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  • taking my posts from first reactions and condensing them here for conversation sake and to discuss easier;

    I think the theme of the album is that the big steppers are people who step up to actually confront our issues in society and that the tapdancing all over the album is to represent how people and culture tapdance around hot button topics but never seem to really want to actually fix any of it, only using them at this point to virtue signal or grandstand/get likes etc. And I think a lot of it has to do with s***crime and s***equality as well and how we treat each other over it when it comes to image, be it homosexuality or being seen as weak because of molestation or what have you, so people mask it and hide it deep down and project their feelings onto others in toxic ways and the cycle continues instead of actually addressing it and attempting to openly speak about it in a way that is helpful.
    especially now with how you may get your character assassinated or discredited for voicing your opinion or stating your own personal views or how you really feel about it, even if it is wrong or misguided.

    edit: want to point out as the album goes on, the tapdancing gets shorter and shorter, and kendrick begins to open up more and more on these issues as well as his own until we get to the end of the album where he talks about a lot of deeply personal experiences as well as revealing who or what Mr Morale is.

  • by definition;

    so taken literally, Mr Morale is freeing his mind and leading by example in being what everyone wants him to be, but doing it his own way because he has the confidence that it will actually help change things, because he has respect and loyalty of the industry and his fans and faith that it will help shape the future.

    Morale is high because he had the confidence to go against the norm and say what he has to say, how he wants to say it, and he is finally freeing his own conscience as well as being conscious
    enough to be aware of his surroundings that he is able to speak on things he has buried deep down and by finally doing so has broken a "generational curse"

  • @UnoDeuce also shared this which i agreed with and elaborated more on with my explanation.

  • To be concise the theme of the album is personal accountability.
    Kendrick still takes accountability for a litany of troubles in his life while acknowledging the factors that caused him to behave that way.

    He views it all through these lenses of social issues but holds himself ultimately responsible.

    Mr. Morale is his idealist form that has attained this level of responsibility for his actions. It’s who Kendrick hopes to become. The Big Steppers are the people dealing with these things that need to step up and overcome. To finally heal.

  • there are nuances and deliberate things that happened during the course of the album that help me draw this conclusion, like from the very start the sample is "I hope you find some peace of mind in this lifetime" then a woman says "tell them the truth"

    the tap dancing length seems to shorten every time it comes in, and the subject matter gets more and more open over the course of the album

  • then the intentional deep faking during heart 5 made me think of what those people actually represented in context to the album

    Kanye has spoken about his mental health and being bipolar and more recently, has been all over the news due to his divorce with kim. He has also admitted that s***addiction was one of the leading causes of him finding God.

    Jussie Smollett is a gay actor who felt underpaid and staged his own crime and was convicted over it, where, in fact, he had 2 black men help him stage it.

    OJ got away with murdering his ex wife, more than likely over an affair, and then ironically went to prison over retrieving his own belongings

    Will Smith slapped Chris Rock on stage out of sheer frustration and pain from dealing with the scandal with his wife, also s***related.

    Nipsey was gunned down in his own neighborhood that he himself built up and was a victim of crimes he participated in as well as spoke out against later in his life. The gunman is now known to have been upset over being called a snitch, driven there by a woman who had picked him up and stopping in the shopping center for food. The woman is said to have mentioned Nipsey as "fine" and wanting to take a picture with him. the first time they approach, she does indeed get a photo with him and posts it to social media.

    Kobe also dealt with his own sexual assault case. He also spoke out and was a huge advocate for women's sports due to his daughters.

    which, if i am somewhat right, seem to be all examples of "big steppers", people who were vicitms as well as offenders, yet both stood up and openly dealt with their issues in the public.

  • Kendrick saying he chooses himself seems to be that he is choosing his personal health and wellbeing over being an icon, and instead of trying to be what everyone wants him to be he would rather admit his flaws and shortcomings and try to free himself and his family of what he calls a generational curse.

  • this album is seemingly hitting its mark exactly to me. it has people mad as f*** already, but at the same time, a lot of folks itt are admitting wrong as well as able to talk about things that have happened to them now. so maybe this is exactly what people needed to hear and maybe it will push us in a direction we have been tiptoeing around going for a while now.

    which makes perfect sense as to why this album was kept so tight lipped and under wraps and had no promotion.

  • sorry for the multiposting but i figured it may be easier to read this way. discuss what you think the meaning all of it is and point out anything i may have missed, which im sure is a lot because this was just my general thoughts after 2 listens and a half.

  • May 13, 2022
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    1 reply

  • May 13, 2022

  • May 13, 2022

    how?

  • May 13, 2022
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    Main issue for me with the album is that, indeed, the topics of personal accountability, being open/vulnerable, but also accepting that certain uncontrollable events in life (the events discussed on Mother I Sober, but also f.e. the R. Kelly reference on Mr. Morale) make an impact on your behavior are all there, but they lose power with being juxtaposed to these silky smooth pop tracks like Die Hard and Purple Hearts that seemingly add nothing to the narrative. I guess one could theoretically argue that on these tracks Kendrick is "shying away" from being open and raw, and as the album progresses, he's more capable of showing the darker sides of his own life, but for me it just feels like pure filler. As if he wanted to pursue the idea of a double album badly but didn't have enough material to do so.

  • May 13, 2022
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    They typing theories, paragraphs, and dissertations about this mid like it’s a 2nd century epic by a historical philosopher

    Please get me out of here man

  • May 13, 2022
    QrOv
    · edited

    They typing theories, paragraphs, and dissertations about this mid like it’s a 2nd century epic by a historical philosopher

    Please get me out of here man

    Get on our level

  • May 13, 2022
    Efficacy

    Main issue for me with the album is that, indeed, the topics of personal accountability, being open/vulnerable, but also accepting that certain uncontrollable events in life (the events discussed on Mother I Sober, but also f.e. the R. Kelly reference on Mr. Morale) make an impact on your behavior are all there, but they lose power with being juxtaposed to these silky smooth pop tracks like Die Hard and Purple Hearts that seemingly add nothing to the narrative. I guess one could theoretically argue that on these tracks Kendrick is "shying away" from being open and raw, and as the album progresses, he's more capable of showing the darker sides of his own life, but for me it just feels like pure filler. As if he wanted to pursue the idea of a double album badly but didn't have enough material to do so.

    the production is that way sure, but the lyricism within the tracks kind of stick with the theme if you ask me.

  • May 13, 2022

    in

  • May 13, 2022
    QrOv

    They typing theories, paragraphs, and dissertations about this mid like it’s a 2nd century epic by a historical philosopher

    Please get me out of here man

  • ghosting ®️
    May 13, 2022
    QrOv

    They typing theories, paragraphs, and dissertations about this mid like it’s a 2nd century epic by a historical philosopher

    Please get me out of here man

    ya god forbid we actually discuss music...

  • May 13, 2022
    allmygirlsdoyoga

    goat

  • QrOv

    They typing theories, paragraphs, and dissertations about this mid like it’s a 2nd century epic by a historical philosopher

    Please get me out of here man

    GKMC was their first concept album

  • Im sure there will be people who come in here just to troll or w/e, its expected. just keep it movin and ignore em tbh. not even going to acknowledge them or dignify with a response

  • May 13, 2022

    others have mentioned too, i think his Super bowl performance was a reference to Mr Morale and the big steppers as well. which is why i changed my PFP to this picture once the title was announced.