Kendrick Lamar Discusses "Mr. Morale," Therapy & More During Trip To Ghana

Spotify shares their new mini-doc, "A Day In Ghana With Kendrick Lamar."

BYAron A.
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We're a month removed from Kendrick Lamar's latest studio albumMr. Morale & The Big Steppers. The first project from Kendrick Lamar in five years didn't have the same rollout as most projects. He didn't release a lead single, nor did he do any sort of press. In fact, the day the album dropped, fans noted how Kendrick was playing soccer with kids in Ghana.

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The rapper's first trip to Ghana is the focus of Spotify's new mini-documentary, A Day In Ghana With Kendrick Lamar. The rapper visits Accra, Ghana where he hangs out with the locals and spends time with the kids while chopping it up with Carl Chery. Though he doesn't get in-depth about the project, he reflects on how it's his most "present" body of work to date. "Everybody on Twitter is talking about his album. Writers getting their thinkpieces together and you on the beach, chilling," Chery tells Kendrick.

"It's dope, bro. Get away from that shit for a minute," K. Dot responds.

Elsewhere, the rapper discusses going to therapy and its significance to the album. "One of my favorite lines in the album is where Whit say, 'You really need to go to therapy.' And I say, 'Real n***as don't go to therapy,'" Kendrick says with a laugh. "'Cause that's how n***as feel, you know what I'm saying? We grow up where our parents don't know about that. Our grandparents don't know about that. You live and you experience the sit that you go through and you deal with it right then and there. Or you don't never deal with it."

"We learn to hold all ou shit in. Shit, I'mma keep it 100 with you, it wasn't my forte when people mention it to me. I'm stuck how my pops think," he continues. "I challenged myself to go to therapy. Shit, that's like a whole new step in a whole new generation. That's growth."

Check the clip out below. 


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About The Author
Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.