Kendrick Lamar - Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers (May 13th, 2022) Album • Page 34

I already loved this but it clicked with me really fucking hard today, I was doing my first casual listen where I was going to let myself skip songs if I wanted to but then I realized there were almost none that I really wanted to besides the obvious (Rich Interlude and We Cry Together, which I actually think is a really good and powerful track but I'm not going to casually have it on in the background lol)

As this opens up for me more I'm starting to think it's closer to the quality of GKMC/TPAB than DAMN/S80 which is how I had his catalogue mentally sorted before (but they're all brilliant albums)

 

I have to say i think this is pretty weak for Kendrick. That said, i suspect Kodak being on it is a bit sticking point that may be affecting my opinion.

I’ll give it another go today and hope it clicks.

 

I couldn’t get past the Kodak shit on my first listen, it was very distracting even with the songs he wasn’t on. Eventually, reading along with lyrics and letting the melodies build in my head, this is becoming a very high level Kendrick project for me, todays song of the day for me gotta be “Father Time”, amazing bars, amazing beat, amazing hook

 

agree with this pretty much entirely. But at like 1.5 listens it’s definitely just an initial impression for me, would definitely not rule out some of the songs that didn’t grab me at first growing on me

 

This just reminded me of the time he re-released DAMN on CD with a backwards tracklist. Such a weird double dip.

 

Oh yeah I’ve listened twice, everything is subject to change especially when I start sitting down with the lyric s

 

Just had maybe my 5th full listen and it happened to be while driving around in the rain, the heavier songs hit even harder.. continues to get better each listen as expected

 

I have heard this playing everywhere I've gone this weekend. Truly a cultural event

 

I've only gone to my uncle's wedding, and he's 60 years old, so I haven't heard it anywhere I've gone yet

 

This is a grower. Another incredible work by one of the best to ever do it

 

you should have told the dj at the wedding reception to play we cry together

 

Hahahaha oh my God

 

what perfect way to start a marriage with a powerful song like that

 

I really like Mr Morale (song)

 

Taylour Paige gives an Oscar worthy performance on We Cry Together. Even if that track doesn’t work for you that has to count for something. Personally I love it

 

I won’t listen to we cry together every time but I also won’t skip it every time.

 

I finally listened to this record last night, and I was expecting “we cry together” to be much worse based on the reactions in here. I’m definitely not gonna throw it on casually but I think it has its purpose on the record and the execution is great.

 

This gets better on every listen. There are a few tracks im a little unsure of still of course, this is just so much to process. I’m ready to call it my midway thru the year, AOTY. Idk how I’ll feel about it later, but I can’t think of another album this year that has given me this much to think about and unpack. A cultural event. I’m a broken record here saying it over and over again, but god damn Kendrick really is a legend.

 

One big aspect that makes the "uncomfortable" element of this album for me is the agressively open discussion of infidelity, with his fiancée Whitney often mentioned by name, and then actually having Whitney on the record.

I guess I should say it's powerful but I just wanted to say it's more proof of an album that isn't made to easily be enjoyed. It often makes you want to look away, metaphorically speaking. Not to mention the other even heavier stuff.

 

Kodak Black doesn't deserve redemption from Kendrick Lamar

 

I agree wholeheartedly that it’s not up to Kendrick to absolve Kodak of his offenses but the rest of this article feels like it’s based on Twitter discourse rather than the writer’s own thoughts on the album. Not going to rehash the “Auntie diaries” discourse but griping about the lack of female features when 3 to 4 of the most important features on the record are women feels extremely disingenuous.

 

Yeah the article makes great points but I always hate the “it’s not even good” take. Like that doesn’t matter in the slightest.

 

N95 is fantastic

 

“Purple Hearts” reminds me of “YAH” (one of my fav songs off DAMN.) but with a whole Ghostface verse and great work from Summer Walker, song is smooth as hell