” I feel joy to have been a part of such a cultural imprint after 17 years. The Struggles. The Success. And most importantly, the Brotherhood. May the Most High continue to use Top Dawg* as a vessel for candid creators. As I continue to pursue my life’s calling. There’s beauty in completion. And always faith in the unknown. Thank you for keeping me in your thoughts. I’ve prayed for you all. See you soon enough“.
*Top Dawg entertianment (TDE) is an American music company that was founded in 2004 by a man named Anthony Tiffith. Kendrick Lamar started at TDE and became one of the most influential figures at the label. This will be his final album with TDE.
Kendrick Lamar, August 20th 2021 on Oklama.com
With the upcoming release of his new album titled Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers, Kendrick Lamar has shown that he is one of the most impactful musicians of all time. The highly anticipated album is finally on its way after Kendrick Lamar’s long hiatus from the rap industry, and many people have been waiting on this moment. His last studio album was titled DAMN, which was released in April of 2017, making it a grand total of five long years without an album from Kung Fu Kenny (one of Kendrick Lamar’s many nicknames). Many fans of Lamar were begging him to release something new into his discography, but many people eventually lost hope. However, a flicker of light beamed through Lamar’s fanbase. Not all hope was lost. Months ago, Lamar had put out a statement in August of 2021 stating that he was currently working on his final album with his current record label, Top Dawg entertainment. Many people were excited, but nobody expected him to release the album within the next year or so. Kendrick Lamar is known to take his time with albums, that’s why many of them are considered timeless classics, such as Section 80, To Pimp a Butterfly, and Good kid m.A.A.d City. That was the case until April 18th, 2022, when Kendrick Lamar shocked the world with an announcement.
After Kendrick Lamar released this statement with the album name and release date, in a Michael Jordan esque return, the internet went absolutely nuts. One person even made a Twitter account, dedicated to the new album release shortly after the announcement. Others brought up the frequent comparison between Kendrick Lamar and rapper J. Cole, stating that the comparisons will stop once Lamar releases his new album. He is on another level, according to Lamar’s fanbase. J.Cole and Kendrick Lamar have been touted as some of the best lyricists in the industry, and it is no surprise that two masters of their crafts get brought up in conversation with one another.
After the album announcement, which was met with overwhelming support, Kendrick Lamar once again went dark. He was not using any promotional material to roll out his album release at first, other than promoting random events through his new label (PgLang) and the website he used for the announcement (Oklama.com). Now, Lamar is known to be a very private person outside of his music (rightfully so), so this wasn’t a surprise to anyone. This was the case up until May 3rd, 2022 when Lamar posted another document to his website. The image featured a book with the title of his new album, as well as two discs in Lamar’s hand, labeled “master copy”.
The image itself can be broken down and analyzed to a very detailed extent. The red carpet, the reflection of the white brick wall, even Kendrick Lamar’s shoes. However, the focus of the image is on the two discs. The two discs that Lamar is holding in the image above point to a theory about Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers being a double album. This theory seems to be on the right track, because why would you need to copy down two master copies for one album? This theory picks up even more steam, because one disc is titled “Morale” and the other is titled “Steppers”, which possibly points toward the sonic direction of the two discs being completely different.
Kendrick Lamar is a creative mastermind when it comes to album production and storytelling. There has been nobody more original than Kendrick Lamar. You could dissect anyone of his songs for hours and find hidden gems scattered throughout his verses. He truly delivers poetic justice on social issues and society at a rate that nobody can compete with. Along with his tremendous perspective, his creativity is absolutely astounding. For example, on his 2015 album To Pimp a Butterfly, he delivers his complex and witty verses with jazzy undertones in the production. For example, on the song titled u, Kendrick speaks about his declining mental state and well-being all over a constantly changing beat. It starts off as this poetic serenade with the hook “loving you is complicated” (which is Kendrick Lamar referring to himself), which then transitions to a more mellow beat with jazz-like undertones, with Kendrick fully breaking down, showing his emotional vulnerability. Lamar goes into his depression, the downsides of fame, and the emptiness he felt being disconnected from his own community of Compton.
So, what does this mean for his new album? Well, as stated before, it could be an indication of how his music will sound on this new album. Many people think that the album title is an indication of the production. Many people have pointed out that the title of the album is very reminiscent of early R&B/ neo-soul groups, such as Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes or rock artists such as Prince and the revolution, which could indicate the use live bands and instrumentation throughout the production of the album. One thing is for certain though, whatever Kendrick Lamar puts out, will sonically be different from what he’s put out before. In order to prove that statement, we turn to Kendrick Lamar’s newest song, The Heart Part 5.
The Heart is a long-lasting series of songs, usually released before Kendrick’s upcoming albums (ever since 2010), that lyrically, have nothing to do with the albums, but hint at the production that will be used in it. In these songs, Lamar offers his perspective on the world, discusses society in general, and informs the public about what his mindset is. Lamar released this song on May 8th, 2022, and it has already garnered significant attention. In the video, Lamar uses AI deep-fake technology, to impersonate people such as Will Smith, Kanye West, the late Kobe Bryant, and the late rapper Nipsey Hussle.
The song has been met with an extremely positive response from fans. Many people recognize this song as a true lyrical masterpiece, and many people resonate with the messages behind it. Kendrick delivers his verse over a soulful beat that samples a song from legendary singer Marvin Gaye titled I Want You. He discusses issues within his own community and how the “culture” is not what it’s made out to be, using influential figures within black culture as a backdrop for the music video. Regarding the sample, this is something that Lamar has never really done when it comes to a whole album being based on soul samples. However, given the mind of Kendrick Lamar, it will probably sound good regardless.
We are currently two days away from hearing Kendrick Lamar’s prophetic wisdom on an album. Lamar has been known to be an excellent storyteller, an amazing artist, and a creative genius as we’ve discussed before. Kendrick Lamar has a way of reaching the people like few artists have been able to do before, like Tupac or Elvis Presley. Whether it’s a soulful album, a rock anthem, or even just a regular rap record, this will most likely be, an instant classic within the hip-hop community. What Kendrick has done cannot be summed up in words. In order to truly understand his influence, one must get immersed within his music. From social injustice, to mental health, and even to philosophical concepts that apply to the world today, Kendrick Lamar has a vocal presence like no other. We don’t know what story he will tell on May 13th, but it will be a story that is filled with powerful messages and subliminal meanings that will enlighten the people who listen to it.
If you want to check out any other videos that discuss Kendrick Lamar, make sure to check out some of the suggestions down below.
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