The Kendrick Lamar fifth studio album arrives five years after his previous LP
For his final album under independent record label Top Dawg Entertainment, the Kendrick Lamar fifth studio album Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers has officially been released. The long-awaited LP by one of hip hop’s most creative voices has been five years in the making and comes after Kung Fu Kenny’s 2017 release, Damn.
Following last week’s debut of “The Heart Part V”, the Kendrick Lamar fifth studio album continues to portray his extremely heartfelt words in what might be considered his most serious effort to date. Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers comes in the form of a double album, split into two sections consisting of nine tracks each.
The album incorporates a wide range of elements consisting of jazz, funk, blues, R&B, soul, trap, and West Coast hip hop. Although primarily a conscious hip hop record, its lyrics offer a unique perspective on personal experiences including childhood and generational trauma, therapy, and religion while also tackling current events and modern day issues of gender identity, parenting, fake news, and cancel culture.
Beth Gibbons of Portishead, Sampha, Ghostface Killah, Thundercat, Baby Keem, Kodak Black, Summer Walker, and others have all contributed to Mr. Morale. Kendrick’s partner Whitney Alford is credited with narrating on “We Cry Together,” which includes a sample from English indie rock band Florence and the Machine. Also credited is Eckhart Tolle, who appears multiple times as Kendrick’s therapist and is a German self-help guru endorsed by Oprah Winfrey.
For the majority of the album’s production, Kendrick reconnected with frequent collaborators Sounwave, J. Lbs, DJ Dahi, and Bekon. Other producers for the Kendrick Lamar fifth studio album include Pharrell, The Alchemist, Duval Timothy, Beach Noise, and Boi-1da.
Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers is now available for stream and will be released on wax Friday, May 27.