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Neon Tommy - Annenberg digital news

Hip-Hop Hometown Hero Kendrick Lamar Returns To Club Nokia - 10/17

Courtney M. Fowler |
October 18, 2012 | 8:11 p.m. PDT

Staff Reporter

(Courtney Fowler/ Neon Tommy)
(Courtney Fowler/ Neon Tommy)
Lights dim. Room silent. Quiet anticipation. Not exactly the typical description of a  crowd of 2,300 hip-hop heads.

Yet that was indeed the atmosphere last night at the  opening of 25-year-old Compton native Kendrick Lamar’s set at Downtown LA’s  Club Nokia Theater. 

 Kendrick, who’s been headlining the BET’s “Music Matters” tour since September,  took the stage for the second time of the night bringing with him a muted  confidence that personified his, ‘Black Hippy’ mantra.

 “It feels good to be motherfuckin’ to be home,” he said.

Interestingly enough, the return comes only five days before the release of his  debut album, “Good Kid, m.A.A.d City” and the aura of success and pride was in  the air.

 “It’s so crazy to see how much love he’s getting,” Crenshaw resident and  concertgoer, Chantel Hobson said. “He’s the new wave of Cali hip hop and we  needed that.” 

Following performances from MMG’s Stalley and Black Hippy members, Jay Rock and Ab-Soul, Kendrick opened with, “Blow My High,” turning what was once quiet into a complete frenzy. Word for word, everyone in the room spit the lines with such precision that it was if they were their own. 

The cult-like following that he’s built has proven to be the catalyst for his success; which is by no means limited. Two critically acclaimed mixtapes (Overly Dedicated and Section.80), signing to the infamous Aftermath Entertainment, collaborations with the some of the biggest rappers in the industry and one of the most highly anticipated albums 2012 have all added up to the driving force behind the tour. 

The Los Angeles show became so popular alone that the second one was added two weeks before the date and also managed to sell out within three days.

After the opening track, Kendrick got straight to business performing all of his hits. From “Ignorance Is Bliss” to “Swimming Pools” no part of the lyrical genius’s incredible body of work went skipped over.  However, he made sure to remind fans that within his lyrics and “HiiiPower” movement it isn’t just about the music; it’s about change.

(Courtney Fowler/ Neon Tommy)
(Courtney Fowler/ Neon Tommy)

“It’s deeper than me,” he said. “It’s deeper than one song. It’s about everybody in here. It’s us about standing above bullshit.”

As the crowd threw up their trademark three-finger hand signs, it became clear that for Los Angeles hip-hop fans, Kendrick himself represents so much more than just music. 

He’s become the voice of a new era. A demographic that was once limited to the subgenre of “gangsta rap” which has the chance to reveal itself in an alternative way.  

The show continued with surprise appearances by G.O.O.D Music’s Big Sean and fellow Compton emcee The Game. However, the ultimate guest performance came from the original man behind the West Coast hip-hop sound, Dr. Dre with the two performing their song “The Recipe.”

With the line, “Don’t it sound clever/ Come and play/What more can I say? Welcome to LA,” being repeated in the hook, the song is an obvious ode to the city and the crowd loved every second of it. 

Overall the night proved to be a success. Fans from every walk of life coming together under a common denominator that no one can argue with: music. 

The tour continues tonight at Pomona's Fox Theater and will be hitting four more cities before its last show in Oklahoma on October 24th.

Read more of NT's show coverage here.

Reach Staff Reporter Courtney M. Fowler here. Follow her on Twitter here.



 

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