Uncut 3 Hour Version www.patreon.com/posts/66411474 DISC 1: BIG STEPPERS 01 “In Grief” 3:40 Side A 02 “N95” 5:55 Side A 03 “Worldwide Steppers” 9:00 Side A 04 “Die Hard” Feat. Blxst & Amanda Reifer 14:05 Side A 05 “Father Time” Feat. Sampha (Kanye & Drake line) 17:15 Side A 06 “Rich” (Interlude) 25:23 Side A 07 “Rich Spirit” 28:37 Side A 08 “We Cry Together” Feat. Taylour Paige 30:54 Side A 09 “Purple Hearts” Feat. Summer Walker & Ghostface Killah 35:12 DISC 2: MR. MORALE “Count Me Out” 41:00 Side B 02 “Crown” 44:04 Side B 03 “Silent Hill” Feat. Kodak Black 47:30 Side B 04 “Savior” (Interlude) 50:55 Side B 05 “Savior” Feat. Baby Keem & Sam (J Cole Future line) 53:00 Kyrie lied? 55:26 Drake diss? 57:06 Side B 06 “Auntie Diaries” transgender controversial? 1:01:49 Side B 07 “Mr. Morale” Feat. Tanna Leone 1:08:18 Side B 08 “Mother I Sober” Feat. Beth Gibbons (He cheated?) 1:13:49 Side B 09 “Mirror” Kodak again? 1:19:30 First Listen Review ?/10 1:21:34
Kendrick was saying because of how he was raised by his dad, Kanye and Drake becoming friends again, Kendrick couldn’t have let that go because of the competitiveness he was taught by his dad and the hood. He doesn’t forgive easily. That’s why he said he still has some healing to do. California has a high gang culture and we don’t forgive in the hip hop world that easy.
@@ClubAmbition gotta remember he said he’s a “old school Gemini”. Like 2Pac. Not forgiving easily at ALL. Also it’s crazy how Kendrick, Kanye & 2Pac’s birthdays are all within the same 9 days 😵💫😵💫😵💫
@@ClubAmbition I took it as him exposing how the culture felt weird about two black men squashing their beef instead of hurting each other more and in turn is throwing shade at himself because he represents the culture. Oklama (I am. All of us) he speaking for the culture in an introspective way
I think big steppers can also be metaphors for his children. Which is why that side focuses on love, relationships and family more than anything else. And then he is mr.morale ofc on side 2 where we go into his mind about the culture and his life and therapy.
Hmm interesting take, i never thought of it that way. Where I’m from a stepper is someone that’s 10 toes down and about that life. Usually involves guns and shit but I think it could mean what you said as well in the context of the albums subject matter.
Y'all missed the WHOLE point of that "Kanye and Drake" line in Father Time. Kendrick was basically saying that because of the way he was raised. With a so called "enemy" ain't no squashing the beef. That's why he said, he has some healing to do because he needs/wants to break that ideology. He needs to grow up and learn to forgive. The whole point of Father Time is explaining how some men grow up with or without fathers and are taught certain things. Being taught not to show emotions, how they treat women, wanting to be loved, etc. It's not a shot at Drake. 🤦♂️
I’d say it is a shot at drake but…Kendrick is taking the road of Kanye because he finally expressed what made him throw shots at drake and…drake needs to fess up to why he keeps going at Kendrick cause drake took control to heart
Another album with a new sound and new direction. Probably his most divisive and polarizing one to days but I believe, just like with every other Kendrick album, it’ll age like fine wine. He’s already one of the greatest ever.
The overall concept is addressing toxic ways we deal with issues and taking STEPS to handle them properly to fix our MORALE... whether that's through introspection (MIRROR), God (SAVIOR), or sacrificing a bigger ambition to focus on one's self. Therapy also seems to be a big concept going on throughout the album. The word step has several meanings throughout the album and they are used interchangeably. Kendrick gives a shout out to those taking steps to improve themselves by saying "fighting through the..." followed by the sound of someone doing tap dance steps at the end of Count Me Out. In the song Worldwide Steppers and in N95 the term is used to describe when someone steps out of line with lines like "you out of pocket." I'm only scratching the surface here as I discover new themes on every listen. It's not my favorite Kendrick album but it's definitely a work of art... and like most art some people simply aren't sophisticated enough to get it and will easily dismiss it as trash. Kendrick can't please everybody and can't save everybody especially at the expense of his family and his own sanity. He chose him and he's sorry.
I feel like Mr. Morale is the good spirit within Kendrick and The Big Steppers are his demons and negative stigmas dat many black ppl glorify in the hip hop culture, dat he has for so long tried to steer clear of and in turn has made music for his purpose instead of trying to follow the trends and fads and make hit songs with no substance. Hence why Kodak is throughout the album cuz he is a complete opposite of who is Kendrick is but Like Jesus did Kendrick wants to heal everybody yet he knows he can’t and the culture will crucify him for trying to
I didn’t catch onto the tap dancing before and after some of the tracks through out the album till about my 3rd listen through tbh. Like you said, it’s about communicating and dealing with issues head on rather than sweeping them under the rug.. because that will ultimately make things worse and plague your family for generations to come..
Therapy sessions..... nobody wants to listen to that crap. Only lonely depressed people. Which is very unfortunate because we dont need more of that in this world
@@phillip2491 you know what's funny... These guys are in every comment section saying the album is trash or is crap. So much time invested into an album they don't like.
The first half was all the ills he and the world suffers. The second half is the healing. This is his complete journey. He was free, absolutely liberated from all those demons that were keeping him in bondage by the last track. It's a 10 out of 10 for me.
Kendrick has reinvented himself again on this album, much in the same way Kanye does on his best albums, it’s certainly a grower for some people but for me this is 10/10 I can’t stop listening to it
You cant stop listening to it? Seriously why. Nobody cares that kendrick lamar has a transgender aunt. You Seriously like listening to that crap? You must be a loner or something because you cant bump this album when youre chillin with friends.
I have connections with TDE's head manager and security, from my knowledge, the original recording of the album was Kendrick giving all the fallen heros of the black community their flowers and he was supposed to be rapping in the perspective of their lives. However, this version was his message to his fans explaining why he took ghost from the world, the deep depression he spoke about in TPAB got worse so he decided to work on himself and find some clarity. He found the morality of life after becoming a father, doing therapy, cutting off all communication with the world, and fixing his relationship with his fiance. He's Mr.Morale and us (his fans, family, and day ones) are his big steppers for never giving up on him while he was trying to get his life together. He also had writers block for two years, the album was supposed to come out in 2020 but he redid it. The original was rock influenced, not rap. The meaning is in his alias, Oklama means "my people" in a ancient Indian language. The album is for humanity.
@@hiltonhosannah769 That's a good question. That's Kalon's, Top's, or Kendricks decision. The A&R, Presidents, and artists need to come in a mutual agreement on album sequences. There were rumors that Jay Rock was going to be on a Collab with Kendrick but that's probably for the TDE album or PGLang album. Although Kendrick left TDE, TDE still owns the rights to his older body of work. Kalon is the A&R for top dawg so that's the best person to ask, Punch is always active on Twitter and he responds to all his fans so u can ask him as well since he is their business manager, I do remember he said TDE is busy planning out tour dates and in the marketing process to release albums. SZA is dropping this summer next. That could be a major reason.
I think the Big Stepper part is going over y’all heads lol. He kinda gets us as listeners to think he means big stepper like tough guy or gangster but it’s a double entendre. The tap dancing throughout the album is symbolizing being a big stepper in a literal sense but it also could mean these “big steppers” are really broken men tap dancing around their problems. Also I could be reaching but the drum beat in the intro is also mimicking the tap dancing sound while Kendrick is boastfully saying “ I Grieve Different” by using materialism to tap dance around the pain he’s feeling and avoiding. Conceptually it’s up there with the rest of Kendrick’s albums. I could understand how some people might not embrace it as much due to how different it sounds sonically.
@@ClubAmbition I fw yall lmaoo 🤷🏾♂️ I’m just saying the Mr Morale (Kendrick’s conscience) and Big Steppers (Kendrick’s Ego) is a genius concept considering how introspective it is. I just thought sharing that might help y’all enjoy the project better.
Kendrick sees himself in Kodak. This albums all about transformation. He’s always been into jazz and you can hear that with the piano connecting the songs. I see this album as a stage play. Open word poem, one scene is a fight, one a therapist, and especially how the last song feels like everyone coming out to bow
Y'all thought that Drake and Kanye line was confusing? He seemed to be saying that he was impressed by their ability to forgive and move on. He was confused and realized that he's still too immature to forgive. Am I tripping? It seemed obvious to me.
Kendrick really was losing his mind these past 5 years and he had writers block for 2 years, so he needed to release the weight and hopefully the next album he can give people what they want. He’s under more pressure than any other rapper but this was his album to save his sanity. I think we forget his humanity, but no one can walk in his shoes.
Did you listen to the album? He said he chooses himself from this point forward. He's not gonna try to drop what the people want and knows he can't please everyone. He's done being seen as this savior to the masses
@@candycorn4912 Yeah I don't see it as a complete resignation from music. This album sounded like the introduction to an authentic Kendrick, the end of Kendrick as the culture wanted him to be. "Run away from the culture to follow my heart" is him deciding to not try and be the "savior" for people, and just be him.
First listen of the Disc 1 got me conflicted but in the end 'Mother I Sober' and the closing track made me emotional. Second listen really did me wonders, I'm starting to engross things now.
10/10 not because the music was incredibly hype, but the message and rawness was far more needed in our world than some more bangers. - My Personal Theory Eckhart Tolle (older man’s voice featured in this album)is a spiritual teacher who wrote a book called A New Earth. In the book he describes the next stage of humanity where consciousness rises and the collective ego is dissolved, but before the Ego is dissolved it must hit its fever pitch and be burnt up. It’s a painful process and confronting our ego is terrifying and unbearable, hence Kendrick use of tap- “dancing around the issue”. I believe this album from Kendrick is an attempt to initiate this process, sacrificing himself as the king of “culture” in order to disrupt and ultimately dissolve the collective ego, and elevate us individually to a higher level. ✨🤝✨
We need YI to be part of this master Piece.., he understands and gets every little details plus his vibes and energy is needed here in this reaction. I guess you guys try your very best. 🤷♀️
The tap dancing throughout the album is referring to “big steppers” and at the end of we cry later it has it again and says “stop tap dancing around the issues. Big steppers is like the world, we are all big steppers who don’t address issues including kendrick himself. The issue he has is finally addressed on mother I sober Also the double album concept is I believe like a mirror where you get 1. United in grief - 9. Mirror 2. N95 - 8. Mother I sober 3. Worldwide steppers - 7. Mr. Morale 4. Die hard - 6. auntie diaries 5. Father Time - 5. Savior 6. Rich interlude - 4. savior interlude 7. Rich spirit - 3. Silent hill 8. We cry together - 2. Crown 9. Purple Hearts- 1. Count me out
Interesting - second half was my fave on my first listen (but loved some songs from the first cd to death). Second and third listen man whole album was killer
Love how this album is exposing how dumbed down music has made people since his last album. Like everyones brains just skip right over the meaning behind everything he’s doing on this album.
We didn’t wait for too long tbh man had writers block for 2 years and his current experiences are the only reason we got this. Thank you KDot for the humility you brought us
This preliminary review was amazing, and I'm looking fwd to the pod on Tues. Very interested in hearing your fleshed out thoughts once you've really sat w the album and let it marinate. I've been listening to it non-stop since the minute it dropped, other than to watch reviews, which is basically the same thing. This one was my favorite, by far. You guys kept it a buck the whole way thru and I really appreciate that. You said how you felt, regardless of how your opinions would be received. B/c, yanno, you can't please everybody..🙏
Enoch is his son's name, Uzi is his daughter's name, Whitney is his wife's name, all revealed on the album, they are also on the album cover (first time he's showed the world his children publicly). This album is a personal self-reflection for Kendrick. It's therapy.
Honestly this album is like an experience. We really gotta let this one simmer; but it does give me an art piece vibe; shades of a masterpiece of some kind.
I think i figured out more about this album every song is a therapy session with his therapist (Eckhart Tolle) that brings up different ideas or problem Kendrick is facing or has faced. With the first song being the first therapy session, and the 10th song even confirming that. From him thinking to much people are fake, people having too high of expectations, he is not a god nor a savior for people, him and his family being "touched" etc. So if every song is a therapy session I want to know why he would "mirror" the songs. Makes me wonder I can't wait for a theory so good to be discovered. Makes me excited to see the truth of this album So if every song is a "therapy" session and the track list it "mirrored" what could it mean? Maybe something with reflecting? idk man Along with every listen I am enjoying more and more of every song and always picking new favorites.
Until you realize that Kendrick wrote half of keem’s album with reference tracks. So was that really keem’s sound of was it Kendrick experimenting through someone else? 🤔
This whole album is literally Kendrick sitting in for a therapy session I think the theme of the album is that the big steppers are people who step up to actually confront our issues in society and that the tapdancing all over the album is to represent how people and culture tapdance around hot button topics but never seem to really want to actually fix any of it, only using them at this point to virtue signal or grandstand/get likes etc. And I think a lot of it has to do with sex crime and sex equality as well and how we treat each other over it when it comes to image, be it homosexuality or being seen as weak because of molestation or what have you, so people mask it and hide it deep down and project their feelings onto others in toxic ways and the cycle continues instead of actually addressing it and attempting to openly speak about it in a way that is helpful. especially now with how you may get your character assassinated or discredited for voicing your opinion or stating your own personal views or how you really feel about it, even if it is wrong or misguided. so taken literally, Mr Morale is freeing his mind and leading by example in being what everyone wants him to be, but doing it his own way because he has the confidence that it will actually help change things, because he has respect and loyalty of the industry and his fans and faith that it will help shape the future. Morale is high because he had the confidence to go against the norm and say what he has to say, how he wants to say it, and he is finally freeing his own conscience as well as being conscious enough to be aware of his surroundings that he is able to speak on things he has buried deep down and by finally doing so has broken a "generational curse". There are nuances and deliberate things that happened during the course of the album that help me draw this conclusion, like from the very start the sample is "I hope you find some peace of mind in this lifetime" then a woman says "tell them the truth" the tap dancing length seems to shorten every time it comes in, and the subject matter gets more and more open over the course of the album. then the intentional deep faking during heart 5 made me think of what those people actually represented in context to the album Kanye has spoken about his mental health and being bipolar and more recently, has been all over the news due to his divorce with kim. He has also admitted that sex addiction was one of the leading causes of him finding God. Jussie Smollett is a gay actor who felt underpaid and staged his own crime and was convicted over it, where, in fact, he had 2 black men help him stage it. OJ got away with murdering his ex wife, more than likely over an affair, and then ironically went to prison over retrieving his own belongings Will Smith slapped Chris Rock on stage out of sheer frustration and pain from dealing with the scandal with his wife, also sex related. Nipsey was gunned down in his own neighborhood that he himself built up and was a victim of crimes he participated in as well as spoke out against later in his life. The gunman is now known to have been upset over being called a snitch, driven there by a woman who had picked him up and stopping in the shopping center for food. The woman is said to have mentioned Nipsey as "fine" and wanting to take a picture with him. the first time they approach, she does indeed get a photo with him and posts it to social media. Kobe also dealt with his own sexual assault case. He also spoke out and was a huge advocate for women's sports due to his daughters. which, if i am somewhat right, seem to be all examples of "big steppers", people who were vicitms as well as offenders, yet both stood up and openly dealt with their issues in the public. Kendrick saying he chooses himself seems to be that he is choosing his personal health and wellbeing over being an icon, and instead of trying to be what everyone wants him to be he would rather admit his flaws and shortcomings and try to free himself and his family of what he calls a generational curse. The cover art now also makes a lot more sense to me as a lot of this album is Kendrick saying to the fans I can’t be your saviour, I’m just a regular guy and the cover art is him In just a regular ass house being with his family, protecting them all with the crown on top of his head that we as fans put there as we call him hip-hops messiah/messenger and put him on a pedestal and the juxtaposition of those two things. He is not your savior. He does not need to provide anything to you. He is a human being trying to make the best of his situation. You have put your values and opinions into someone's perspective that is fractured from a life of abuse and trauma. He owes you nothing. He chose himself this time. Maybe for the first time.
Y’all reactions stay on 10 😂🔥 The whole TPAB was Kendrick reciting a poem to Pac. I like to believe that the songs are Pac’s interpretation of each section of the poem
you can’t give this album a rating straight off. but one of the mai things you need to know is that the album is supposed to be all over the place because it’s basically therapy sessions where he talks about different things that are conflicting him. and another theme throughout the album is kendrick choosing himself over the culture which is why he gets more personal, involved his family and childhood trauma. and he also says “i choose me, i’m sorry” it’s not for the people. it’s a journey of kendrick learning to love himself and accept the world as well as his trauma. that’s also why Kodak is in the album so often. he’s a perfect example of people becoming a product of their environment. that’s what he speaks about in his interlude. you need time to listen to this album over and over to really appreciate it. i believe it’s a masterpiece because of how deep it is. and i can’t really be upset for people not liking it but kendrick was also making a point with this album. he said back in family ties “last year y’all fucked up all the listeners” the culture doesn’t appreciate projects like this anymore.
@@rolly3128 I think it’s him stepping round the issue saying he don’t need therapy but his using himself for example for the culture and the second disc mr morale is him coming to term with his trauma and moving forward
Seen a clip where Kendrick describes the idea of making a performance in front of 16k ppl feel like a crowd of 20 which is probably why the songs are so emotional driven to cut thru that feeling and alllowing ppl to directly feel a connection in those giant stadiums
@@Quake2815 I'm aware of this. I happen to listen to them. ;) The mainstream, however, tends to amplify the less lyrical, and often negative, performers and there just appears to be and overall imbalance within #TheCulture of Hip Hop, favoring the problematic aspects.
I feel the album was a think piece, like it or hate it. It feels like the results of his therapy. The thinks he learnt while in solitude. Then it raises questions and leaves you to think about it.
I think Mr morale is kendrick coming to the realization or growth on certain subjects he and others have delt with. Also it shows his vulnerability and his imperfections in dealing with them. The big steppers is the actual situations that we tend to "tap dance" around and he had to take the step which was therapy to deal with them. That's why every major topic he discussed you heard the tap dancing. I thought it was creative because he combined an era of tap dancing where some of the beats used swing style music like the intro song and jazz per usual worked for me. It gets better with every listen fasho.
Imo I don’t think the Father Time track was as focused on Drake and Kanye. It was more about he perceived the situation in relation to his character. That maybe because of his “daddy issues” he doesn’t understand how they could make up, maybe he hadn’t grown enough that maybe be it takes a level of emotional maturity to bury the hatchet like that but personally he couldn’t relate to it. It ties into how the song speaks about masculinity and toughness and how he was equipped to survive by his father through tough love which actually worked out for him, his drive, his craft and ambition but damaged his emotional growth and relationships with people that are not his family. Funny thing is his father’s environment taught his father the hard lessons (issues) that he passed onto his kid in the way he could, and as he passed on the lessons, Kendrick learnt them for his own environment and then developed his own issues. He wants men to deal with their issues and not pass it on the the next generation
He's saying his father taught him to be cutthroat, non emotional, and prideful. Men are taught to have egos. That ego is the same thing that stopped him from understanding how Drake and Kanye can stop their beef because he would have been too prideful. Life experience will teach you how much your pride and ego holds you back in life. This was definitely not a shot at them. More giving them props for being able to squash their beef.
I didn’t catch onto the tap dancing before and after some of the tracks through out the album till about my 3rd listen through tbh. The album is about communicating and dealing with issues head on rather than sweeping things under the rug.. because that will ultimately make things worse and plague your family for generations to come.. I love the fact that Kendrick has come to terms with the fact that he can’t please everybody.. As much as he’s tried in the past just to see things get worse.. I know Cole had touch on this topic too on “snow on the bluff” I believe, where he basically says the world is looking at him for answer but it’s like bitch, I’m just a man I go through the same emotions, confusion, hurt and pain just like the rest of you, why put that much pressure on a single person.. Kendrick should never say sorry for choosing to take care of himself and his family. I really fucking love this album. It keeps getting better for me.
I like how you guys are not biased based off Kendrick’s credibility. It’s the reason I continue to watch your videos. Great video!!This album is growing on me, and I’m starting to like it more and more. The Kanye-Drake bar emphasizes the theme of the song Father Time. I believe it has nothing to do with his relationship with both artist. The guy in back seat was going somewhere when he said Kendrick was dumbing the bar down to make it relevant to today’s culture. In other words, Kendrick line “Guess I’m not mature as I think, got some healing to do” reflects how his father taught him to always be tough at times, never show emotion, and how his relationship with his father develop an ego or his pride when it come to situations like the Kanye-Drake relationship. This is constant theme he references throughout the song. Another example of this “Daddy issues, f everybody, go get your money son” or “A child that grew accustomed, jumping up when I scraped my knee”.
The Kanye Drake line was about how his father didn't raise him to squash beef so easily. He was confused by that heated beef then a squash and special together. He's saying he has more growing to do, because this not how he would have handled it.
People want TPAB again instead of a new and innovative sound. A lot of people are afraid/dislike change. When you go into the album expecting quality even if it’s different than you expect, you like it but when you want a certain sound, you’ll dislike it.
Man at least one of you guys is a dad I don't understand how you just let father time fly over your head trying to fit the theory that it's a drake or Kanye diss when in reality the song is Beautiful poetry about the struggle of growing up with either bad influences or no influences as far as a father figure goes
You have to listen to the album…then you have to read the album…then listen again and then you can say something about it…it’s not just Music to vibe or Music to listen to…you have to really think about what you hear.
His pops is affiliated, he wanted Kendrick a certain way. It's a blessing he's not dead. K dot 9x outta 10 got PTSD from his surrounding we don't know. He's saying he still has to fix himself. Because of how he was raised. That's brave to say as a rapper of his rank. He's saying y'all want a savior but I really really need healing. Not even j Cole get that deep.
Quiet storm is a major influence of songs like Die Hard. It's a genre where R&B is utilized to create pop songs that drown out painful lyrics e.g. Smokey Robinson with The Tracks of My Tears.
So…At the beginning of the album, Whitney was telling Kendrick to tell us something. I feel like “The Big Steppers” are the rappers and also himself tap dancing around the issues (which is that stepping/tapping sounds through some of the songs). By the end he finally becomes Mr. Morale after his wife pushed him to a breakthrough.
I think I figured it out. Big Stepper means more than money. When you advance personally, we say that it's a big step. So Kendrick is describing the big steps he's been taking.
@@ClubAmbition also, that's the reason, I think, for the step show snippets. He's making a show of his steps. So Mr. Morale is him being an inspiration, and The Big Steppers are his family and friends. Why wasn't TDE here? Because a Big Step is Kendrick separating from TDE amicably.
This is a real hip hop album. Sorry guys. Every so often, hip hop has to show up… and it goes back to telling us about the trials and tribulations of the experience of the black man…. Sorry guys…. I apologize for you guys not understanding the album…. I heard many albums similar in the 80s and 90s… this is a hip hop album…. It’s therapeutic. This album is what hip hop started out as… hip hop at its core is a verbal description of the black man’s experience in America… and the dysfunction of those experiences….
Yeah, This Is Kendrick’s 4:44. Expecting Multiple Grammys. Mother I Sober is the closest thing to Sing About Me/Dying Of Thirst I’ve ever heard. Instant top ten Kdot song. This album sounded like a mixture of Section 80 & TPAB. It’s one of his most vulnerable and personal albums so I’d rank it higher than TPAB artistically even though musically and sonically TPAB is better. 8.5/10. Solid album. 1. GKMC 2. TPAB 3. MMATBS 4. DAMN 5. SECTION 80 6. Black Panther 🐆 7. Overly Dedicated 8. Untitled Unmastered
I mostly agree, you’re definitely right about the album being more personal and it’s really the kind of album you gotta sit down and listen to. I just wanted to say that you doing untitled unmastered dirty, shit is so underrated.
22:00 EXACTLY!!!! Exactly what I've been saying. All in their own lane doing their own thing. Drop the ego and make some good music together. Yall ain't got no big beef with each other. Cmon now. IJS
You see the haters are listening to it all wrong. You got to wait three years to fully digest how deep it is - like James Cameron‘s abyss. You have to run it through a metaphor and simile rhyme simulator backwards to fully calculate all his depth and deep meanings. You gotta freeze it and slow it down so that his super high-pitched voice sounds like a man again to get it. The beats are so retro art-house groovy, I mean cutting edge waaayyy over everyone’s head. I’ll tell you - do that and you’ll realize it’s a classic. Trust me I’ve been listening to hip- hop for 3 weeks he’s the best ever! Lol
The Drake/Kanye line was to illustrate the impact his dad played in nit being able to forgive. His dad would have thought reconciliation is soft. At this point in the album Kendrick still has healing to do to see the importance of them squashing the beef.
Track 1 on disc 2 “Count Me Out” starts off with a woman saying “Session 10, the breakthrough..” Technically that would be track 10 if it was one album. Pay attention to the details in the album. This body of work is a therapy session..
You're right. It's an art piece. The first time I heard it, I was like. . .so much to digest. I've been playing it all weekend loving it with every new play. This is award wining legendary shit. I will be sitting with this album for a while. I'm hoping more rappers delve deep into their selves like he did. Dude sounded like he went through major therapy. And yes. . .the album title was ass though lol
I heard someone say on another hip hip RUclips channel that Mr Morale and the big steppers is more of a art piece, like a hip hop stage play but in album form. Like the beats were background scores to the different play scenes and acts. And it make a lot of sense to me. Personally I love the album, so thematic.
Taylour Paige isn’t even a rapper. She’s an actress. She been in a few movies the past few years like “Zola” but she been in tv series too going back almost 10 years.
Schoolboy Q said on his twitch stream a few months back that drake met up with Kendrick and Keem last time he was in LA and it was nothing but love so i’m sure they’re cool
I feel like, this went over their heads. For me, this album is a masterpiece. The lyrics are urgent, powerful, and unsettling. Kendrick brings up hard hitting topics and pairs it with beats that add to the story he tells throughout the album. Most of the songs have a cathartic sense to them, they feel like a release. Auntie diaries tells the social dialogue of being lgbtq in a black/brown community, the ending of the song was my favorite- the delivery of Kendrick’s message was potent and the beat added to the feeling of enlightenment. When these guys listened to Father Time they got so caught up in the drake/ye drama, it was disappointing as I feel like they should have dug a little deeper and listened to more of the lyrics. Mother I sober, was for me the most important song on the album. Smart, urgent, relevant, unsettling. It’s like Kendrick gave us a mirror and said “look.” This album is a masterpiece and I think it could easily win a Pulitzer price for music. I’m so glad to be living through this.
This album is about transformation. This album is about REALIZING generational trauma and therefor breaking it. This album is cathartic and tells a dialogue of his inner mind as well as holding a mirror to the society in which he grew up. “So listen close before you start to pass judgement on how we move. Learn how we cope.” and yes, I can say personally I think this album is a masterpiece. It’s a work of art. It’s a documentation of culture.
The tyler Perry line was talking about him being molested as a kid and kendrick is saying alot of these rappers have been molested and hide it behind violence.
Uncut 3 Hour Version www.patreon.com/posts/66411474
DISC 1: BIG STEPPERS 01 “In Grief” 3:40
Side A 02 “N95” 5:55
Side A 03 “Worldwide Steppers” 9:00
Side A 04 “Die Hard” Feat. Blxst & Amanda Reifer 14:05
Side A 05 “Father Time” Feat. Sampha (Kanye & Drake line) 17:15
Side A 06 “Rich” (Interlude) 25:23
Side A 07 “Rich Spirit” 28:37
Side A 08 “We Cry Together” Feat. Taylour Paige 30:54
Side A 09 “Purple Hearts” Feat. Summer Walker & Ghostface Killah 35:12
DISC 2: MR. MORALE “Count Me Out” 41:00
Side B 02 “Crown” 44:04
Side B 03 “Silent Hill” Feat. Kodak Black 47:30
Side B 04 “Savior” (Interlude) 50:55
Side B 05 “Savior” Feat. Baby Keem & Sam (J Cole Future line) 53:00 Kyrie lied? 55:26 Drake diss? 57:06
Side B 06 “Auntie Diaries” transgender controversial? 1:01:49
Side B 07 “Mr. Morale” Feat. Tanna Leone 1:08:18
Side B 08 “Mother I Sober” Feat. Beth Gibbons (He cheated?) 1:13:49
Side B 09 “Mirror” Kodak again? 1:19:30
First Listen Review ?/10 1:21:34
Goat 🐐🙏
To Pimp A Butterfly: Mortal Man
"When shit hits the fan is you still a fan?"
Taylour is an actress. She was Zola.
Ok
Kendrick was saying because of how he was raised by his dad, Kanye and Drake becoming friends again, Kendrick couldn’t have let that go because of the competitiveness he was taught by his dad and the hood. He doesn’t forgive easily. That’s why he said he still has some healing to do. California has a high gang culture and we don’t forgive in the hip hop world that easy.
genius fr
Yeah I saw a lot of people taking it as a diss to them, which I didn't hear it as honestly
maybe that's why he's not cool Drake
@@ClubAmbition gotta remember he said he’s a “old school Gemini”. Like 2Pac. Not forgiving easily at ALL. Also it’s crazy how Kendrick, Kanye & 2Pac’s birthdays are all within the same 9 days 😵💫😵💫😵💫
@@ClubAmbition I took it as him exposing how the culture felt weird about two black men squashing their beef instead of hurting each other more and in turn is throwing shade at himself because he represents the culture. Oklama (I am. All of us) he speaking for the culture in an introspective way
Big stepper is a metaphor for dancing around real topics. That’s why you constantly hear tap dancing throughout the album.
I think big steppers can also be metaphors for his children. Which is why that side focuses on love, relationships and family more than anything else. And then he is mr.morale ofc on side 2 where we go into his mind about the culture and his life and therapy.
And the tap danicing is supposed to rep his kids
Hmm interesting take, i never thought of it that way. Where I’m from a stepper is someone that’s 10 toes down and about that life. Usually involves guns and shit but I think it could mean what you said as well in the context of the albums subject matter.
We know
@@alphalax7747 shut up
Kendrick really opened himself to the world in this album, it’s so powerful.
Y'all missed the WHOLE point of that "Kanye and Drake" line in Father Time. Kendrick was basically saying that because of the way he was raised. With a so called "enemy" ain't no squashing the beef. That's why he said, he has some healing to do because he needs/wants to break that ideology. He needs to grow up and learn to forgive.
The whole point of Father Time is explaining how some men grow up with or without fathers and are taught certain things. Being taught not to show emotions, how they treat women, wanting to be loved, etc.
It's not a shot at Drake. 🤦♂️
valid, thank you
I’d say it is a shot at drake but…Kendrick is taking the road of Kanye because he finally expressed what made him throw shots at drake and…drake needs to fess up to why he keeps going at Kendrick cause drake took control to heart
Another album with a new sound and new direction. Probably his most divisive and polarizing one to days but I believe, just like with every other Kendrick album, it’ll age like fine wine. He’s already one of the greatest ever.
time will tell 🙏🏽
@@ClubAmbition tracks 1 and 2 will grow on you. They really did grow on me.
@@avashirley2912 all three grew on me, first time (like many) was like wtf, and now I love those songs
that rich spirit one was crazy
@@noahx.classic That one is nice. N95 and Silent Hill are nice aswell.
The overall concept is addressing toxic ways we deal with issues and taking STEPS to handle them properly to fix our MORALE... whether that's through introspection (MIRROR), God (SAVIOR), or sacrificing a bigger ambition to focus on one's self. Therapy also seems to be a big concept going on throughout the album.
The word step has several meanings throughout the album and they are used interchangeably. Kendrick gives a shout out to those taking steps to improve themselves by saying "fighting through the..." followed by the sound of someone doing tap dance steps at the end of Count Me Out. In the song Worldwide Steppers and in N95 the term is used to describe when someone steps out of line with lines like "you out of pocket."
I'm only scratching the surface here as I discover new themes on every listen. It's not my favorite Kendrick album but it's definitely a work of art... and like most art some people simply aren't sophisticated enough to get it and will easily dismiss it as trash. Kendrick can't please everybody and can't save everybody especially at the expense of his family and his own sanity. He chose him and he's sorry.
I feel like Mr. Morale is the good spirit within Kendrick and The Big Steppers are his demons and negative stigmas dat many black ppl glorify in the hip hop culture, dat he has for so long tried to steer clear of and in turn has made music for his purpose instead of trying to follow the trends and fads and make hit songs with no substance. Hence why Kodak is throughout the album cuz he is a complete opposite of who is Kendrick is but Like Jesus did Kendrick wants to heal everybody yet he knows he can’t and the culture will crucify him for trying to
I didn’t catch onto the tap dancing before and after some of the tracks through out the album till about my 3rd listen through tbh. Like you said, it’s about communicating and dealing with issues head on rather than sweeping them under the rug.. because that will ultimately make things worse and plague your family for generations to come..
This album is about Kendrick's therapy session, basically, I think its not for everyone, but if you like it, you like it, and I love it.
Thank you for saying that. Everyone needs to understand that.
Therapy sessions..... nobody wants to listen to that crap. Only lonely depressed people. Which is very unfortunate because we dont need more of that in this world
@@dewmontain123 dont listen to it then...
@@phillip2491 i formed my opinion after listening to it. How stupid are you.
@@phillip2491 you know what's funny... These guys are in every comment section saying the album is trash or is crap. So much time invested into an album they don't like.
The first half was all the ills he and the world suffers. The second half is the healing. This is his complete journey. He was free, absolutely liberated from all those demons that were keeping him in bondage by the last track. It's a 10 out of 10 for me.
10/10? Come on. It’s been out less than two days. You’re saying it’s perfect and there’s nothing that could be changed or improved? Don’t be silly.
@@bungle3912 10/10 ≠ perfect
@@bungle3912 I love it! I don't skip a single track on repeat listens. Do I have favorites? Absolutely. But the journey is magnificent...to me.
@@RealCGH It’s not perfect, don’t be silly
@@bungle3912 the "≠" means doesn't equal
Kendrick has reinvented himself again on this album, much in the same way Kanye does on his best albums, it’s certainly a grower for some people but for me this is 10/10 I can’t stop listening to it
You cant stop listening to it? Seriously why. Nobody cares that kendrick lamar has a transgender aunt. You Seriously like listening to that crap? You must be a loner or something because you cant bump this album when youre chillin with friends.
Me too
SAMEEE 1st listen 7/10 2nd listen 8/10 3rd 10/10 it grew on me so much
Only thing I’ve listened to since it dropped
Same here
I have connections with TDE's head manager and security, from my knowledge, the original recording of the album was Kendrick giving all the fallen heros of the black community their flowers and he was supposed to be rapping in the perspective of their lives. However, this version was his message to his fans explaining why he took ghost from the world, the deep depression he spoke about in TPAB got worse so he decided to work on himself and find some clarity. He found the morality of life after becoming a father, doing therapy, cutting off all communication with the world, and fixing his relationship with his fiance. He's Mr.Morale and us (his fans, family, and day ones) are his big steppers for never giving up on him while he was trying to get his life together. He also had writers block for two years, the album was supposed to come out in 2020 but he redid it. The original was rock influenced, not rap. The meaning is in his alias, Oklama means "my people" in a ancient Indian language. The album is for humanity.
This is dope. Thanks for sharing the info.
@@VZAAGE no prob
Thank you for this.
Why aren’t there any TDE features on the album…?
@@hiltonhosannah769 That's a good question. That's Kalon's, Top's, or Kendricks decision. The A&R, Presidents, and artists need to come in a mutual agreement on album sequences. There were rumors that Jay Rock was going to be on a Collab with Kendrick but that's probably for the TDE album or PGLang album. Although Kendrick left TDE, TDE still owns the rights to his older body of work. Kalon is the A&R for top dawg so that's the best person to ask, Punch is always active on Twitter and he responds to all his fans so u can ask him as well since he is their business manager, I do remember he said TDE is busy planning out tour dates and in the marketing process to release albums. SZA is dropping this summer next. That could be a major reason.
I think the Big Stepper part is going over y’all heads lol. He kinda gets us as listeners to think he means big stepper like tough guy or gangster but it’s a double entendre. The tap dancing throughout the album is symbolizing being a big stepper in a literal sense but it also could mean these “big steppers” are really broken men tap dancing around their problems. Also I could be reaching but the drum beat in the intro is also mimicking the tap dancing sound while Kendrick is boastfully saying “ I Grieve Different” by using materialism to tap dance around the pain he’s feeling and avoiding. Conceptually it’s up there with the rest of Kendrick’s albums. I could understand how some people might not embrace it as much due to how different it sounds sonically.
Simple humans don't understand
facts, we're peasants, sorry 🙏🏽
@@ClubAmbition I fw yall lmaoo 🤷🏾♂️ I’m just saying the Mr Morale (Kendrick’s conscience) and Big Steppers (Kendrick’s Ego) is a genius concept considering how introspective it is. I just thought sharing that might help y’all enjoy the project better.
@@ClubAmbition loool
Also with Kodak narrating through the album he always talking big stepper
Kendrick sees himself in Kodak. This albums all about transformation. He’s always been into jazz and you can hear that with the piano connecting the songs. I see this album as a stage play. Open word poem, one scene is a fight, one a therapist, and especially how the last song feels like everyone coming out to bow
they both gemini
Y'all thought that Drake and Kanye line was confusing? He seemed to be saying that he was impressed by their ability to forgive and move on. He was confused and realized that he's still too immature to forgive. Am I tripping? It seemed obvious to me.
Could have been sarcasm because of the way he was brought up
Kendrick really was losing his mind these past 5 years and he had writers block for 2 years, so he needed to release the weight and hopefully the next album he can give people what they want. He’s under more pressure than any other rapper but this was his album to save his sanity. I think we forget his humanity, but no one can walk in his shoes.
Tf are you on Drugs?
Pretty sure this is his last album
@@whitetownent only his last album with tde
Did you listen to the album? He said he chooses himself from this point forward. He's not gonna try to drop what the people want and knows he can't please everyone. He's done being seen as this savior to the masses
@@candycorn4912 Yeah I don't see it as a complete resignation from music. This album sounded like the introduction to an authentic Kendrick, the end of Kendrick as the culture wanted him to be. "Run away from the culture to follow my heart" is him deciding to not try and be the "savior" for people, and just be him.
First listen of the Disc 1 got me conflicted but in the end 'Mother I Sober' and the closing track made me emotional. Second listen really did me wonders, I'm starting to engross things now.
i remember you was conflicted
@@days5345 misusing your influence
@@satyarthsingh2276 Sometimes I did the same
10/10 not because the music was incredibly hype, but the message and rawness was far more needed in our world than some more bangers.
-
My Personal Theory
Eckhart Tolle (older man’s voice featured in this album)is a spiritual teacher who wrote a book called A New Earth. In the book he describes the next stage of humanity where consciousness rises and the collective ego is dissolved, but before the Ego is dissolved it must hit its fever pitch and be burnt up. It’s a painful process and confronting our ego is terrifying and unbearable, hence Kendrick use of tap- “dancing around the issue”.
I believe this album from Kendrick is an attempt to initiate this process, sacrificing himself as the king of “culture” in order to disrupt and ultimately dissolve the collective ego, and elevate us individually to a higher level. ✨🤝✨
We need YI to be part of this master Piece.., he understands and gets every little details plus his vibes and energy is needed here in this reaction. I guess you guys try your very best. 🤷♀️
💯 these guys did not go into this with an open mind
facts
Agreed
shout out for bringing nav to react too!!
😂😂
The tap dancing throughout the album is referring to “big steppers” and at the end of we cry later it has it again and says “stop tap dancing around the issues. Big steppers is like the world, we are all big steppers who don’t address issues including kendrick himself. The issue he has is finally addressed on mother I sober
Also the double album concept is I believe like a mirror where you get
1. United in grief - 9. Mirror
2. N95 - 8. Mother I sober
3. Worldwide steppers - 7. Mr. Morale
4. Die hard - 6. auntie diaries
5. Father Time - 5. Savior
6. Rich interlude - 4. savior interlude
7. Rich spirit - 3. Silent hill
8. We cry together - 2. Crown
9. Purple Hearts- 1. Count me out
The big steppers half was the best imo, but both was exceptional!🙏
Is that the first or second half?
@@dantebordi4122 first
Count me out, crown, savior, mr morale, and mother I sober are absolutely amazing tho
@@philiplewandowski2469 mirror too 😩
very happy kendrick delivered on this one.
Interesting - second half was my fave on my first listen (but loved some songs from the first cd to death). Second and third listen man whole album was killer
Love how this album is exposing how dumbed down music has made people since his last album. Like everyones brains just skip right over the meaning behind everything he’s doing on this album.
love watching everyone’s reaction to “Mother I Sober” my favorite track
We didn’t wait for too long tbh man had writers block for 2 years and his current experiences are the only reason we got this. Thank you KDot for the humility you brought us
This preliminary review was amazing, and I'm looking fwd to the pod on Tues. Very interested in hearing your fleshed out thoughts once you've really sat w the album and let it marinate. I've been listening to it non-stop since the minute it dropped, other than to watch reviews, which is basically the same thing. This one was my favorite, by far. You guys kept it a buck the whole way thru and I really appreciate that. You said how you felt, regardless of how your opinions would be received.
B/c, yanno, you can't please everybody..🙏
appreciate you
@@ClubAmbition Ty, I appreciate your honest content. Way too many fake reactors out there, whew 🤧.
Enoch is his son's name, Uzi is his daughter's name, Whitney is his wife's name, all revealed on the album, they are also on the album cover (first time he's showed the world his children publicly). This album is a personal self-reflection for Kendrick. It's therapy.
This album is a therapy session for today’s society with 20/20 vision
FINALLY! a channel that reviews albums properly. We can listen first then review after each song . New subby.
thank you!!'
Honestly this album is like an experience. We really gotta let this one simmer; but it does give me an art piece vibe; shades of a masterpiece of some kind.
BEEN WAITING ALL DAY FOR THIS 🙏💪
we eating
I think i figured out more about this album
every song is a therapy session with his therapist (Eckhart Tolle) that brings up different ideas or problem Kendrick is facing or has faced. With the first song being the first therapy session, and the 10th song even confirming that. From him thinking to much people are fake, people having too high of expectations, he is not a god nor a savior for people, him and his family being "touched" etc. So if every song is a therapy session I want to know why he would "mirror" the songs. Makes me wonder I can't wait for a theory so good to be discovered. Makes me excited to see the truth of this album
So if every song is a "therapy" session and the track list it "mirrored" what could it mean?
Maybe something with reflecting? idk man
Along with every listen I am enjoying more and more of every song and always picking new favorites.
Self reflection…(mirror) that’s it….he’s saying he’s had the time to look at the man in the mirror and appreciate himself
7:15 "this a baby keem album so far" Literally the exact words i said to myself
Until you realize that Kendrick wrote half of keem’s album with reference tracks. So was that really keem’s sound of was it Kendrick experimenting through someone else? 🤔
I still find this album FIYA‼️ Need to have at least 2-3 listens before judging 💯
valid
It was much better for me on 2nd listen. First listen I thought it was just okay..
@@TheeDevilWearsPrada is that you Snazzy? Lol
@@jordandavis3867 no
Naw it’s trash his worst album to date
This whole album is literally Kendrick sitting in for a therapy session
I think the theme of the album is that the big steppers are people who step up to actually confront our issues in society and that the tapdancing all over the album is to represent how people and culture tapdance around hot button topics but never seem to really want to actually fix any of it, only using them at this point to virtue signal or grandstand/get likes etc. And I think a lot of it has to do with sex crime and sex equality as well and how we treat each other over it when it comes to image, be it homosexuality or being seen as weak because of molestation or what have you, so people mask it and hide it deep down and project their feelings onto others in toxic ways and the cycle continues instead of actually addressing it and attempting to openly speak about it in a way that is helpful.
especially now with how you may get your character assassinated or discredited for voicing your opinion or stating your own personal views or how you really feel about it, even if it is wrong or misguided. so taken literally, Mr Morale is freeing his mind and leading by example in being what everyone wants him to be, but doing it his own way because he has the confidence that it will actually help change things, because he has respect and loyalty of the industry and his fans and faith that it will help shape the future.
Morale is high because he had the confidence to go against the norm and say what he has to say, how he wants to say it, and he is finally freeing his own conscience as well as being conscious
enough to be aware of his surroundings that he is able to speak on things he has buried deep down and by finally doing so has broken a "generational curse". There are nuances and deliberate things that happened during the course of the album that help me draw this conclusion, like from the very start the sample is "I hope you find some peace of mind in this lifetime" then a woman says "tell them the truth"
the tap dancing length seems to shorten every time it comes in, and the subject matter gets more and more open over the course of the album. then the intentional deep faking during heart 5 made me think of what those people actually represented in context to the album Kanye has spoken about his mental health and being bipolar and more recently, has been all over the news due to his divorce with kim. He has also admitted that sex addiction was one of the leading causes of him finding God. Jussie Smollett is a gay actor who felt underpaid and staged his own crime and was convicted over it, where, in fact, he had 2 black men help him stage it. OJ got away with murdering his ex wife, more than likely over an affair, and then ironically went to prison over retrieving his own belongings Will Smith slapped Chris Rock on stage out of sheer frustration and pain from dealing with the scandal with his wife, also sex related. Nipsey was gunned down in his own neighborhood that he himself built up and was a victim of crimes he participated in as well as spoke out against later in his life. The gunman is now known to have been upset over being called a snitch, driven there by a woman who had picked him up and stopping in the shopping center for food. The woman is said to have mentioned Nipsey as "fine" and wanting to take a picture with him. the first time they approach, she does indeed get a photo with him and posts it to social media. Kobe also dealt with his own sexual assault case. He also spoke out and was a huge advocate for women's sports due to his daughters. which, if i am somewhat right, seem to be all examples of "big steppers", people who were vicitms as well as offenders, yet both stood up and openly dealt with their issues in the public. Kendrick saying he chooses himself seems to be that he is choosing his personal health and wellbeing over being an icon, and instead of trying to be what everyone wants him to be he would rather admit his flaws and shortcomings and try to free himself and his family of what he calls a generational curse. The cover art now also makes a lot more sense to me as a lot of this album is Kendrick saying to the fans I can’t be your saviour, I’m just a regular guy and the cover art is him In just a regular ass house being with his family, protecting them all with the crown on top of his head that we as fans put there as we call him hip-hops messiah/messenger and put him on a pedestal and the juxtaposition of those two things. He is not your savior.
He does not need to provide anything to you.
He is a human being trying to make the best of his situation.
You have put your values and opinions into someone's perspective that is fractured from a life of abuse and trauma.
He owes you nothing.
He chose himself this time. Maybe for the first time.
Y’all reactions stay on 10 😂🔥
The whole TPAB was Kendrick reciting a poem to Pac. I like to believe that the songs are Pac’s interpretation of each section of the poem
appreciate you
When he said “The High blood pressure flooded the catering” meaning the pressure applied from the bloods in the neighborhood at the time was tense
I love how Kendrick reinvents himself every album no one album sounds the same
you can’t give this album a rating straight off. but one of the mai things you need to know is that the album is supposed to be all over the place because it’s basically therapy sessions where he talks about different things that are conflicting him. and another theme throughout the album is kendrick choosing himself over the culture which is why he gets more personal, involved his family and childhood trauma. and he also says “i choose me, i’m sorry” it’s not for the people. it’s a journey of kendrick learning to love himself and accept the world as well as his trauma. that’s also why Kodak is in the album so often. he’s a perfect example of people becoming a product of their environment. that’s what he speaks about in his interlude. you need time to listen to this album over and over to really appreciate it. i believe it’s a masterpiece because of how deep it is. and i can’t really be upset for people not liking it but kendrick was also making a point with this album. he said back in family ties “last year y’all fucked up all the listeners” the culture doesn’t appreciate projects like this anymore.
Unquestionably his best project. His most complete and it’s not even close
i cannot express how amazing this album is, iv been seeing some people hate on it, but its fucking amazing bruh
Big steppers means stepping around the conversation
Could the big steppers be us? The whole culture? Since we’re all avoiding the conversations we need to be having to improve it?
@@rolly3128 I think it’s him stepping round the issue saying he don’t need therapy but his using himself for example for the culture and the second disc mr morale is him coming to term with his trauma and moving forward
Seen a clip where Kendrick describes the idea of making a performance in front of 16k ppl feel like a crowd of 20 which is probably why the songs are so emotional driven to cut thru that feeling and alllowing ppl to directly feel a connection in those giant stadiums
Album became a classic on my second listen
Kendrick 's art so needed in these times. This branch of lyrical hip hop is kept alive thanks to peers like him.
Dope review!!
Is it??
@@robinvolpi There are a lot of lyrical rappers still out.
@@Quake2815 I'm aware of this. I happen to listen to them. ;) The mainstream, however, tends to amplify the less lyrical, and often negative, performers and there just appears to be and overall imbalance within #TheCulture of Hip Hop, favoring the problematic aspects.
@@robinvolpi True. I guess that's the radio and tv hits, but idk the last time I listened to or watched it lol.
@@robinvolpi word.
I feel the album was a think piece, like it or hate it. It feels like the results of his therapy. The thinks he learnt while in solitude. Then it raises questions and leaves you to think about it.
I started watching this channel because of their DAMN reaction… It’s crazy how fast 5 years passed
When people said DAMN was the most commercial, this one is the least commercial, and that is ok.
fact
Taylor Page is an actress from the movie Zola.
ahhh yes!
Kdot album of the year but Fantano will give him a 7
over Pusha?
Fantano will give it a 8/9 i promise
@@ClubAmbition Pusha T album was better imo production was probably better on MMATBS but I enjoyed listening to It‘s Almost Dry more
It's a 5 on a generous day.
@@lucadellisanti I def see him giving it a 9
There it isss🔥🔥 fire promo snippet btw🤣
I think Mr morale is kendrick coming to the realization or growth on certain subjects he and others have delt with. Also it shows his vulnerability and his imperfections in dealing with them. The big steppers is the actual situations that we tend to "tap dance" around and he had to take the step which was therapy to deal with them. That's why every major topic he discussed you heard the tap dancing. I thought it was creative because he combined an era of tap dancing where some of the beats used swing style music like the intro song and jazz per usual worked for me. It gets better with every listen fasho.
Imo I don’t think the Father Time track was as focused on Drake and Kanye. It was more about he perceived the situation in relation to his character. That maybe because of his “daddy issues” he doesn’t understand how they could make up, maybe he hadn’t grown enough that maybe be it takes a level of emotional maturity to bury the hatchet like that but personally he couldn’t relate to it. It ties into how the song speaks about masculinity and toughness and how he was equipped to survive by his father through tough love which actually worked out for him, his drive, his craft and ambition but damaged his emotional growth and relationships with people that are not his family.
Funny thing is his father’s environment taught his father the hard lessons (issues) that he passed onto his kid in the way he could, and as he passed on the lessons, Kendrick learnt them for his own environment and then developed his own issues. He wants men to deal with their issues and not pass it on the the next generation
You guys are the only reactors that got the point of this album and really analyzed as music lovers. Best review!
appreciate you
Jon Denton did some in depth analysis on this album.
cap 🧢
He's saying his father taught him to be cutthroat, non emotional, and prideful. Men are taught to have egos. That ego is the same thing that stopped him from understanding how Drake and Kanye can stop their beef because he would have been too prideful. Life experience will teach you how much your pride and ego holds you back in life. This was definitely not a shot at them. More giving them props for being able to squash their beef.
I didn’t catch onto the tap dancing before and after some of the tracks through out the album till about my 3rd listen through tbh. The album is about communicating and dealing with issues head on rather than sweeping things under the rug.. because that will ultimately make things worse and plague your family for generations to come..
I love the fact that Kendrick has come to terms with the fact that he can’t please everybody.. As much as he’s tried in the past just to see things get worse.. I know Cole had touch on this topic too on “snow on the bluff” I believe, where he basically says the world is looking at him for answer but it’s like bitch, I’m just a man I go through the same emotions, confusion, hurt and pain just like the rest of you, why put that much pressure on a single person..
Kendrick should never say sorry for choosing to take care of himself and his family. I really fucking love this album. It keeps getting better for me.
I like how you guys are not biased based off Kendrick’s credibility. It’s the reason I continue to watch your videos. Great video!!This album is growing on me, and I’m starting to like it more and more. The Kanye-Drake bar emphasizes the theme of the song Father Time. I believe it has nothing to do with his relationship with both artist. The guy in back seat was going somewhere when he said Kendrick was dumbing the bar down to make it relevant to today’s culture. In other words, Kendrick line “Guess I’m not mature as I think, got some healing to do” reflects how his father taught him to always be tough at times, never show emotion, and how his relationship with his father develop an ego or his pride when it come to situations like the Kanye-Drake relationship. This is constant theme he references throughout the song. Another example of this “Daddy issues, f everybody, go get your money son” or “A child that grew accustomed, jumping up when I scraped my knee”.
thank you genuinely
Whole album is a full stage theatre play. Big steppers came first because they’re opening up for the closing act, Mr Morale
ahhh
When is Y.I coming back? Give us an update. Amazing album and video btw.
The Kanye Drake line was about how his father didn't raise him to squash beef so easily. He was confused by that heated beef then a squash and special together. He's saying he has more growing to do, because this not how he would have handled it.
Outstanding analysis with this sesh and have def subscribed to the new pod! Appreciate you all
Father time really went passed y'all heads 😂😂
🥲🤷🏽♂️
People wanting to hate this album so bad I'm not even sure why it's really well made music 🎶
People want TPAB again instead of a new and innovative sound. A lot of people are afraid/dislike change. When you go into the album expecting quality even if it’s different than you expect, you like it but when you want a certain sound, you’ll dislike it.
Man at least one of you guys is a dad I don't understand how you just let father time fly over your head trying to fit the theory that it's a drake or Kanye diss when in reality the song is Beautiful poetry about the struggle of growing up with either bad influences or no influences as far as a father figure goes
Your breakdown of Rich (Interlude) and talking about who Kodak is actually is amazing for real
🙏🏽🙏🏽
If sound drops an album it's easily album of the decade
exactly
You have to listen to the album…then you have to read the album…then listen again and then you can say something about it…it’s not just Music to vibe or Music to listen to…you have to really think about what you hear.
definitely
His pops is affiliated, he wanted Kendrick a certain way. It's a blessing he's not dead. K dot 9x outta 10 got PTSD from his surrounding we don't know. He's saying he still has to fix himself. Because of how he was raised. That's brave to say as a rapper of his rank. He's saying y'all want a savior but I really really need healing. Not even j Cole get that deep.
First listen I gave it a 7/10 but it’s already growing on me more 🔥🔥
Listening to it more and more it gets better and better
Quiet storm is a major influence of songs like Die Hard. It's a genre where R&B is utilized to create pop songs that drown out painful lyrics e.g. Smokey Robinson with The Tracks of My Tears.
So…At the beginning of the album, Whitney was telling Kendrick to tell us something. I feel like “The Big Steppers” are the rappers and also himself tap dancing around the issues (which is that stepping/tapping sounds through some of the songs). By the end he finally becomes Mr. Morale after his wife pushed him to a breakthrough.
I think I figured it out. Big Stepper means more than money. When you advance personally, we say that it's a big step. So Kendrick is describing the big steps he's been taking.
ah
@@ClubAmbition also, that's the reason, I think, for the step show snippets. He's making a show of his steps. So Mr. Morale is him being an inspiration, and The Big Steppers are his family and friends. Why wasn't TDE here? Because a Big Step is Kendrick separating from TDE amicably.
This is a real hip hop album. Sorry guys. Every so often, hip hop has to show up… and it goes back to telling us about the trials and tribulations of the experience of the black man…. Sorry guys…. I apologize for you guys not understanding the album…. I heard many albums similar in the 80s and 90s… this is a hip hop album…. It’s therapeutic. This album is what hip hop started out as… hip hop at its core is a verbal description of the black man’s experience in America… and the dysfunction of those experiences….
Yeah, This Is Kendrick’s 4:44.
Expecting Multiple Grammys.
Mother I Sober is the closest thing to Sing About Me/Dying Of Thirst I’ve ever heard. Instant top ten Kdot song. This album sounded like a mixture of Section 80 & TPAB. It’s one of his most vulnerable and personal albums so I’d rank it higher than TPAB artistically even though musically and sonically TPAB is better. 8.5/10. Solid album.
1. GKMC
2. TPAB
3. MMATBS
4. DAMN
5. SECTION 80
6. Black Panther 🐆
7. Overly Dedicated
8. Untitled Unmastered
I mostly agree, you’re definitely right about the album being more personal and it’s really the kind of album you gotta sit down and listen to. I just wanted to say that you doing untitled unmastered dirty, shit is so underrated.
Im witchu on #1 and #2. But i think this is his worst album. Just my opinion
Homie on the passenger side just be vibing 😎.
Most ppl today aren't actually spiritual enough to understand this album fully. Every reaction I've watched is low-grade
22:00 EXACTLY!!!! Exactly what I've been saying. All in their own lane doing their own thing. Drop the ego and make some good music together. Yall ain't got no big beef with each other. Cmon now. IJS
facts
...
NEW NAME??? CLUB AMBITION LETS GOOO
🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽
Father Time is definitely my top 1 I play that like 10x a day
You see the haters are listening to it all wrong. You got to wait three years to fully digest how deep it is - like James Cameron‘s abyss. You have to run it through a metaphor and simile rhyme simulator backwards to fully calculate all his depth and deep meanings. You gotta freeze it and slow it down so that his super high-pitched voice sounds like a man again to get it. The beats are so retro art-house groovy, I mean cutting edge waaayyy over everyone’s head. I’ll tell you - do that and you’ll realize it’s a classic. Trust me I’ve been listening to hip- hop for 3 weeks he’s the best ever! Lol
The Drake/Kanye line was to illustrate the impact his dad played in nit being able to forgive. His dad would have thought reconciliation is soft. At this point in the album Kendrick still has healing to do to see the importance of them squashing the beef.
yeah it’s really not that hard to understand lol
Good morning bro. You are really working hard for our entertainment. ❤️
appreciate you gang
This is the reaction I was waiting for
you wanted k dot ,drake and cole to collaborate and now they beefing😂😂😂
Track 1 on disc 2 “Count Me Out” starts off with a woman saying “Session 10, the breakthrough..”
Technically that would be track 10 if it was one album. Pay attention to the details in the album. This body of work is a therapy session..
Thanks for your openness and your receiptivity about the subject in Auntie Diaries
10/10 after 10 listen’s.
Finally a reaction and review that explains exactly how I felt about this album after many listens 💯
You're right. It's an art piece. The first time I heard it, I was like. . .so much to digest. I've been playing it all weekend loving it with every new play. This is award wining legendary shit. I will be sitting with this album for a while. I'm hoping more rappers delve deep into their selves like he did. Dude sounded like he went through major therapy. And yes. . .the album title was ass though lol
THE WHOLE ALBUM Is ABSOLUTELY AMAZING And SO VERY MEANINGFUL
I heard someone say on another hip hip RUclips channel that Mr Morale and the big steppers is more of a art piece, like a hip hop stage play but in album form. Like the beats were background scores to the different play scenes and acts. And it make a lot of sense to me. Personally I love the album, so thematic.
true
Mr Morale = Kenny, Big steppers = his family, his closest people & his fans.
Taylour Paige isn’t even a rapper. She’s an actress. She been in a few movies the past few years like “Zola” but she been in tv series too going back almost 10 years.
I also got the Keem vibe from this but figured it's because Kendrick probably helps Keem lol so the influence is vice versa. Sidebar loved this album
Schoolboy Q said on his twitch stream a few months back that drake met up with Kendrick and Keem last time he was in LA and it was nothing but love so i’m sure they’re cool
yeah I think kdot is alright with both drake and kanye. he sorta is just like all of us, where he's watching stuff unfold as an observer
I feel like, this went over their heads. For me, this album is a masterpiece. The lyrics are urgent, powerful, and unsettling. Kendrick brings up hard hitting topics and pairs it with beats that add to the story he tells throughout the album. Most of the songs have a cathartic sense to them, they feel like a release. Auntie diaries tells the social dialogue of being lgbtq in a black/brown community, the ending of the song was my favorite- the delivery of Kendrick’s message was potent and the beat added to the feeling of enlightenment. When these guys listened to Father Time they got so caught up in the drake/ye drama, it was disappointing as I feel like they should have dug a little deeper and listened to more of the lyrics. Mother I sober, was for me the most important song on the album. Smart, urgent, relevant, unsettling. It’s like Kendrick gave us a mirror and said “look.”
This album is a masterpiece and I think it could easily win a Pulitzer price for music. I’m so glad to be living through this.
This album is about transformation. This album is about REALIZING generational trauma and therefor breaking it. This album is cathartic and tells a dialogue of his inner mind as well as holding a mirror to the society in which he grew up.
“So listen close before you start to pass judgement on how we move. Learn how we cope.”
and yes, I can say personally I think this album is a masterpiece. It’s a work of art. It’s a documentation of culture.
Chill
@@josh3148 chill? What a lame ass response to all that. What can I say? I’m passionate about music and lyricism.
U spittin
Yall missed the "Stop tap-dancing around the conversation" after we cry together its a theme throughout
hard i get it now
The tyler Perry line was talking about him being molested as a kid and kendrick is saying alot of these rappers have been molested and hide it behind violence.
I can't stop listening to this album
I think this album serves to humanize Kendrick, and I also feel like the atmosphere is reflective of the world we live in.