To paraphrase a quote from Jay Z's "Heaven", I can't believe this much skill is in a human body. I could only be talking about the only artist to exceed my eternal fandom for Nas, Kendrick Lamar.
As everyone should know by now, Kendrick Lamar astonished last night on The Tonight Show. He set an example for outstanding artists. He displayed where hard work can take you if you really want it. More importantly, Kendrick showed why he is an 11x Grammy nominated artist this year. Lamar's performance of "Untitled II" was breathtaking for me. Kendrick and live instrumentation is legendarily unforgettable. This performance of "Untitled II" was soulful, funky, jazz-fueled, and highly moving. Everything from the groovy bass guitar, slick hi-hats and crash cymbals, the prideful bass drum, the attractive jazzy space keys and background singers (who sounded like they were just pulled from a George Clinton concert) were phenomenal. How it all meshed made me feel like going to an Ohio Player's concert dressed up like Bootsy Collins as I listen to The Gap Band's "Gap Band IV" and Parliament. I loved the 70's type of zone the instrumentation put me in alone, but Kendrick's verses created a whole new dimension as to where I was at, what I was feeling and my overall enjoyment.
K Dot spoke of self love, persevering through tough circumstances and ending up where you want to be as a result of it, all the while loving and trusting God. The entire message of "Untitled II" is nothing short of inspirational. And man, when his performance got to the final minute it had me on the edge of my seat. The camera pans in on him, the angles keep switching, the lights kept flashing, Kendrick upped his passion, there's more movement and an entire new tone comes through. I didn't want to blink for a second out of fear of missing a moment of it. I held my breath in excitement, as if I was trying to hold on to the performance as long as I could. Kendrick snapped and it was absolutely amazing. I was speechless when it ended. All I could do was leave the room, smile and be proud. Proud that Kendrick's my favorite artist and that I have no problem letting anyone know that he is. I'm proud that when he wins I feel like I do, too. And I'm proud that I got to see such a riveting musical set that made me feel, see and experience so much right in the comfort of my own home. If "Untitled II" is anything like "Untitled", then we won't see this song anywhere again, so I'll definitely be cherishing this performance. I hope you all do the same.
Watch Kendrick Lamar's performance of "Untitled II" below.
Lead Photo Creds: theguardian.com/headlineplanet.com
Video Cred: youtube.com/nbc.com
Comments
Post a Comment