#dontwuwwydc: kendrick lamar.

Kendrick said it best himself, "don't mistake me for no fucking rapper, they sit backstage and hide behind the fucking cameras!" Kendrick isn't afraid. When the bright lights are on and the stage is set, Kendrick Lamar is poised. I'm not sure the world is ready for Kendrick Lamar though. They seemed to be preoccupied with the Drake's, Lil Wayne's and Lil' B's of hip hop instead. So when the world nestled itself somewhere between the space in Drake's eyebrows, Kendrick managed to slip in under the radar building a small, regional following after the release of the very honest Kendrick Lamar EP. Fast forward two years, and the Compton MC has released a mixtape that rivaled other rappers albums, stood along 10 other talented "newcomers" on the cover of XXL and is coming off the release of what might turn out to be the best album of the year. The stage was set.

Before a sold out crowd at the 930 club, Kendrick Lamar had his moment. The passion that you hear spilling out of your speakers at home manifested itself into the form of sweat on Friday night. With a video of Dash Snow projecting in the backdrop, Kendrick stormed out to the  "The Heart Pt. 2" while the crowd followed bar for bar. A long way from the historically black streets of Compton he followed with his middle finger tribute to racial boundaries "Fuck your Ethnicity" to a typically diverse DMV crowd. With the help of Schoolboy Q and his deejay, Ali, Kendrick brought a little bit of Compton to the DMV. Crowd favorites like "P&P (Pussy and Patron)", "The Spiteful Chant" and "Michael Jordan" kept the energy high and Kendrick even took some time to cater to the ladies with "She Needs Me" and "Alien Girl".

I was once told that the worst thing a teacher can do is teach. I apply that same logic to Kendrick Lamar. He's an artist of great depth and substance but it never jeopardizes the overall appeal to his music. Kendrick said #Section.80 was written with the intention of being a voice for the generation; on Friday night his voice was heard.

Shoutout to DCtoBC for putting on a hell of a show.