Lamar shares positive message

With flashing multicolored lights, smoke machines, giant display screens and a roaring crowd, the Isleta Amphitheater in Albuquerque was packed May 15 with fans excited to see rapper Kendrick Lamar perform. The show did not end until past midnight because of enthusiastic encore by fans chanting “Kendrick, Kendrick, Kendrick.”

And no wonder. He performed many of his hits, including “Loyalty,” and the concert played up the impact of his music on youth. Lamar grew up poor and black in a dangerous neighborhood, and by making music about his experiences with struggle, racism and police brutality, he has become a successful, well-known rapper. With controversial lyrics like, “And we hate po po, wanna kill us dead in the streets fosho,” Lamar has made waves in the hip-hop community. Music about the experience of being black in America, especially black and successful after emerging from unfortunate circumstances, resonates with a diverse group of fans.

Even the Pulitzer Prize board is recognizing and celebrating Lamar for his work, giving him a groundbreaking Pulitzer Prize earlier this year for his album DAMN (the first time in the history of the prize that it went to an artist who was not in the jazz or classical music category). This is a huge milestone, not only for Lamar but for the many people who feel represented and given a voice by his music. He acknowledged this during his Albuquerque concert, displaying ‘PULITZER KENNY’ on the big screen as he performed many songs from his debut album, “good kid, m.A.A.d city,” which is based on his experiences growing up in Compton, Calif. What many find so captivating about his music is that it is not only lyrical and voiced by his personal experiences but that each song is composed with unique rhythms and beats tied to black and hip-hop culture, which anyone can enjoy and dance to.

Lamar promised to return to New Mexico more often, and many fans hope to see him again soon.