Rapper Kendrick Lamar used his final performance at Glastonbury to make a powerful statement at the roll-back of abortion rights in the US.
The star screamed out, blood streaming down his cheeks from a crown of thorns: “Godspeed for women’s rights. They judge you, they judge Christ.”
He kept saying it with more and more vigor until he finally stopped mid-sentence, threw his microphone on the floor, and walked off stage.
It was a strong way to cap off a theatrical production that was unlike anything else the festival had ever seen.
Lamar, who earned a Pulitzer Prize for his album Damn from 2017, addressed themes of guilt, greed, loyalty, power, ambition, and discrimination throughout the performance, shouldering the issues of the audience by reflecting on his own.
In order to sing United In Grief, a song that looks back on his 19-year career and the mental health issues he has addressed across his albums, he appeared flanked by 20 dancers.
They lined up behind him as he stood still behind a microphone stand, each one symbolizing a different stage in the development of his personality. He started nearly chronologically going through his catalog as they dispersed.
“Godspeed for women’s rights” – @kendricklamar pic.twitter.com/s4y9XeWbHG
— Complex Music (@ComplexMusic) June 27, 2022