Never-before-seen photographs from Kendrick Lamar’s Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers album are now on display as part of Renell Medrano’s “Lambón” exhibit at WSA. The exhibit offers fans a closer look at the outtakes from the album’s photoshoot, giving insight into the creative process behind the imagery that ultimately became central to Lamar’s critically acclaimed 2022 album.
The photos in Medrano’s exhibit feature intimate and striking moments, including a series of black-and-white shots that capture Lamar with his partner, Whitney Alford, and their two children. In these images, the family is set inside a home, and Lamar can be seen wearing the iconic diamond “crown of thorns” featured prominently on the album cover. One particularly striking photograph shows Lamar standing behind his family, holding a shotgun, a symbol that fans may recognize from his previous works.
The inclusion of the shotgun in these photos is no coincidence. Fans have noted the recurring presence of similar weapons in Lamar’s past work, drawing connections between this new imagery and a previous photograph of Lamar’s father holding a shotgun, seen in the good kid, m.A.A.d city photobook. The weapon also appears on the back of the Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers album, sitting in the corner of the room beside a picture of Lamar and his father. The consistent use of such elements across his albums suggests Lamar’s interest in exploring themes of legacy, family, and protection—concepts that resonate throughout his music.
Another set of images in the exhibit captures a more personal moment, with Lamar sitting on a couch and cradling his youngest son. These photos highlight a more vulnerable side of the rapper, contrasting with the imposing figure wearing the crown of thorns and holding the shotgun. The juxtaposition of these moments of tenderness and the more powerful imagery speaks to the duality often present in Lamar’s work—balancing his public persona with his private life as a father and partner.
Renell Medrano’s photography for Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers played a crucial role in visually articulating the themes of the album, and this exhibit allows fans to experience the depth of her work in a new way. The displayed images reveal not just the final choices that made it to the album cover but the other creative options Medrano explored, providing a fuller picture of the album’s visual narrative.
The Lambón exhibit showcases Medrano’s talent for capturing the raw, unfiltered moments that convey both the power and intimacy of Kendrick Lamar’s world, offering fans a rare glimpse into the behind-the-scenes process of one of hip-hop’s most significant albums.
