Fresh off the release of his new album Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers, Kendrick Lamar is delivering another interesting project, as he’s partnered with Spotify on a documentary chronicling his first trip to Ghana.
The official Spotify Twitter dropped a 15-second trailer for the doc, which premieres next week. The clip features the “DNA” artist meeting local citizens and traveling through Accra, Ghana’s capital. Kendrick also offers some thoughtful opinions on life, saying, “First time in Ghana. I couldn’t even tell you what day it is. I’m just being in the moment. This life shit, it’s all about an experience. And everybody got they own different experience.”
Kendrick has always been one of rap’s more private figures. Unlike his contemporaries, he usually just focuses on the art. Letting fans in like this offers a rare glimpse into his unguarded moments and it looks to be fascinating.
Thus far, it’s been a big year for Kendrick. In addition to his new album, he also performed alongside Mary J, Blige, Eminem, Dr. Dre, 50 Cent and Snoop Dogg during the Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show. The Grammy-winner is also set for “The Big Steppers” world tour, hitting North America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand. Beginning with some festival dates in June, the Compton native will be on the road for the rest of the year.
Unfortunately, it hasn’t been all fun and games, as reviews have been mixed for Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers, and the second single, “We Cry Together,” recently suffered a steep week-to-week drop on the Billboard charts. During its second week on the charts, it fell from No. 16 to No. 97, delivering the biggest one-week drop in Billboard Hot 100 chart history.
The thing getting lost in all the talk about the new album is that whether people love or hate it, they’re still talking about it. I’m not saying bad reviews are a good thing, but an artist should really start to worry when they’re getting no reaction whatsoever for their art. Kendrick Lamar has never released a project that receives no emotional reaction from fans.