MUSIC

Kendrick Lamar

SSE Hydro, Glasgow

Natalie Bello

****

KENDRICK Lamar is ready to perform and wants to be in front of his fans. That is evident from the minute he walks on stage. He explains to the crowd that they are part of his family and you can feel the connection he has with his fans and the energy that pulsates around the arena.

Lamar is not your average hip-hop artist, and the show is true to this model. Images that look like modern art are displayed on giant screens in the background. Some of the images are edgy and not what you’d expect to see in an arena. A ninja dancer performs a routine at the halfway point of the show. Lamar played all his hits from the album DNA including the crowd favourite HUMBLE. He also played Alright which was an important song when it first hit the charts for many minorities, especially African Americans.

Lamar has become an advocate for the black community, and his music has become something bigger than expected; he challenges the way we think about racism in the United States. Look at his Grammy performance in 2016 where he rapped The Blacker the Berry and Alright. As Dave Chappelle said at the Grammy Awards this year, “the only thing more frightening than watching a black man be honest in America, is being an honest black man in America”.

Natalie Bello is a student journalist.