Dad Reacts to Kendrick Lamar - Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers (Disc 1)

You guys are the best, always showing so much love and it makes me happy to see you enjoying the content lately. Also, added a Spotify playlist in the description for Put You On music we have done so far, much love 💜

dad was flabbergasted on we cry together lmaooooooo

"Never heard anything like this michael"

Its actually crazy to see your dad's progression from pessimistic uncertainty to full-fleged analyst like the rest of us... i love you guys keep it going

I love how your dad caught that he’s putting deep lyrics and pain on a catchy beat… it’s like he’s giving the world medicine but know we won’t take it without a spoonful of sugar lol ❤️

Kendrick didn’t make a hip hop album. He made a theatrical performance.

Mike trying to explain what “hard” means is so funny.

Your dad's instant analysis is nothing short of amazing. That man connects the dots.

I freaking love how much "We Cry Together" is resonating with people.

Father Time is such an amazing song, that second verse's especially back to back fire. That message is spitting.

I already know that it was tough for your dad to sit through this one. I hope that he gets to understand the true meaning of this album and the duality if it all. Especially the fact that Kendrick is being so raw and honest on this one trying to get everyone to see that he is only human with issues just like everyone else. Heavy is the head that wears the crown. I know it probably took a lot to get through this reaction but I’m here for it.💕

That corner bit on Die Hard was genius though.

The whole album is about pain and growth, he's a leader in a community that's putting everything out there, the good, bad and traumatic. He realized that if he wants his community to heal he needs to lead by example. In my opinion.

Lmao the reaction to We Cry Together was goatly

This whole album is literally Kendrick sitting in for a therapy session 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 sex crime and sex 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. 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". 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 sex 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 sex 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. The cover art now also makes a lot more sense to me as a lot of this album is Kendrick saying to the fans I can’t be your saviour, I’m just a regular guy and the cover art is him In just a regular ass house being with his family, protecting them all with the crown on top of his head that we as fans put there as we call him hip-hops messiah/messenger and put him on a pedestal and the juxtaposition of those two things.
He is not your savior. He does not need to provide anything to you. He is a human being trying to make the best of his situation. You have put your values and opinions into someone's perspective that is fractured from a life of abuse and trauma. He owes you nothing. He chose himself this time. Maybe for the first time.

Your dad and the dad from bridging the gap are my favorites YouTube dads!!!

Great reaction. I'm shocked at how much your dad catches. Caught more than me on the first listen, and I consider myself a Kendrick fan! You even caught onto the mirroring theme, which is an important theme of the album. The main mirror theory that goes around has to do with the two discs and how some of the songs mirror each other (the song 'mirror' mirrors 'united in grief', and 'worldwide steppers' mirrors 'mr morale' etc). I have another theory that I have developed around this. Read on under if you are interested ;-) One of the main themes of this album (maybe even its core) is healing and radical empathy. Bob Marley comes to mind... I actually think Mr Morale and the Big Steppers is a reference to Bob Marley and the Wailers. Unlike a 'big stepper', a wailer is someone who expresses grief or pain audibly, just like Kendrick does in this album. I think the heart part 5 pointed to this connection with Bob Marley, not only in its overall message but also by the inclusion of his hairstyle (natty dread, cath a fire, rebel music etc). On 'Purple Hearts' Kendrick sings; Crown on Bob Marley (known for being against western materialism), wrist on Yo Gotti (Yo Gotti is famous for spending millions on his watch collection). On 'Mirror' Kendrick sings: Do yourself a favor and get a mirror that mirror grievance Then point it at me so the reflection can mirror freedom This hints at the mirror logic of the album ('Mirror' mirrors United in Grief, Mr Morale mirrors worldwide steppers etc), but I believe this can also be taken literally. 'Bob Marley and the Wailers' is a mirror. A mirror that mirrors grievance (wailer=griever) The Big Steppers are in fact wailers (because of trauma, daddy issues etc), wailers that are tapdancing around the conversation by N95ing it with chains, cars, hoes and whatnot. This album is ultimately about Radical Empathy and healing. Kendrick is helping not only the culture but all of us out of the box. He is literally and figuratively a chain breaker (though not your savior). We must ultimately do the work ourselves. Looking forward to the next disc!

FYI: The female voice heard throughout United in Grief is his fiancé, Whitney. She’s actually kinda narrating the entire album.

I had to come search for this one bc this album moved me so much I had to see what your dad had to say bc my dad passed a month or so before this album came out and every sound and word meant something and it just cut deep great album

The Die Hard analysis right or wrong proves your dad is really getting into the genre. How does someone get a character arc on a youtube reaction channel 😅😅😅😅 you guys are awesome