Kendrick Lamar Delivers Revolutionary Album
by Tribekah Jordan
The highly anticipated Kendrick Lamar album “Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers” was met with tears and smiles from his fans on social media. It had been five years since Lamar’s last release. His 2017 album “Damn” won a Pulitzer Prize, becoming the first hip-hop album to ever win the award, also making Kendrick Lamar the first ever rapper to win. People knew “Damn” would be a difficult album to top even for the artist himself.
The first track on “Mr. Morale” begins with an angelic chorus singing, “I hope you find some peace of mind in this lifetime,” followed by a woman speaking, depicting a voice of reason: “Tell them the truth.” The overlapping voices are interrupted by a jarring piano and Lamar vocalizing over the track “I’ve been going through something. One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five days. I’ve been going through something. Be afraid.” Lamar is saying that within the past five years (or so) he has experienced an ever-changing world, and he has become a new person because of it. Throughout the track list, the musical composition is intertwined with lyricism. Every second is intentional.
This is his most vulnerable album to date, addressing issues most rappers would not admit to or care about. Racism, sexism, homophobia, daddy issues, substance abuse, sexual assault, fatherhood, are among the themes Lamar considers. When asked by journalist Briana Younger in an interview for W magazine why he was comfortable releasing his latest album, he said, “I thought about my children. I thought about when they turn 21, or they’re older in life, and when I got grandchildren, or if I’m long gone -- this can be a prerequisite of how to cope. That’s the beauty of it for me.”
Lamar has a message for the world that we can learn from. No matter who you are, you’ll have to face struggle in life. When coping with your struggles it’s OK to lean into the vulnerability and use it as your superpower.
(Top Dawg Entertainment)
Categories: Featured, Student Life