Kendrick Lamar, Splendour in the Grass, Byron, Pulitzer, Humble

Aged just 31, this Pulitzer prize-winning hip-hop star carries himself with the insight of a much older artist.

Kendrick Lamar at Splendour in the Grass. Picture: Ian Laidlaw

It was a tight squeeze at the North Byron Parklands amphitheatre on Sunday when what seemed like most of the 35,000 attendees of Splendour in the Grass gathered to witness American hip-hop artist Kendrick Lamar close the festival. Despite being one of the most popular acts in the world, his stage design embraced minimalism: but for his live band tucked away in the shadows, an elegant light show and occasional appearances from dancers, one man with a microphone was the sole focus.

Outside of his music, there are deeper layers to his character that tend to subvert what you may expect from a hip-hop performer. He is engaged to his high school sweetheart, he shuns drug and alcohol use, and his lyrics tend towards internal worlds, including his propensity for self-doubt, insecurity and depression. There are still flashes of braggadocio, but the 31-year-old carries himself with the insight of a much older artist.

None of the above is required knowledge to enjoy his work, of course: for plenty of those bouncing on the crowded hillside last weekend, Lamar might well be just another guy writing catchy songs backed by bass-heavy beats. Since he played small rooms on a first Australian tour in late 2012, through to supporting Eminem on a stadium tour, then playing similar-sized venues himself, though, it has been fascinating to watch his ascent from the margins to the mainstream without compromising his artistic aspirations. Instead, he continues to strive beyond boundaries that satisfy most traditional performers.

As well, Lamar apparently prefers to let his art speak for itself, as on this visit — which concluded in Sydney on Wednesday — he spoke with no members of the Australian media. As far as I’m aware, he did not acknowledge that his song won the world’s biggest music poll when Humble topped the Triple J Hottest 100 list in January, though he did perform it twice at Splendour: once a cappella, with the crowd rapping along to every word, then once more with feeling, backed by the weight of his skilled band. Backstage,
I heard whispers of a 70-person entourage, but the headliner’s time on the ground at the festival appeared to be confined to the bare minimum required of him: arrive, play, leave.

His understated approach was again on show in April, when the Californian native chose to avoid making public comment about becoming the first non-jazz or non-classical artist to win a Pulitzer prize for music. In a cover story for Vanity Fair published shortly before he arrived in Australia, though, Lamar opened up a little about the significance of that win. “The minute I hear good news, it just motivates me to do more,” he told journalist Lisa Robinson. “I don’t want to get complacent. If you asked seven out of 10 people, ‘What would you do if you got the Pulitzer prize?’, they’d say, ‘I’d put my feet up.’ But that would make me feel I’d reached my pinnacle at 30 years old, and that wouldn’t make me feel good.”

While his current position surely would look like a pinnacle to most other artists, perhaps he really is only just getting set up at base camp, with an eye to climbing so high that the oxygen becomes thin. At the conclusion of his thrilling, hour-long performance on Sunday, Lamar offered this before disappearing from view and being whisked away in a dark van: “Remember these words: I will be back. I love y’all.”