Kendrick Lamar – Reading & Leeds Festivals
Moving on from the somewhat controversial booking of Kanye as a Glastonbury headliner, we go to arguably one of the most highly anticipated UK festival debuts this year – that of rap superstar Kendrick Lamar. Following the chart success of his critically acclaimed album To Pimp a Butterfly in March, it was announced that the Compton boy would be taking to the stage at Reading and Leeds festival this summer. Dubbed as the “future king” of hip-hop with a seven-strong army of Grammy nominations to prove it, Lamar has an old-school aura about him, a quality scarcely found in modern rappers.
Taking examples of his more recent hits, such as ‘King Kunta’ and ‘i’, 27 year old Lamar is able to convey bold political statements interspersed with tales of personal and cultural struggles, which will undoubtedly resonate with the adrenaline (and alcohol)-fuelled Reading & Leeds crowds. In short, Kendrick’s killer combination of infectious charm and agile yet philosophical lyricism make his performance at Reading and Leeds Festival one not to be missed.
Words by Rebecca Rhodes