Top Five Reasons Kendrick Lamar’s New Album is Monumental

Kendrick has the skills. He has the credentials, the awards, and the respect of both critics and audiences. With his new release Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers, he draws on a larger canvas. The double-disc is a testament to the pandemic weary folks looking for glimmers of rational hope in an insane culture.

Kung Fu Kenny kicks knowledge and providesd a groove for new adherents to his ideology and long in the tooth supporters. Here are The Top Five Reasons Kendrick Lamar’s New Album is Monumental.

5. Emotion and Reason Pervade the Recording

Tracks like “We Cry Together” provides a classic war of words between a man and woman in a romantic relationship. The dynamics of hurling insults and tearing each other down evolves into the two adults finding each other locked together in an embrace. The power of this back and forth lies in the fact that so many of Lamar’s audience members can relate to the exchange of words that he and female MC Taylour Paige throw at each other.

The expressiveness and the passion that the two wordsmiths communicate show the power and strength of their high rhyme skills.

4. Ghostface Killah made the album

The Wu-Tang Clan veteran graces the mic on “Purple Hearts.” His patented left of center flow, matched with his gritty, yet somehow crispy lyrics, bubble and complement Lamar and the lovely Summer Walker.

Ghostface, as an East Coast rapper, brings the braggadocio of New York’s toughest rhyme spitters as he says, “Telekinesis, I'm purifying these D speeches/

While I'm crying, I clean the feet of the sweet Jesus/

Dreams, visions get blurry of the Elohim, it's light.”

He further pushes the listener to consider the depth of his acumen with an allusion to The Twilight Zone. For Lamar to select this living legend to appear on his album speaks to the excellent mind and ear that the young man possesses.

3. Lamar Leads the Pack of Rappers/Singers

The melody is too infectious for Lamar not to rise to the platform and sing in between hard rhymes. In an era where artists like Future, Lil’ Durk, and Kodak Black, amongst a whole host of other figures, test the limits of what it means to pour out their souls in song or rap.

Lamar decides to flow over the pertinent percussion with an understanding of how to navigate through his tracklist. Once he finds the groove, he takes to mind the ability to change his lilting vowels to straight hip hop.

2. Lamar Brings a Different Perspective to the LGBTQ+ Community

Lamar, in the song “Auntie Diaries,” gives light to the family member who became a trans woman. He talks on the track in a monotone, and discusses his confusion, breakthrough, and release from the “F-word,” the slur for gay men. Lamar reminds his listeners that he can stir controversy, but still exhibit truth and reality.

He keeps his storyline tight as he walks on the tightrope of whether his audience will associate with him. Through his own courage, he ties together the strings of discord and agreement and paints a picture of what he once was and how he accepted his two affiliate’s transgender identities.

1. Though it’s a Double Album, it’s Breezy and Strong Throughout

For his fifth studio album, Lamar makes a cohesive argument about whether he is the greatest MC of his generation. While the spectrum is quite crowded with challengers, Lamar knocks down nearly everyone with Mr. Morale. His cadence and, confidence both shine with a brilliance that encapsulates the very spirit of the rap game.

He knows what he wants, and sets out to do it. The eighteen song release is a welcome offering that doesn’t permit the listener to slog through the effort. Though some of the subject matter is heavy, the overall effect of the song collection reminds fans and supporters that Lamar can still fill a whole list of production with lyrics.