12 awesome photos of Kendrick Lamar at Reading Festival

30 August 2015: As his band takes the stage, and the backdrop shows stock footage of Compton, Kendrick Lamar stepped onto the stage met by chants of his name to the melody of ‘Seven Nation Army’. “I appreciate the love”, he remarks before bursting into a scorching rendition of ‘Money Trees’.

Addressing the crowd, the Compton hero asks both sides of the stage if they’re feeling good. “If we feel good on both sides and feel good at the back, then we can go home”, he pointed to his band: “and know that no vibe was killed”. A huge swell of screams met the first chords of ‘Bitch, Don’t Kill My Vibe’, a track that bridged the gap between die-hard Hip-Hop heads and pop fans.

More humbling, a moment of silence was attained before the funkadelic beat of ‘King Kunta’ filled the ears of the 50,000+ people that turned up to see the strongest lyricist in the game do his thing. Finalising his set with “one of his favourite songs” dedicated to those people that have been rolling with TDE since day one, the incredible A.D.H.D was performed with an effortless conviction. Kendrick Lamar performed with the strength and vitality of a headliner because, if we’re being honest, he did perform a headlining set.