The music world has missed Kendrick Lamar. Sure, we’ve been doing alright with various releases from the industry’s heavyweights like J. Cole, Drake, Kanye West, Young Thug, Future, Taylor Swift, and more, as well as newcomers who have provided something new and refreshing to the world. Prior to last fall, Adele was seemingly the long superstar who went longer than Kendrick without a new album, but even she returned in November with 30. Ever since Kendrick stamped himself as not only the next great rapper but the next great artist overall, his full-length releases grab the attention of the world and it’s something that will happen again with his newly-released long-awaited fifth album Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers.
There are a few things to keep in mind with Kendrick’s new album, which was prefaced by the impressive “The Heart Part 5.” Aside from what the project adds to his undeniable legacy, it will also be his last official release on Top Dawg Entertainment, a label he’s called home since 2004. There’s no telling what Kendrick’s next step will be, heck, it took us over four years to find out what it would be following Damn. One thing we do know is that Kendrick’s journey will most likely continue under PgLang, a creative agency that he founded with his longtime partner and former TDE co-president Dave Free. PgLang is also home to Baby Keem and newly-signed act Tanna Leone.
But enough about the future, let’s enjoy the present. Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers is out now and there will hopefully be a lot to enjoy about it. It arrives with 18 songs and features from Blxst, Amand Reifer, Sampha, Taylour Paige, Summer Walker, Ghostface Killah, Kodak Black, Baby Keem, Sam Dew, Tanna Leone, and Beth Gibbons of Portishead. So grab a pair of headphones or turn on your speakers, and press play on an album that many of us have waited a long time to hear.
Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers is out now via PgLang/TDE/Aftermath/Interscope. You can stream it here.
Kodak Black is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
