Mr Morale & The Big Steppers: An Album Of Healing

This isn't a movie review, but it is just as justified to be spoken about.

The reach of Kendrick's new album is insane. It's so broad that anyone could relate to a piece of the album is special. Its ability and the strength to be that open and vulnerable on tracks are stunning and raw. The album itself is healing, a therapy album if you will, not just for Kendrick, but for everyone. Going through emotional trauma and abuse when he was younger because of the culture he lived in has damaged him. He talks about this in most of the songs in there, the generational trauma that plagues the black community and gets passed down to black children like a cycle, kids brought up without fathers or fathers that don't show affection or are harsh to their kids. Brothers, sisters, mothers, all abused by one another, "hurt people hurt more people, fuck calling it culture". Kendrick is healing himself with therapy, confronting his past and trying to fix himself. He acknowledges his infidelity, cancels culture, anger, trauma, his status as a poet, hypocrisy, and subdued racial anger. He also questions who he, or more broadly, the black identity, is without the trauma that's been such a huge aspect of being black. Finally, deciding to free himself from that trauma, let that go through therapy, and not make that your identity. Say what you want about the lyrical aspect of this project. I think it serves its purpose while not needing to go above and beyond, because that is not the point. It does what it needs to. The production on this was amazing, and every song had me bopping my head with its intricate mixing and unique sonic sound. Every feature did their part flawlessly. There wasn't a single one I felt was lacking, especially Taylour Paige, definitely my favorite feature. This album grows on you the more you listen to it, things stick with you on repeat listens and hit you harder after, and what's mindboggling is there are certain elements of the album I still need to understand, like the exact meaning of the album name and a few other minor things. The album moved me so much because of how much of a healing work of art it was, I am not black and haven't experienced black life, but tracks like, "Father Time", "We Cry Together", "Mother I Sober", "Mirror" made me tear up because those are topics I can relate to and affected me strongly. That is the reason, "Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers" is my favorite Kendrick Lamar album. Thank you for reading.