LOS ANGELES — To no one’s surprise, Kendrick Lamar’s “Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers” was named best rap album at the 2023 Grammys. It’s his third nomination and win in the category, following victories for “To Pimp a Butterfly” and “DAMN.” in 2016 and 2018, respectively.
“Thanks to my family for giving me the courage to share my vulnerability,” Lamar said when accepting the award at Crypto.com Arena.
Other albums nominated in the category were “God Did” by DJ Khaled, “I Never Liked You” by Future, “Come Home the Kids Miss You” by Jack Harlow and “It’s Almost Dry” by Pusha T.
Lamar looked inward throughout “Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers,” attempting to sort through a litany of personal and family traumas, ranging from sexual abuse to transgender identity to unhealthy coping mechanisms. He tapped German spiritual teacher Eckhart Tolle to serve as his personal guru on the album lecturing Kendrick on detaching from “the pain body,” among other life lessons.
“I was very favorably impressed by him,” Tolle told Complex about working with Lamar. “We got on very well. I found him soft-spoken, quite present, and more introverted than extroverted. We had a talk, and while we were talking, I couldn’t detect any ego in him. He was very present, so I had a good feeling about him.”
The album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, moving 295,000 album equivalent units in its first week.
Earlier on Sunday, Lamar’s “The Heart Part 5” won for rap song and rap performance.
Tyler, the Creator won the rap album Grammy in 2022, for “Call Me If You Get Lost.”
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