"I'm so honoured to be back in front of y'all," said Kendrick Lamar after a monstrous introduction with "Money Trees." The pensive rapper then stopped and sat in silence as over hundred thousand fans roared with admiration. Lamar smiled as he talked about his amazing fans in Montreal, which prompted him to jump into "The Art Of Pressure," the first of many good kid, m.A.A.D city classics dropped throughout the course of his 90-minute set. "I'm the homies, the homies, the homies," sung the crowd who swayed solemnly, held tight by their closest friends. This love fest was quickly interrupted by "Swimming Pool (Drank)," the inebriated banger received in full by a lively audience that once again chanted at the rapper's command, a moment much obliged as he once again thanked the crowd. Lamar delivered his unforgettable verse off A$AP Rocky's "Fuckin' Problems," which flipped into a West Coast remix, courtesy of Dr. Dre's "Still Dre" sample layered over the original production.
As he continued down a path of gleaming positivity, Lamar urged the crowd to raise their cellphones and light up the sky for "Sing About Me," a spectacle that had the entire field illuminated by iPhone lights, with the audience's blissful serenade heard throughout the entire festival ground, and the rapper beside himself with joy. When Lamar finally got into his To Pimp A Butterfly single "I," the live band kicked the funk vibes up a notch, a shift that came just in time for the rapper's surprise guest: rap legend/political activist Mos Def. "This man is the reason I'm rapping right now. Is it cool if he just stands here and rocks with me on this one ?" asked Lamar to a crowd more than willing to grant his request.
"King Kunta" continued down a soul train fueled by Def's enormous energy. Both rappers rocked and leaned right into "Alright," the impromptu collaboration that broke Def's silence and had them both perform the song together. "We gonna be alright," echoed back and forth throughout the field, as the two rappers continued to dance and jump around onstage. Lamar had one last message for his Osheaga crowd after Def hugged him and exited stage left. He poured his heart out in the form of spoken word, followed by "I will be back" chants Lamar repeated to the crowd, all of which repeated the same thing right back at him. "I love y'all! Goodnight!" were the last words of the night, as the lights dimmed onstage and a swarm of bodies left the festival grounds, still hyped after witnessing one of the best performances of the weekend.
As he continued down a path of gleaming positivity, Lamar urged the crowd to raise their cellphones and light up the sky for "Sing About Me," a spectacle that had the entire field illuminated by iPhone lights, with the audience's blissful serenade heard throughout the entire festival ground, and the rapper beside himself with joy. When Lamar finally got into his To Pimp A Butterfly single "I," the live band kicked the funk vibes up a notch, a shift that came just in time for the rapper's surprise guest: rap legend/political activist Mos Def. "This man is the reason I'm rapping right now. Is it cool if he just stands here and rocks with me on this one ?" asked Lamar to a crowd more than willing to grant his request.
"King Kunta" continued down a soul train fueled by Def's enormous energy. Both rappers rocked and leaned right into "Alright," the impromptu collaboration that broke Def's silence and had them both perform the song together. "We gonna be alright," echoed back and forth throughout the field, as the two rappers continued to dance and jump around onstage. Lamar had one last message for his Osheaga crowd after Def hugged him and exited stage left. He poured his heart out in the form of spoken word, followed by "I will be back" chants Lamar repeated to the crowd, all of which repeated the same thing right back at him. "I love y'all! Goodnight!" were the last words of the night, as the lights dimmed onstage and a swarm of bodies left the festival grounds, still hyped after witnessing one of the best performances of the weekend.