2022 Album of the Year Countdown: Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers – A Legend at his most Vulnerable

Kendrick Lamar has become an icon in the music industry for the cryptic storytelling and vulnerable lyrics in his songs, just as much as he is for his upbeat hip-hop music. “Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers” continues that trend as it is arguably his most personal album.

After three years of silence, Kendrick Lamar released “Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers” on May 13th of this year. Despite the amount of time Lamar spent on hiatus, it did not affect his career as he was able to bounce back with a conceptual album that takes an intense look into Lamar’s self-improvement, therapy journey, view on fatherhood, and childhood, all mixed into an 18-track studio album. 

The album was filled with dense lyrical pieces like “Mother I Sober,” taking the listener through family trauma unfolded into raw lyrics like “I pray our children don’t inherit me and feelings I attract/A conversation not being addressed in black families,” conveying a powerful message of Lamar is trying to break a cycle through his family and bringing light to a conversation that people are too uncomfortable to talk about.

The song “United in Grief” is the album’s opening track, which dives into Lamar letting go of built-up anger and emotion that he has had to bottle up for five years “I’ve been goin’ through somethin’/One thousand, eight hundred and 55 days, I’ve been goin’ through somethin’/Be afraid.” The song goes into Kendrick making an effort to be better for himself and his family, going to therapy, and learning to open up, with lyrics such as “I went and got me a therapist/I can debate on my theories and sharing it (whoa).”  

The album’s views were skyrocketing from the very beginning of its release, becoming Lamar’s fourth number-one album and the first hip-hop album of 2022 to receive one billion streams on Spotify. But it has yet to top “DAMN,” his prior album, which came out in 2017.

Ultimately, “Mr. Morale and The Big Steppers” is a collection of perspectives on childhood trauma, celebrity culture, and self-discovery and improvement. Whether the album is relatable or not, it’s poetry for its audience to interpret in one way or the other. It is a fascinating album that mixes rapping, choir singing, and cathartic lyricism to create a powerful album.