Kendrick Lamar closed Glastonbury 2022 with a plea for women’s rights.
The 35-year-old rapper ended his set on the Pyramid Stage on Sunday (26.06.22) with a performance of ‘Savior’ and before he left the stage, he addressed the Supreme Court’s recent overturning of landmark ruling Roe v. Wade, which is expected to see at least 20 states restrict or make abortion illegal.
Wearing a crown of thorns, he repeatedly chanted: “They judge you, they judged Christ. Godspeed for women’s rights.”
Earlier in his set – which opened with an instrumental interlude from ‘Savior’ before he launched into ‘United in Grief’ – Kendrick admitted it “meant a lot” to him to perform at the world-famous festival.
After performing ‘Love’, he said: “On behalf of me and my team, I want to thank every individual out here tonight. I consider y’all family, this shit is special, it means a lot to me.”
“I look out into the crowd and I see different creeds, different colours.
“I wear this crown. They judged Christ. They judge you, they judged Christ. We gonna continue to walk in his image.”
The ‘Alright’ singer was backed by dancers throughout his set, with the men echoing his own outfit of black trousers and white shirt, and the women in flowing red dresses.
Rapper AJ Tracey hailed Kendrick as one of the most important rappers of a generation.
He told BBC News: “He works very hard but he’s also unwavering in his message.
“There’s a meaning behind everything he does. He always stands up for black people, for impoverished people, people who are unfairly treated – and that means a lot to people.
“When you’re already a good rapper, it’s easy to be on autopilot, but when you stand for something and you push a message, that’s what makes people love you.”