Kendrick Lamar performing at Glastonbury in June
(Picture: AP)As co-headliner of the first ever hip hop Superbowl Halftime Show, the only rapper to win a Pulitzer Prize and the first hip hop artist to close Glastonbury, Kendrick Lamar is already streets ahead of his peers. On the opening night of his three-date residency at the O2, fans witnessed the Compton-raised star widening that gulf in real time, as he delivered an arena show quite unlike any other.
Currently touring his exceptional fifth LP – the emotionally raw Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers – Lamar made no attempt to dilute or obfuscate the record’s conversations around accountability, trauma and control. Indeed, that torment was placed front and centre via innovative staging choices and arresting, often militaristic choreography.
