The INCREDIBLE Piano on Kendrick Lamar's Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers 

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Ben Shapiro should watch this

I’d give anything to see you breakdown some of the harmony on “To Pimp a Butterfly”

That sample work on “We Cry Together” was the genius work of the legendary hip hop producer Alchemist

Bruh I can’t believe people were saying this album was “mid”, just because it had sounds they weren’t used too.

You gotta analyze To Pimp A Butterfly! You’ll love the harmony on there, it’s crazy. One of the best hip hop albums there is, and the jazz influence is heavy

One of the reasons I will always love Kendrick is his diversity in his songs. This album is already dope, but To Pimp a Butterfly will always be true for the saxophone. Good vid, Charles!

The way Kendrick utilized jazz/romantic piano to bring out the story aspects of the harmony/instrumentals below the direct storytelling of his verses made me feel like I was listening to a musical at some points (in the best way)

Felt like the only guy in the universe who appreciated the piano cuts on this album at all, but of course one of the greatest pianists on yt proves me wrong👌

Alchemist did the best for ‘we cry together’. You should definitely check him out. One of the best producers in hip hop rn

I love watching somebody explain exactly what makes Kendrick's music and instrumentation so moving and engaging. Would love to hear you break down "How Much a Dollar Cost" off of To Pimp a Butterfly!

Duval timothy did most of the piano on the album. He is severely underrated and has been one of my favorites for a while!!

Its like Kendrick combined the elements of rock opera, stage play, cinema, and hip hop to make this absolutely genius nuanced album. You can enjoy the music, the messages, the lyrics, the themes, the lessons, this was a gift to us my guys.

I love the ways that Kendrick uses jazz sounds in his music! Truly one of the greatest artists of all time that we get the opportunity to experience first hand

The piano was really the big thing that jumped out at me on first listen along with the vocal harmonies. Really cool fragments of dissonant jazz that owe a lot to the TPAB era. One of the things I notice a lot with Kendrick (& something that David Bruce pointed out as well), is that even though he’s never been formally trained in music theory or anything like that, just exposing himself (and being exposed, given his family’s musical history & his collaborators) to more complex musical genres like jazz & soul has helped give him a deep-rooted familiarity with the kinds of sounds & atmospheres he wants to convey, even without some of that technical language to put a name on it. I have a friend who’s got some of that (& I have some myself, since I didn’t really start learning anything more than the basics until recently). It’s very powerful.

All of the reviews of this album I've heard so far have focused almost exclusively on the controversial aspects rather than the music itself. Can't deny the musical genius evident here no matter what you think of the man behind it.

As someone who's been playing the piano for a long time but has never learned any theory, it's absolutely bonkers to me that things like this can be so complicated. To me it's just "oh yeah these sound nice together how about that" but to you it's an entirely different language. Amazing.

Tyler the Creator's last few albums (Flower Boy, IGOR, or Call Me If You Get Lost) also has nice chord work. Tyler's said he's always been a fan of chords and implements/writes them most, if not all the time. There are vids of him playing if you look around. Hope you check him out

I’m so grateful you actually did this album 😭 I don’t think people give Kendrick and his team enough credit for the music, ideas and harmonies he shared in his music over the years.

Just stumbled on this....but I gotta say, I LOVE watching this guy appreciate music and chords that would normally go unnoticed. Tickled me pink.

I love when people can explain things I love in technical ways to me. ❤️❤️

It’s great to see someone talk about the music on this record. It’s so different. I was hooked immediately.

It makes me so happy to see you give the ART of sampling it's well deserved flowers. Alchemist made an absolute gem of a song out of a random part of that record, and then Kendrick and Taylour Paige turned it into a masterpiece.

The sample work on We Cry Together is really amazing

Surely you have to react to Pimp a butterfly? Arguably one of the best albums of all time. A jazz musician's dream of a rap record

I love Sen Am by Duval Timothy and I was surprised and delighted by how many credits he had on this album. I did not expect it, but he and Kendrick make a fantastic pair.

I know I"m super late to the party but I can't help but hear how the instruments in United in Grief are an extension of Kendrick's thought, feelings, etc. The fast punchy drums represents the surface level coping mechanisms of material possessions or addictions. They are loud, distracting, and really pleasing to the ear. But when he says "I grieve different" the piano comes in personifying his grief. The song continues with fast drums but the piano is a constant reminder of his grief. There's even a few major chords showing how there's hope of getting better but only to go back to the minors reminding us of the struggle of dealing with grief. At the end of the song the drums fade out while the piano plays. The materials/addiction can only distract or help so much and Kendrick has to deal with his emotions head on. It's only through accepting therapy that Kendrick is able to transend which is the major theme. This song is just the perfect intro for this album.

a lot of the piano work was done by this dude named Duval Timothy (listed as producer on numerous tracks). Listen to songs such as “Through the Night”, which is the same production used on “Crown”

Everybody talking about TPAB in the comments, and they're right. Most interesting song to me musically in the album is "For Sale?" It's just so complex and beautiful, like nothing you've ever heard in a rap song before. Also Untitled 05 is very underrated.

The Alchemist is a madman, he found that one piece of the sample for We Cry Together and just thought “let’s use that” WHAT GOES THROUGH HIS BRAIN

Bbrrroooooo I have never even studied music or anything I don’t even understand most of what is being said but I remember specifically taking a walk back home listening specifically for the keys. The chord progression on the second verse of the song saviour had me fighting back tears

I believe Duval Timothy is the pianist on most of the album

I absolutely love harmonies they sound like angels singing to me!🥺🥺🥺😜

Only Kendrick can make music sound so unique and refreshing.

Yeah, this new Kendrick album is phenomenal, the musicality and the overall message of working on yourself through therapy after all of the things that happen in our lives is just so damned good. I think it is my fav album by him, up there with To Pimp a Butterfly for sure. So glad you covered it!

There's some track that reming me of the nujabes style. Something retro with a lot of nostalgic.

I can feel Charles trying his hardest not to get demonetized during the "We Cry Together" section

I was waiting to hear that "Father Time" breakdown 😅 I'm no musician, but I swear the way you describe these sounds are exactly the way they register in my ear. I hope more people can appreciate the sounds delivered through this album.

Love how into the music you get. I don't even read music or play piano yet somehow I understood the whole video and you took me on a journey through this album. Beautiful. Your enthusiasm is the definition of infectious

2:20 I instantly thought of Joe Hisaishi with that chord haha

Thank you, Charles, for sharing this Kendrick Lamar CD that I otherwise would have likely never listened to. You point out the beautiful colors that these amazing piano chords paint all around us as we listen! I love hearing piano chords that make Me want to play again!

Love that C-7 to Dbmaj7#11 sound, Wayne Shorter used it a lot on tunes like Speak No Evil and Deluge. Really cool sound you get when you play the C minor pentatonic over the Db major, gives all the color tones, major 7, 9, 3, sharp 4 and 6

After listening to the album I was really wanting to see what you thought of it. Glad you made a video over it!

I have watched a bunch of your videos, I know NOTHING about music theory, but boy do I love to hear someone who is passionate about what they love and know. Thank you. ❤️

I really enjoy how passionate and excited you are about not only music in general but piano specifically.

It’s amazing to see your passion, expression and love for Jazz in everything from Kendrick to Silk Sonic to Earth Wind and Fire to name a few. Keep these videos coming. It reminds me how much good music is out there and how much good music is still being made. 🤙🏾

i was gonna recommend this to you lol. anyone working on a kendrick project is always amazing. also, i've always wanted to know more about the harmony of tracks off of to pimp a butterfly like wesley's theory, u, and mortal man. great video.

The transitions and little turns also are peppered with the third relationships and the half-step motion from the initial 2 chords, which is what makes so much of it seem native to the piece even as varied as everything gets - a motif that gives unity

Great video! I would've loved to see you break down Father Time. Some beautiful chords in that song.

I could feel the passion ooze through the screen from your analysis.... if there's one thing you're doing, all I know is that it's RIGHT.

I'm glad someone focused on the instrumentation of the album, because that's what I was drawn to on my first listen. Many people were disappointed because there wasn't enough club bangers or radio airplay. I love the piano work, it adds to the drama of the lyrics. Thank you for the breakdown.

I am so happy you made this video, please do more like this

AMAZING video. Thank you for breaking down with theory why this song is so affecting to so many.

This album is my favorite of this year. I was excited to see watch this video. Would love to see more analysis on classic hip hop albums who sampled jazz like Illmatic by Nas or Low-End Theory by A Tribe Called Quest and maybe how jazz players get inspired from hip hop rhythms and grooves.

I was so overwhelmed by the harmony and the rhythm in this album that i just can’t stop listening to it. anytime i play a mr morale song is like discovering new things… the music here is so fucking unpredictable man 🤯 he truly is an incredible artist with some amazing ideas 💡. Glad i found this video bro, i was so curious to study this! Thanks bro 😎

the passion you have to explain us the beauty of it ... thanks a loooooott for that

How Kendrick approaches collaboration alone should be given a Grammy, very much like a director he’s aware what colours he wants, encyclopaedically where to get them as well as who to cast in contemporary music that will get that thing. Not just musically but visually as well, see how the Element video references Gordon Parks imagery for example.

This video, this pianist, this song, this chords, well done, this is one of the best I have watched

This video is that much better bc of your passion and appreciation for the music!

You allow me to bring my passion for music into real life, I was playing along this whole video and fell back into a trance when I first heard these chords!! Thank you

Really love the piano graphic at the bottom, it's super helpful. Thanks brother!

Crown is SO beautiful I had to learn it on the Piano IMMEDIATELY.

I've been listening to this album for about 2 weeks now, and after watching this video, I've grown to form a new appreciation for it as a musician, from what you've pointed out. Really awesome video!

One thing I love about "Crown" is....the way the piano parts move from the verse to the chorus and back again, is like an MPC chop. It's like a J-Dilla beat without drums. Nobody understands it when I say it, but it's that same eerie calm element I've heard in some of J Dilla's beats.

This was amazing. I’m so obsessed with this album and I continue to learn more and more about it each day 😆

amazing analysis! i think it’s thematically fascinating how the sample for “we cry together” is from a track called “valentine”, furthering the dramatic irony of samples throughout the album in comparison to the themes of the tracks. for “father time” the sample is “not there”, but i was not aware of the sample you showcased. again, great work!

I watched this entire video having absolutely no idea what he was talking about. Enjoyed it anyway

I love your videos they help me understand more about music

I feel like this album is so deep and from a place of progress mentally

I appreciate the respect for the actual musicality required for putting together great samples. Sampling is actually what brought me to jazz as well as many styles across the world.

I really didn’t expect Charles to make a video on this album but boy I love that he did!

I love Kendrick Lamar's music so much. TPAB is on my top 5 albums of all time, and this album is another incredible release from him

Another great breakdown of a great album.

Aweome piano visualization at eh bottomof the screen! Thank you for adding this!

You might have just convinced me to learn the piano, I loved this breakdown! I’m a violinist but I can relate to your appreciation for the genius piano work on the album.

Man, i know this is something different. But, got me through some tough times. Listening to you explaining your love for these things made me focus when i had none. Fantastic channel, i love it :)

Great explanation of the harmonies

I've been WAITING for this. Love man ❤️

Your channel is great, I love this kind of content/music analysis stuff, definitely subbed!

I really want to learn the piano and this video sent chills. I don't know all the chords and transitions, complete beginner, but you explained things soooo well!

Saviour interlude was incredible

This video needs to go viral!

My lord. This was such a great video to watch/listen while on lunch. Makes me want to run back home to my keys!!

DO MORE OF THESE!!!

Best crossover ever 😭

I really like the layout with the midi and your fingers visible as well

Omg I never expected you to react 😭😭😭❤️😂

this is so cool, great video! love your advice for making the music more interesting

Just Bought the Harmony 101 course, so excited!

We love you brother ….you are amazing yourself ..thank you for taking time to break us off with these nuggets and jewels ..

I loved how you dissected the music. I really payed attention, m very interesting too.

I’ve been waiting for this!

My fave album this year ❤️

really love your vids man, keep it up

Hey you've probably heard this a million times but, I would love to see you doing one of your breakdowns on the music of Hollow Knight. I love hearing you explain how cord progressions work and having it all go right over my head.

Didn’t expect to see you talking about Mr Morale im so happy now

I love hearing and seeing you break down these songs, what are the odds you’d examine “The Other Side of Paradise” by the Glass Animals? I’d love to see what exactly makes that repetitive chord pattern so enthralling!

This is so amazing ❤ thank you.

I was hoping you'd make a Video on this album because of how many unique instrumentals there is for this album so happy😁😁

The piano and strings were great!