2015 has been a huge year, but particularly huge for one Kendrick Lamar. Not only did he release of this year’s best albums, but he also released one of this year’s – and maybe even this decade’s – most important albums too. With each move, he reaffirms his position as one of the “greats” in the making, and his latest performance for Austin City Limits is some more concrete proof of his, and his music’s, power to resonate with people.
If there is one song from To Pimp A Butterfly that people will really remember, it’s definitely Alright. Not only does it have a hook that makes you feel like you can take on the world, but it also has become one that holds a certain cultural and political significance thanks to the year the United States have had, and the increasing awareness of the injustice many of it’s citizens face. The defiant optimism that Kendrick created in this track has seen it go on to become omnipresent at rallies and protests, and particularly so when it comes to calls for justice in regards to police brutality. Considering just how much doom and gloom citizens of the world have had to face this year, with tragedy striking almost constantly, the world needed a song like this, and Kendrick Lamar was the perfect person to give it to us.
This clip is one of the best performances of Alright so far. The crowd is almost at breaking point chanting the hook before Lamar even begins. He works with them, directing them into an almost whisper before encouraging a raucous explosion again before launching into the track. The high energy performance sees the crowd kick into overdrive as Kendrick runs around the stage, never once missing a beat with his rapid flow. Although this may be one of the more Caucasian crowds Lamar has performed too, and yes perhaps a lot of the audience can’t really relate personally with lyrics like “We hate PoPo/ Wanna kill us dead in the street for sure” it just goes to show just how much this song has resonated with the people of America and beyond. Check it out for yourself below.
Kendrick Lamar will be heading to Australia next year for three extremely anticipated shows, including a performance at the 2016 Bluesfest. You can check details on that here, and if there are any tickets remaining, I strongly suggest jumping on them whilst you have the chance!