Kendrick Lamar unveils ‘Mr Morale & The Big Steppers’ artwork
Album is due to drop on 13 May.
By Sam Moore
Kendrick Lamar has unveiled the artwork for his highly anticipated fifth album ‘Mr Morale & The Big Steppers’.
The artwork, shot by acclaimed photographer Renell Madrano, features Lamar wearing a crown of thorns while holding a child with a gun visible down the back of his trousers.
In the background is a woman holding another child.
‘Mr Morale & The Big Steppers’ is due to be released on 13 May and will mark Lamar’s first release since 2017’s ‘Damn’ which went on to win the Pulitzer Prize for Music.
It will be the rapper’s last album with longtime label Top Dawg Entertainment after Lamar announced the release last summer.
In a statement, Lamar wrote: “As I produce my final TDE album, I feel joy to have been a part of such a cultural imprint after 17 years. The Struggles. The Success. And most importantly, the Brotherhood. May the Most High continue to use Top Dawg as a vessel for candid creators.”
Earlier this week, Lamar offered a tease for ‘Mr Morale & The Big Steppers’ with the release of ‘The Heart Part 5’.
The single arrived alongside a video that saw Lamar using deep fake technology to morph into Kanye West, OJ Simpson, Kobe Bryant, Will Smith, Jussie Smollet and Nipsey Hussle.
The song and video received widespread acclaim including from Nipsey Hussle’s partner Lauren London who called it “powerful art”.
It is not yet known whether the song will feature on ‘Mr Morale and The Big Steppers’ as no track list has yet been released.
While Lamar has not released a solo album since 2017, he has kept busy be featuring on and producing the soundtrack to Black Panther. He has also featured on tracks by Baby Keem, Busta Rhymes and Nipsey Hussle.
Lamar will also headline this year’s Glastonbury Festival alongside Paul McCartney and Billie Eilish.
He will be the third rapper to headline the festival after Jay-Z and Kanye West.