In previous posts, it’s come up that youth is a big part of SXSW. All-ages shows seem to be appreciated by many attendees, though they’re far from the norm. Strollers fight it out with bikes and sneakers for sidewalk space, and adolescents bound around Austin in no short supply. But young people make up much of the performances as well.

While it’s not his first year as a prominent SXSW performer, it’s probably Kendrick Lamar’s busiest. The twenty-five year old will play at least six sets today — his appearance at the Austin City Music Hall is still being discussed. That means being transported directly from one performance to the next. At 5:20 pm, Lamar threw down at Stubb’s on 8th and Red River. No more than a half hour later he was onstage at the Republic Live. His lyrics stay the same, and each crowd screams them back in his face with equal delight.

LISTEN: Scroll down to hear Kendrick Lamar perform songs including "Bitch Don't Kill My Vibe" live.

The phrase, "Make some noise for yourself," comes from his lips between every song without fail. But Lamar appears to put effort into making these performances slightly unique. He suggests different queues to each audience, though that may be as banal as instructing them to put one hand into the air versus two.

Another young performer has settled into the SXSW spotlight this year a more reticently. Zachary Cole Smith, the lead songwriter of DIIV and guitarist for Beach Fossils, announced on Tumblr yesterday that he had some seriously negative feelings to share regarding the festival. However, none of that caustic sentiment came to the forefront when he played on Brooklyn Brewery’s private stage this afternoon, delivering a shimmery and all-around enjoyable performance with the rest of his band.

Youth culture has always been a huge factor in popular music. That’s playing out in new ways right now at SXSW.

 

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LISTEN: Click the play button below to hear Kendrick Lamar perform songs including "Bitch Don't Kill My Vibe" live.