During this time, he executive produced the soundtrack album for the superhero film Black Panther (2018), [2] became a father of two children with his longtime romantic partner Whitney Alford, [3] [4] and founded the creative services company PGLang with his creative partner Dave Free. [5] Lamar cites a two-year stretch of writer's block as one of the reasons behind his long absence. [6]

In December 2020, the Roskilde Festival announced that Lamar would be headlining the festival's 50th anniversary event in 2021, noting that "new material [was] on the way". [7] [8] However, the festival was cancelled in May 2021 due to COVID-19 restrictions. [9] [10] In an August blog post, Lamar announced that he was in the process of producing his final album under Top Dawg Entertainment, writing:

I spend most of my days with fleeting thoughts. Writing. Listening. And collecting old Beach cruisers. The morning rides keep me on a hill of silence. I go months without a phone. Love, loss, and grief have disturbed my comfort zone, but the glimmers of God speak through my music and family. While the world around me evolves, I reflect on what matters the most. The life in which my words will land next. As I produce my final TDE album, I feel joy to have been a part of such a cultural imprint after 17 years. The Struggles. The Success. And most importantly, the Brotherhood. May the Most High continue to use Top Dawg as a vessel for candid creators. As I continue to pursue my life's calling. There's beauty in completion. And always faith in the unknown. Thank you for keeping me in your thoughts. I've prayed for you all. See you soon enough. [11]

Recording

Rap has truly helped my expansion of self. Beyond the perception of who I believed to be. [...] Music is air to a young nigga at this point. Mr. Morale, the catalyst of my self-expression.

Kendrick Lamar on Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers [12]

Lamar described Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers' songwriting as material he's written in the past that's "just now seeing daylight" due to his own personal insecurities. He and his longtime producer, Sounwave, began recording the album in early 2019 during a week-long brainstorming session in London; the only song from the session that made it onto the album was "Father Time". Both Lamar and Sounwave described making the album as "one of the toughest creative processes imaginable" due to Lamar's privacy, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the deaths of Nipsey Hussle and Kobe Bryant. [13] [14]

During recording sessions, Lamar shielded the album away from most of his family members because he didn't want their influence or feelings to override his own; had he told them about it, then "them shits would've never came out." Sounwave admitted that there were times during the album's creation where "I was almost ready to give up music. Not going to lie to you. I was that lost and that down 'cause there was nobody dropping music and nothing coming out to inspire you." In an attempt to "stay alive and keep my hope alive in music," he took on an A&R position for both Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers and Baby Keem's The Melodic Blue (2021). [13] [14]

Lamar credits becoming a father as what made him "question everything the most." When Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers was nearing completion in May 2021, he contemplated scrapping the project because of how personal it was. He ultimately released the album because of how beneficial it would be for his children in the future. [13]

Music and lyrical themes

The standard edition of Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers is a double album consisting of 18 songs split into two sections, titled Big Steppers and Mr. Morale, of nine tracks. [15] The digital version found on streaming services contains "The Heart Part 5", originally released as a stand-alone promotional single, as a bonus track. [16] With a playing time of over 78 minutes, it is Lamar's second-longest recorded studio album behind To Pimp a Butterfly (2015). [17]

Composition

Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers is a conscious hip hop record primarily rooted in minimalist production. [18] [19] It also incorporates elements of free jazz, funk, [20] [21] psychedelic jazz, [22] blues, quiet storm, [23] R&B, [24] soul, [21] trap, [25] and West Coast hip hop. [18] Much of the album was produced by Lamar's frequent collaborators Sounwave, J. Lbs, DJ Dahi, and Bekon. [16] Other production contributions came from Boi-1da, Baby Keem, Jahann Sweet, The Donuts, Tae Beast, The Alchemist, and Pharrell Williams, amongst others. [26] Alford and spiritual teacher Eckhart Tolle are credited as narrators of several tracks. [27] [15] Songwriting contributions came from a variety of artists such as singer-songwriter Sam Dew, production team Beach Noise, and pianist Duval Timothy, in addition to Thundercat, Tommy Paxton-Beesley, and Homer Steinweiss. [26] [28]

Themes

Due to its "messy but honest" lyrical content, many critics have regarded Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers as Lamar's most confessional body of work. [29] Its concept provides an independent analysis and reflection of his life experiences during his therapy journey. [30] Throughout the album, Lamar revolves around personal themes regarding his childhood and generational trauma, [31] sexual addiction and infidelity to Alford, [32] and struggles with celebrity worship and fame. [33] Other topics addressed on the album include fatherhood, daddy issues, [34] therapeutic breakthroughs, spiritual consolation, [35] gender identity, [36] accountability, [37] fake news, cancel culture, capitalism, and performative activism. [38] [16] [15] Regarding the album's candid viewpoint, Dr. Christopher Driscoll, assistant professor of religion, Africana, and American studies at Lehigh University, writes "Within the intensely polarizing times we live today, very few artists across genres have the skill and the willingness to be so responsibly honest. Hip hop's always been better than many cultural spaces when it comes to unflinching honesty. [Lamar] runs with the latitude afforded by the hip hop culture he loves. The results are healing." [39]

Songs

In "Auntie Diaries", Lamar recollects a story concerning his transgender uncle and cousin, while referencing issues regarding societal and religious views of gay and trans individuals and those who associate with the LGBTQ+ community. [40] [41] [42] The eighth track, "We Cry Together", samples Florence and the Machine's song "June". Lyrically, it revolves around a heated argument enacted by Lamar and actress Taylour Paige. [15] [16] [43]

Release and promotion

On April 18, 2022, Lamar revealed the album's title and release date through a PGLang-headed letter. [44] Following the announcement, his website was updated with a page entitled "The Heart", which contained 399 empty computer folders. [45] Lamar confirmed the project would be a double album on May 3, by sharing a photo of the album's master copy. [46] The album artwork was revealed on May 11. [47] [48] Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers was released via digital download and streaming on May 13. [49] The album was released on CD on May 27, [50] and on vinyl and cassette tape on August 26. [51]

Live performances

On June 23, 2022, Lamar performed four songs from Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers—"Savior", "Rich Spirit", "Count Me Out" and "N95"— at French fashion house Louis Vuitton's Men's Spring/Summer 2023 show, in honor of their late artistic director Virgil Abloh, during Paris Fashion Week. [52] [53] Hours after the performance, he headlined Milano Summer Festival. [54] Lamar headlined Glastonbury Festival on June 26, becoming the first hip hop artist to close out the festival. [55] [56] As a part of his concert tour, he headlined Rolling Loud on July 24. [57] On October 1, 2022, Lamar served as the musical guest on the season 48 premiere of Saturday Night Live . [58] [59]

Singles

To help anticipate Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers' arrival, Lamar surprise released "The Heart Part 5" as a promotional single on May 8, 2022, with an accompanying music video. [60] The fifth installment to his "The Heart" song series was met with widespread critical acclaim and peaked at number 15 on the US Billboard Hot 100. [61] [62] On May 14, Lamar released the music video for "N95". [63] The song, which debuted at number three on the Hot 100, was sent to Italian contemporary hit radio on May 20, as the album's lead single. [64] The second single "Silent Hill" was serviced to American rhythmic radio formats on May 31. [65] [66] [67] "Die Hard" was sent to American rhythmic contemporary radio on August 9, as the album's third single. [68]

Tour

On May 13, 2022, following and in promotion of the album's release, Lamar announced his fifth solo headlining tour, the Big Steppers Tour, which visited Europe, North America and Oceania. Baby Keem and Tanna Leone served as the opening acts for three of the tour's four legs. [69] The October 22 performance at Accor Arena in Paris, France was livestreamed on Amazon Music's Twitch channel to commemorate the ten-year anniversary of the release of Lamar's second studio album Good Kid, M.A.A.D City (2012). [70] A director's cut of the performance was released as a concert film, titled Kendrick Lamar Live: The Big Steppers Tour, exclusively to Amazon Prime Video on November 23. [71]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic? 8.7/10 [72]
Metacritic 85/100 [73]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [74]
The Daily Telegraph Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [75]
The Guardian Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [33]
The Independent Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [76]
NME Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [77]
Pitchfork 7.6/10 [21]
Rolling Stone Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [23]
Slant Magazine Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [78]
The Times Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [22]
Uncut Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [79]

Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers was met with widespread critical acclaim. [80] At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from professional publications, the album received an average score of 85, based on 26 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim". [73] Aggregator AnyDecentMusic? gave it 8.7 out of 10, based on their assessment of the critical consensus. [72]

Ben Bryant of The Independent called the album a "tender opus from the defining poet of his generation", writing, "The rapper's first album in five years is a haunting and surprising meditation on fatherhood and family". [76] In a five-star review for The Guardian , Alexis Petridis praised the themes, lyricism and style. [33] Robin Murray from Clash enjoyed the album, saying, "Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers is one of his most profound, complex, revelatory statements yet, a double album fueled by sonic ambition, the will to communicate, and Kendrick's staunch refusal to walk the easy path". [81] Steve Loftin of The Line of Best Fit said, "It being one so vulnerable and exposing (including using his family for the artwork), stripping the skin down to the bone, is bold, beautiful, but most importantly, a reminder that an artist like Kendrick Lamar is once in a generation". [82] Reviewing the album for NME , Kyann-Sian Williams stated, "While Good Kid, M.A.A.D City showed the world what it's like to grow up as a kid in Compton, his fifth album serves up vignettes about what it's like to be a Black adult whose trauma still haunts them". [77] Rob Moura of PopMatters said, "On Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers, renowned rapper Kendrick Lamar observes the strife plaguing his kingdom and consciously abdicates the throne". [25] Writing for Exclaim! , Riley Wallace stated, "Kendrick Lamar lets it all out, and even if it's the last time we hear from him in this form, he's metaphorically put his whole heart on the table, with yet another body of work worthy of multiple spins and endless dissection". [83] Fred Thomas from AllMusic also stated that "While not always an easy listen, the album shows more of its intention as it goes, and ultimately makes sense as the next logical step forward in Lamar's increasingly multi-dimensional artistic evolution". [74]

In a four-star review for The Daily Telegraph , Will Pritchard praised the album's concept and the Kendrick's ability to take "big swings" on songs such as "Father Time" and "Worldwide Steppers". Pritchard lightly criticized the "occasional blip" on the album, citing the command to "stop tap dancing around the conversation" in "We Cry Together" as the album's most obvious misstep. [75] In a positive review, Pitchfork 's Stephen Kearse said, "On his fifth album, Kendrick retreats from the limelight and turns to himself, highlighting his insecurities and beliefs. It's ambitious, impressive, and a bit unwieldy". [21] Rolling Stone critic Jeff Ihaza said, "The Pulitzer Prize-winning rapper spends much of his fifth studio album deconstructing his own mythology. The result is at moments brilliant but on the whole, frustratingly uneven". [23] In a more mixed review, Miloslaw Archibald Rugallini of Sputnikmusic praised the album's writing and performance, but criticized the production and perceived lack of cohesion, stating that "the instrumentals rarely serve the performances they exist to enhance", and that "the listening experience is defined by languorous stretches between big moments, and becomes more of an exercise in patience than an engaging and enlivening journey". [84] Jon Caramanica of The New York Times opined that "Mr. Morale is probably Lamar's least tonally consistent work", "rangy and structurally erratic, full of mid-song beat switches, sorrowful piano and a few moments of dead air". [85]

Despite being met with widespread acclaim, Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers also received criticism. The inclusion of rapper Kodak Black on the album garnered controversy due to him having been accused of rape in 2016 and pleading guilty to first-degree assault and battery. [86] [87] [88] [89] While "Auntie Diaries" was met with praise from critics and some transgender listeners, [90] [91] the song was also met with criticism due to Lamar's repeated usage of "faggot", in addition to accusations of deadnaming and misgendering his trans relatives and media personality Caitlyn Jenner. [92] [93] [94]

Year-end lists

Select year-end rankings of Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers
PublicationListRankRef.
Billboard The 50 Best Albums of 2022
4
Complex The Best Albums of 2022
1
Exclaim! Exclaim!'s 50 Best Albums of 2022
6
The Guardian The 50 Best Albums of 2022
2
The Independent The Best Albums of 2022
3
NME The 50 Best Albums of 2022
5
Pitchfork The 50 Best Albums of 2022
13
Rolling Stone The 100 Best Albums of 2022
11
Slant Magazine The 50 Best Albums of 2022
7
Time The 10 Best Albums of 2022
8

Industry awards

Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers was the most nominated album by a male artist at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards, receiving eight including Album of the Year, Best Rap Album, Song of the Year and Record of the Year. [105] Lamar became the first artist in any genre to be nominated for Album of the Year with four consecutive lead studio albums since Billy Joel (1979–1983). [106]

Awards and nominations for Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers
YearCeremonyCategoryResultRef.
2022 American Music Awards Favorite Hip Hop Album Won
BET Hip Hop Awards Album of the Year Won
People's Choice Awards The Album of 2022Nominated
2023 BET Awards Album of the Year Nominated
Grammy Awards Album of the Year Nominated
Best Rap Album Won
NAACP Image Awards Outstanding Album Nominated

Commercial performance

Upon release, Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers received the largest first day streams of 2022 on Apple Music, garnering over 60 million streams. [113] In the United States, the album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart, opening with 295,000 album-equivalent units that consisted of 35,000 album sales and 258,000 streaming units (calculated from the 343.02 million on-demand streams the album's tracks received). Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers became Lamar's fourth number-one album in the country, and was the largest opening week for an album in 2022 at the time. [114] The album became the first hip hop album of 2022 to reach one billion streams on Spotify. [115] As of November 30, 2022, Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers was the thirteenth best-selling album of the year according to Hits . [116] Still according to the magazine, the album has moved a total of 1,063,000 album-equivalent units by the end of 2022, including 177,000 pure album sales, 52,000 song sales, 1,127 billion audio-on-demand streams, and 66,091 million video-on-demand streams. [116]

Track listing

Big Steppers
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."United in Grief"
4:15
2."N95"
3:15
3."Worldwide Steppers"
3:23
4."Die Hard" (with Blxst and Amanda Reifer)
3:59
5."Father Time" (featuring Sampha)
  • Sounwave
  • DJ Dahi
  • Beach Noise
  • Bekon
  • Timothy
  • Grandmaster Vic
3:42
6."Rich" (Interlude)
Timothy1:43
7."Rich Spirit"
  • Duckworth
  • Dew
  • Spears
  • Natche
  • Frano Huett
  • A. Thomas
  • D. Dennis
  • G. Jackson
  • M. Hall
  • Sounwave
  • DJ Dahi
  • Frano
3:22
8."We Cry Together" (with Taylour Paige)
5:41
9."Purple Hearts" (with Summer Walker and Ghostface Killah)
5:29
Total length:34:49
Mr. Morale
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
10."Count Me Out"
  • Duckworth
  • Dew
  • Spears
  • Natche
  • Pounds
  • Oklama
  • Sounwave
  • DJ Dahi
  • J. Lbs
  • Maxey [b]
4:43
11."Crown"
  • Duckworth
  • Dew
  • Timothy
Timothy4:24
12."Silent Hill" (with Kodak Black)
  • Duckworth
  • Kapri
  • Samuels
  • Spears
  • Sweet
  • Schaeffer
  • Jo. Kosich
  • Ja. Kosich
  • Boi-1da
  • Sounwave
  • Sweet
  • Beach Noise [b]
3:40
13."Savior" (Interlude)
  • Duckworth
  • Carter
  • Spears
  • Pounds
  • Oklama
  • Sounwave
  • J. Lbs
2:32
14."Savior" (with Baby Keem and Sam Dew)
3:44
15."Auntie Diaries"
  • Bekon
  • The Donuts
  • Balmoris
  • Beach Noise [b]
4:41
16."Mr. Morale" (with Tanna Leone)Williams3:30
17."Mother I Sober" (featuring Beth Gibbons)
  • Sounwave
  • Bekon
  • J. Lbs
  • Maxey
6:46
18."Mirror"
  • Duckworth
  • Krieger
  • Stuart Johnson
  • Spears
  • Natche
  • Tannenbaum
  • Mehlenbacher
  • Gherman
  • Balmoris
  • Sounwave
  • DJ Dahi
  • Bekon
  • The Donuts
  • Balmoris [b]
4:16
Total length:38:16
Digital bonus track
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
19."The Heart Part 5"
Beach Noise5:32

Notes

Sample credits

Personnel

Credits adapted from liner notes. [119]

Musicians

Technical

Miscellaneous

Charts

Certifications

Certifications for Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers
RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA) [167] Gold35,000
Denmark (IFPI Danmark) [168] Platinum20,000
France (SNEP) [169] Gold50,000
Italy (FIMI) [170] Gold25,000
New Zealand (RMNZ) [171] Platinum15,000
Poland (ZPAV) [172] Gold10,000
United Kingdom (BPI) [173] Gold100,000

Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Release dates and formats for Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers
RegionDateLabel(s)Format(s)Ref.
VariousMay 13, 2022 [174]
May 27, 2022 CD [50]
JapanJuly 20, 2022 Universal Music Japan CD [175]
VariousAugust 26, 2022
  • PGLang
  • TDE
  • Aftermath
  • Interscope
[51]

See also

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"We Cry Together" is a song by American rapper Kendrick Lamar and American actress Taylour Paige, taken from the former's fifth studio album, Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers, released on May 13, 2022. The eighth track on the album, Lamar wrote the song alongside the Alchemist, Bekon, and J.Lbs. Florence Welch and Gary Peacock received additional songwriting credits for the sampling of their respective songs "June" and "Valentine".

"Auntie Diaries" is a song by American rapper Kendrick Lamar from his fifth studio album Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers (2022). The fifteenth track on Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers and the sixth track on the album's second half, "Auntie Diaries" was produced by an ensemble of producers, including Beach Noise, Bekon & The Donuts, Craig Balmoris, Daniel Tannenbaum, and Tyler Mehlenbacher.

"Silent Hill" is a song by American rappers Kendrick Lamar and Kodak Black. It was sent to rhythmic contemporary radio and urban contemporary radio through PGLang, Top Dawg Entertainment, Aftermath Entertainment, and Interscope Records as the first US single from Lamar's fifth studio album, Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers, on May 31, 2022. The song was produced by Boi-1da, Sounwave, and Jahaan Sweet, with additional production by Beach Noise. "Silent Hill" contains "crisp, lighter beats". In the chorus, Lamar claims that he is "pushing the snakes, I'm pushing the fakes, I'm pushing them all off me like, 'Huh!'".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Big Steppers Tour</span> 2022–2023 concert tour by Kendrick Lamar

The Big Steppers Tour was the fourth solo concert tour by American rapper Kendrick Lamar, in support of his fifth studio album, Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers (2022). It was his first concert tour and second arena-driven tour after the 2017–2018 Damn Tour. Visualized and formatted by PGLang, Lamar announced the tour hours after the release of Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers. It began on June 23, 2022, in Milan, Italy, and concluded on March 23, 2024, in Mexico City, Mexico, consisting of 103 shows across six continents. 75 of those shows were held in arenas, while 28 were headlining performances at music festivals.

<i>Kendrick Lamar Live: The Big Steppers Tour</i> 2022 American concert film

Kendrick Lamar Live: The Big Steppers Tour is a 2022 American concert film documenting The Big Steppers Tour, the 2022–2023 concert tour by rapper Kendrick Lamar. Directed by Mike Carson, Dave Free and Mark A. Ritchie, it was filmed in October 2022 at Accor Arena in Paris.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rob Bisel</span> American producer, engineer, songwriter and musician

Rob Bisel is an American music producer, engineer, mixer and songwriter. A Grammy award winner and 13-time nominee, he has worked with artists including SZA, Doja Cat, Kendrick Lamar, Travis Scott, Harry Styles and Don Toliver.

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