Kung Fu Kenny kills it

The atmosphere inside Genting Arena gave away that everyone expected incredible things from Kendrick Lamar; and he absolutely lived up to them. While the crowd moved in, his allegiance to Top Dawg Entertainment was championed through a playlist of music by Lamar’s label-mates – the touch was nice. However, visually, the theme was completely focussed on DAMN, his fourth studio album and the winner of ‘Best Rap Album’ at the Grammy Awards this year. He knows how strong his star-power pull is. To be honest, I’d even half-forgotten one of my other favourite musicians was opening.

The lights dimmed, everyone hushed, and James Blake turned the arena into a romantic temple from behind his piano. Blake has a voice which swept the feet out from under every man and woman. After opening with ‘I Never Learnt to Share’, he moved through a set list which none of the crowd danced to, instead choosing to crane their necks and listen more closely to the enchantment of his music. Soon enough though, it was time for Kung Fu Kenny. I was just noticing that the stage stretched out into the crowd when the lights dimmed. A film introduction of Lamar practising his “mothafuckin’ skills” showed clearly that it was his alternative persona’s night. The tune of ‘DNA’ began to play.

The way he kept masses of people jumping assured us all that popular music is going to be alright

He completely commanded the crowd from then on. There must be a certain amount of confidence that comes with being acknowledged as the best rapper in the world, but the way he kept masses of people jumping up and down while walking back and forth, rapping viciously in front of a literal fire which shot up behind him, assured us all that popular music is going to be alright. In fact, Lamar even left the people who paid for seated tickets regretting their choice.

I didn’t see a single person rest their legs all night.

Lamar managed to seamlessly work in songs from way back, such as ‘Swimming Pools’, which was arguably his first big hit. The response to these older tunes was so roaring that he made a point of mentioning it, dedicating ‘Loyalty’ to his ‘day one fans’, in what I truly believe wasn’t a pre-rehearsed move. It was directly after this that hush overtook the stadium for the first time since the show started. People looked at each other with glazed-over overwhelmed eyes. We waited. The extended stage came into play, and there he was in a stylised cage, playing the crowd which was now all around him, gradually rising on a platform until he was on top of the cage. From up there he was even better placed to orchestrate our thumping adoration.

The last thing Lamar said before leaving was that he’d be back.

Other highlights included a snippet of his Grammy performance, and the competition Kenny set off between the fans to his left and right, demanding they make more noise while also promising to each of us that  “this will be the loudest muthafuckin’ show you will ever attend in your life”. The left won. I just so happened to be to his left, and am strangely proud about it.

My only criticism may be that the crowd perhaps sung more of ‘Humble’ than was necessary while Lamar only urged them on. It would’ve been better to hear the song from the musician, but nobody really minded.

At the end of the night, Kenny told us he reckoned there were familiar faces in the crowd from the last concert here. This led on to endearing thanks for the audience, before he teased leaving, then launched into a commanding one-song encore of ‘God’. The last thing Lamar said before leaving was that he’d be back.