Lyrical wizard, rap superstar, voice of a generation, Pulitzer and Grammy award winner, supreme entertainer - Kendrick Lamar is all of the above.
From his first explosive bar of his first track of the night DNA, Lamar - appearing as his alter-ego Kung Fu Kenny - had the 16,000-strong crowd at Forsyth Barr Stadium last night in the palm of his hands.
Without so much as an introduction, Lamar launched straight into the self-referential ELEMENT asserting himself and immediately grabbing the attention of every eye-ball in the stadium.
For the rest of the night it was all about Kendrick and the crowd never stopped jumping.
Although it only lasted for 80 minutes, the 31-year-old was able to pack in a 19-song set list, giving a sense of pace complimenting his lyrical talents and the heavy backing beats.
Explicit language warning
With his live band hidden in the wings, Lamar dressed in an all black martial-arts outfit, owned every square inch of the stage.
The crowd’s focus was only intermittently interrupted by the occasional pyrotechnic and samurai sword wielding backing dancer.
Many the of the Compton native’s hard-hitting tracks like M.A.A.D City delved into the social and political realities and struggles facing African-American communities in the 21st century.
But inside the stadium last night - to use Lamar’s own words - it was all about the vibe and energy.
And from the dark funk of King Kunta to the zig-zagging deep bass on HUMBLE, the hip-hop star was able to emanate an electrifying energy which flowed through the crowd for the entire night.
At one stage the music was stopped so Lamar could remind those tightly packed in right in front of him to keep safe and let those in trouble make their way to the front so they could be looked after.
“It’s all love in here tonight”
The night ended with an encore and two versions of the mega-hit All The Stars.
For the first half of the two-part encore Lamar stood back and let the crowd take on the role of performer before taking back the mic and showing why he is the biggest name in hip-hop.
Before leaving the stage gave the crowd their dues for what they added to the show.
“There’s an energy in here tonight, ya’ll brought it.
"This is the first time I've been here and no matter how many albums I make and how many tours I do I'll be back."
Or that’s what it sounded like, he was almost drowned out by the roar of the crowd thanking him back.
Lamar will play two New Zealand shows in Auckland at the Spark Arena on Thursday and Friday night.
