Kendrick Lamar’s fifth studio album titled Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers is finally here. The cover artwork for this body of work shot by New-York based photographer Renell Medrano, depicts Lamar wearing the crown of thorns – which references Jesus crucifixion on the cross; with a gun tucked on the back of his white t-shirt – he is also seen holding his first-born daughter while the background appears to be his wife, Whitney Afford holding their new born baby.
Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers is said to be his last release under label, Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE). It’s been five years since the release of his Grammy award-winning album titled DAMN in 2017, and now we are blessed with a more personal body of work.
This double disc album with nine tracks in each disc is his most vulnerable album to date, finally an album solely about himself.
The album touches on issues about grief, daddy issues, homophobia, transphobia, existential crises, identity politics, and many other complexities and anxieties of of the human experience. Lamar is raw and honest about himself and his surroundings, he seems to be very explosive and expressive about these emotional issues – painting a picture with lyrics for the listeners to understand where he is coming from while simultaneously filling the void by delivering heart-warming verses in between the choruses of very song.
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