His new album has no date and no name, yet Kendrick Lamar made his second appearance on “Saturday Night Live” this weekend. With half-done braids in an homage to Method Man and creepy contacts, Lamar performed the first single of his upcoming album. He worked himself into a tizzy performing “i” with a full backing band. Never underestimate the power of live instrumentation, especially when paired with the frantic spitting of the Ambassador of Compton.
Kendrick had a little help from Jay Rock on an inspirational rendition of “Pay for It,” with pianist Chantal Kreviazuk that hijacked the performance momentarily. The back and forth volley between Rock and Lamar in the spotlight and shadows created excellent theater, almost as good as Lamar’s acting chops in the skit, “Young Tarts & Old Farts,” where a duet with Barry Manilow yielded a rollicking new edition of “Copacabana.”
Kendrick Lamar “Pay For It”
Young Tarts & Old Farts
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Julio Enriquez is a Denver writer and photographer, editor of the blog and a regular contributor to Reverb
