When an apparant technical glitch dropped 2015’s most anticipated hip-hop album a week earlier than scheduled, there was some consternation (staged, or not) on the part of the artist and record label. Still, Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp A Butterfly went on to top the Billboard chart after having sold 325,000 copies that first week.
The album is one of this year’s most celebrated and universally praised popular releases, but it nonetheless came as a surprise when the Kennedy Center announced the collaboration between Lamar and the NSO Pops. Although there was a some controversy here as well; the concert sold out in minutes, placing last night’s performance among the most anticipated of the fall season.
DCist is pleased to inform you that Kendrick & Co. lived up to the hype. Not only was the 90 minute performance a tour de force by the rapper himself, but it was the most successful hybrid of hip-hop and orchestral music that the Kennedy Center’s Concert Hall has hosted to date.
One major reason behind the partnership’s success is that the program built on Butterfly‘s expansive sonic scope. Tim Davies supervised the orchestral arrangements and gave the music a cinematic treatment, beginning with the night’s overture. Similar to the opening of an opera or Broadway musical, the powerful launch drew on musical themes that appear throughout the album and put the audience in a mindset where it was clear that this wasn’t a typical hip-hop performance.
Lamar’s signature verbal gymnastics were sharp throughout the night, delivering his thoughts forcefully and with swagger. The orchestra met Lamar’s rapid fire vocals with equal precision. Steven Reineke, the Pops’ conductor, used a click track, as did some of the key instrumentalists, to ensure a tightness between the ensemble and the frontman. The NSO added appropriate atmospherics and bombast throughout the set on moodier songs like “u” or the horn stabs in “Blacker The Berry.”
Thankfully, the NSO and Kennedy Center did not make any attempt to censor Lamar’s lyrics. Imagine how weak it would have been if the jazz rhythms of “For Free?” had kicked the concert into gear and Lamar’s serpentine delivery of “This dick ain’t freeeee” was somehow replaced with a lame euphemism. The entire endeavor would have been robbed of its credibility.
There were instances when Lamar’s talented band overpowered the orchestra, but these tended to be when the audience was the most energized, doing an admirable job of delivering the opening verse to “Backstreet Freestyle” or moving to the deep grooves of songs like “King Kunta.” Guitarist Robert Gueringer was a standout, adding some face melting shredding at key points, as was drummer Tony “Rico” Nichols, who has chops to spare, but was particularly effective laying down greasy beats like the shuffle on “How Much A Dollar Cost.”
This is the second hip-hop partnership the NSO Pops has undertaken, the first being last year’s joint effort with Nas during the One Mic festival. Many of the behind the scenes players were the same, and it’s clear that the Kennedy Center is getting more comfortable with this genre, as Lamar’s performance was musically more consistent than the previous effort (although that was a memorable night as well). This type of event is essential for institutions like the Kennedy Center because of the diversity it brings into the space.
Occasions like these are not lost on the rappers either. Like Nas last year, or Mos Def before that in 2008, there was a moment where Lamar simply wanted to take a second to pause and reflect. After completing the main set with the spoken word of “Mortal Man” and starting the encore with a rousing performance of “Alright,” Lamar asked the audience to be silent. “This is your moment,” he told us. Well, really it was his, but we could delight in the fact that we got to share it with him.
