Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers

I'm still assessing, but here were some quick notes.

First listen (5/17/22)

I liked it a lot. I was initially disappointed by more gimmicky repetitive stuff, and he does continue that trend, but there's also a lot of good stuff here -- possibly more than DAMN. DAMN was kind of his foray into basic rap, plus some classic Kendrick here and there. MMBS harmonizes both, I think, plus big doses of personal and spiritual.

I had no idea what to expect, after five years. Hearing the new "The Heart" was surprising -- it was more familiar than I expected, after all this time, from an increasingly outlandish artist. Skyrocketing artistry and fame often drive a grounded GOAT off a cliff. I was worried about Kendrick. But he's as competent as ever. He hasn't lost a technical step, and he still has a lot to say. I remember worrying, a few years ago, that he'd run out of things to say. He seems to have improbably retained his technique and voice. He mixes in new flavors now, some of which I love, some of which disappoint me, but it's still Kendrick. Which is delightful.

I'm skeptical I could like this as much as To Pimp a Butterfly. For me that's the pinnacle of all rap. I could use more of its jazz here. Some of MMBS was almost downright trap; some was kind of electro; on average it wasn't as flavorful as TPAB, I think. GKMC was the street album, TPAB was the jazz album, DAMN was the basic easy one... MMBS is an evolution, I think, but I'm not yet sure how to classify it. It did feel more personal and spiritual. This may be an overgeneralization, but I wonder whether the pandemic accounts for that. I think he also started having kids after DAMN. So starting a family and enduring quarantine may have caught him in centripetal orbit; pair that with vast social reckoning and burgeoning vulnerability and maybe it makes sense Kendrick is unearthing old trauma, reflecting on broader social issues microcosm-ed in his childhood, and speaking more to his audience's personal pain now than their political conscience.

I'm not sure what DAMN was about.

Chelanga's favorite moment of TPAB was a non-moment -- it was when Kendrick didn't repeat "in the presence of your chico, ah", didn't repeat the form of that line at all. He only did it once. Chelanga called out the "restraint" to have an idea, execute, and let it be. Most rappers are beating dead horses for a living. I wonder what Chelanga would think of the last two albums. Certainly a lot of droning -- call it tired or lazy. That "restraint" endeared me to Kendrick. It takes energy to hold back. He had that during the making of his masterpiece. Now, sometimes he sounds tired. He's expanded his work marvelously, but lost a little of the old energy and precision.

But I'm surprised how good this was. My expectations weren't very high. DAMN was a little disappointing, and it's been five years. It's been seven since his peak, and five without a peep. Black Panther happened, some of which I really liked, but it didn't encourage me regarding his trajectory. It was very gimmicky and tired. I didn't expect he could hold his level so high all this time, especially given the family. I must look at my favorite rapper in a new light. He endured when I didn't expect him to. He matured and held his level. Elite rap must just be in him. Even the early records are elite, and he's pushed the game's artistry ever since without sacrificing his world-class fundamentals. It's really impressive. Even if he never makes a greater album, as long as he puts out music roughly this good, he's constantly cementing his superiority.

I'm sure there are other rappers roughly at his level out there -- but I haven't heard them. I've never heard anything at his level. I haven't heard Flower Boy in a while, but I remember being very impressed by that. I'm sure there's lots of cutting-edge underground stuff occurring. But Kendrick is doubtless the best I've personally heard. This album doesn't chip his legacy, nor advance it too much; it helps cement it.

Second listen (5/30/22)

Before DAMN I didn't know he could do mindless melodic mumbling. Now it's convincing me further of his superiority. He can do almost anything -- a couple rap masterpieces into a career he jumps on the mindless melodic mumble wagon and instantly excels. His versatility is incredible. MMBS scans most styles, some unexplored in his previous albums. One example is Graduation-like stadium synths. So Kendrick can even do Kanye. Look, not everything is perfect -- he might trade some of Kanye's old charisma for intellection. It's not like I can't think of other rappers' strengths in his light. There's some extroverted levity to those first few Kanye albums that Kendrick's obsessive introspection can't quite touch. Hearing Kendrick rap over beats Kanye may have produced back then is an interesting juxtaposition. I found myself missing Kanye in a way, and Kendrick almost felt like an impostor -- too cerebral. I don't believe his mindless stuff, sandwiched in the most mental rap I've heard. But they're still good songs. These are all good songs.

I don't know where to rank MMBS in his discography. I get the sense I'll prefer it to DAMN and not to TPAB, but I can't really hear the latter anew, so that will be difficult. I get the sense this is a great album. It has so much, across such a wide spectrum, all of substantial quality. But I don't think it's ecstatic. I think I mentioned after my first listen the declining energy after he shook the earth in 2015. He still has more energy than any rapper I've heard, and most of them sound heavily medicated at all times. Kendrick is always the sharpest rapper alive, as far as I know. But I still feel there's something missing -- maybe the need to prove himself. Maybe the desire to create the greatest rap album ever. He's done both already as far as I'm concerned. No one can sustain that drive for so many years. Bob Dylan put out at least five of the greatest albums in rock history in sequence, but that was in only three or four years. While unrepeatable, it's a different thing to sustain that drive for many years, even significantly less prolific years, and Kendrick has now been at it a while. If you examine Dylan's career, he always did a bunch of dogshit in between greatness (except in those 3-4 shooting-star years). Kendrick has been less prolific (his quality bar is pretty high), but you still can't change the world every single time for 10 years. MMBS feels like a great album, and I think it advances the game. But will Kendrick be able to reinvent himself? That was one of Dylan's boons -- he could morph into a new artist and define new styles by shedding his old identity. For Kendrick to change the world again, wouldn't he need to shed his skin? We know this idea of Kendrick at this point -- wouldn't he have to decimate it? And for that, wouldn't he have to decimate himself? What's that line from Descartes' Meditations about slowly dismantling all of his opinions?

There's a lot of room for me to learn the thematic content better. I've done zero research on this album, its background, its public and critical reception, even its lyrics. I could learn a lot just by looking up the lyrics. But I still think there's something noble about an uninformed, unadulterated play-through. All I have are my artistic sensibilities and my relationship with his past work. Mostly, I'm a musician who grew up loving rap. I can tell you the chord progressions to the songs, and I can tell you it's better than all the rap I listened to growing up. I don't know everything he's talking about, I don't know everything going on in his life, I don't understand every slang word, or reference. But this is more engaging and interesting than other rap.

Musically, though -- what's it worth to me? I like keeping up my relationship with rap, and I legitimately enjoy the genre. But it's not as musically satisfying as stuff I can find in more formal forms. I can find pieces of jazz, classical, or traditional music that are ecstatic to me. I have no regrets keeping up with Kendrick, and I think a core part of me is connected to this music. But it doesn't contain the musical ecstasy and purity I'd typically seek. Especially since I've known Kendrick for seven years now, and he hasn't changed enough to renew the ecstasy for me. But familiarity with such a musician is a joy. I'll always have these songs. They're the best manifestation of this genre I love that I've ever heard. I'll always have the old songs from childhood, especially the Kanyes, and I'll always have my GOAT, and all the experiences I associate with him. Association with Kendrick's music is and has been a joy. It's not the purity and elation I seek in other forms, but it connects to a core part of myself, and I'm proud of it.