Mr. Big by Mr. Big
Mr. Big is the self-titled debut album by the American hard rock supergroup Mr. Big. Produced by Kevin Elson and Val Garay, the album proved a partial commercial success, reaching the 46th slot on the Billboard 200 chart. Lead-off single "Addicted to that Rush", featuring the band's aggressive guitar and bass playing, also brought the group some mainstream attention, reaching the #39 slot on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart. Several of the songs from the album became live staples of the band. They've since been included in various live albums. The group followed up the album with Lean Into It in 1991, which represented a critical breakthrough.
When Kendrick Lamar popped up on two tracks from Baby Keem’s <i>The Melodic Blue</i> (“range brothers” and “family ties”), it felt like one of hip-hop’s prophets had descended a mountain to deliver scripture. His verses were stellar, to be sure, but it also just felt like way too much time had passed since we’d heard his voice. He’d helmed 2018’s <i>Black Panther</i> compilation/soundtrack, but his last proper release was 2017’s <i>DAMN.</i> That kind of scarcity in hip-hop can only serve to deify an artist as beloved as Lamar. But if the Compton MC is broadcasting anything across his fifth proper album <i>Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers</i>, it’s that he’s only human. The project is split into two parts, each comprising nine songs, all of which serve to illuminate Lamar’s continually evolving world view. Central to Lamar’s thesis is accountability. The MC has painstakingly itemised his shortcomings, assessing his relationships with money (“United in Grief”), white women (“Worldwide Steppers”), his father (“Father Time”), the limits of his loyalty (“Rich Spirit”), love in the context of heteronormative relationships (“We Cry Together”, “Purple Hearts”), motivation (“Count Me Out”), responsibility (“Crown”), gender (“Auntie Diaries”) and generational trauma (“Mother I Sober”). It’s a dense and heavy listen. But just as sure as Kendrick Lamar is human like the rest of us, he’s also a Pulitzer Prize winner, one of the most thoughtful MCs alive and someone whose honesty across <i>Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers</i> could help us understand why any of us are the way we are.
