Kendrick Lamar releases fifth studio album; Fans comment on new tracks

     On May 13 of this year, American rapper Kendrick Lamar released his fifth studio album, Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers. This is his most recent album release since DAMN. which came out in 2017,

     In MMATBS, Lamar released a specific track, ‘United in Grief,’ that states just how long it has been since he last released music. He states, “I’ve been goin’ through somethin.’ 1,855 days, I’ve been goin’ through somethin.’ Be afraid.” Including ‘United in Grief,’ MMATBS has 18 tracks in total. 

     Junior Dominic Franklin says that his favorite song on the album is the fifth track, ‘Father Time.’ He says, “Kendrick explores the long-ingrained, toxic masculinity that is passed on from generation to generation, sometimes actively by a father who is present and other times through the absence of a father figure, and it’s extremely relatable to me.”  

    Sophomore Ava Pippitt says her favorite track is the second track, ‘N-95′ “because it is so catchy. I knew the lyrics after the third listen.” Her favorite album of Lamar’s is To Pimp a Butterfly, “because it is one of his first albums and it really shows how he influenced rap,” Pippitt mentions. Franklin’s favorite Lamar album is Section.80 because Lamar, “[keeps] up a consistent 90’s-sounding hip-hop album through the production” while also explaining, “the vices and pitfalls that follow his generation.”  

    He adds, “he makes bold and powerful statements throughout the entire project [such as] attacking the connotations associated with different skin colors and commenting on how beauty is internal.” He mentions that Lamar also focuses on “deeper topics of abuse and someone’s own personal demons.” 

    Franklin mentions, “[Section.80] also contains one of the greatest hip-hop songs of all time in my opinion, ‘A.D.H.D.’” The song talks about, “the heavy drug dependencies of his generation which I feel is prevalent in our current generation.”  

    Franklin says that he would see Lamar in concert since, “he’s such a timeless artist and brings such a variety of music to the table.” He adds, “it’s impossible to look at his [discography] and not like at least something.” Pippitt also says that she would go to his concert because “it would be so much fun, and I know that everyone would be pumped up!” Lamar’s The Big Steppers USA tour will start on July 16 of this year, and he will be performing for 65 days during the tour.