This one, is a lot.
We all know the album "Mr Morale. & The Big Steppers" is one in which Kendrick is talking about himself, his life and his trauma's.
There are some songs that are grueling, fast pace, touching and moving.
This song, is all of the above.
Kendrick Lamar is an artist that is known to release his albums with a certain theme and the songs go systematically with that theme.
Just like how Section 80 was about Vices of the Millennial era, Damn was about the duality of the human nature and To Pimp a Butterfly was a mixed and complex album, talking about systemic racism, survivor's guilt, fame and self love so is Mr Morale & The Big Steppers about generational trauma, therapy, accountability and the heavy burden of fame.
The album is split into 2 parts, the first part or Disc 1 is "The Big Steppers", this has the first 8 tracks and talks about human flaws, societal makes and external dysfunction.
The Disc 2 is where it really becomes personal, "Mr Morale" moves inward, Kendrick talks about his personal healing, accountability and his release from these burdens; of these 9 songs from Disc 2, we have the song of the day.
Mother I Sober, is a song where Kendrick talks about his trauma head on, speaking about his upbringing and the trauma that was with it.
It detail's his mother sexual abuse experience and the regrets he had about it.
Later on, it was brought in the second verse. How his mother's SA trauma made her fear it would happen to him. To the point that there were suspicions thrown at an uncle of his for doing it and even after Kendrick said it was false, they didn't agree.
The third verse is the healing verse and in some ways, the most painful verse.
It's the longest verse, and in its length, we go deep.
Deep into Kendrick or Mr Morale, deep enough that we see when the change starts, when he realizes that he has gone too far and he needs to own up for his actions.
He goes to therapy, he speaks to his mother, he speaks to himself.
He understands now what is wrong, he understands the perspective and the specific shade that the black culture has shown on him.
He felt sadness about what happened to his mother, he's felt hopelessness and despair about his cheating and unfaithfulness to his fiance and he understands that these vices and wrongdoings albeit different, are the same.
It's the toxic over sexualized culture on the African American Community (the Black community), the abuse that so many black kids face are sometimes a byproduct of the black culture in itself, this is the "Generational Curse" of black communities.
At the ending of the song, Kendrick "frees" himself and the listeners from the curse, by sharing in the song, talking and practicing transparency and positivity the curse had been broken.
It all still follows the theme that has been used throughout the album and other albums about fame.
That he, Kendrick is still human, he goes through the same emotional troubles and trials that every other person goes through.
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