Kendrick Lamar Performs “i” Live For The First Time: Watch

Kendrick Lamar was the surprise guest at this year’s We Day Toronto, a youth education event that will tour North America and the UK this year. (Past guests include Malala Yousafzai, who was 15 when she became a vocal women’s rights activist.)

Turns out, the Toronto stop was the right place and time for the live debut of “i,” Lamar’s joyous new single that has him shouting “I love myself!” – a bold message that initially threw hip-hop fans in for a loop. While backed by the same band playing the Isley Brothers-sampled melody, Lamar jogged across the stage as he yelled the hook for the crowd of 20,000 to hear. Without much coaxing, he had kids clapping to the beat at his command. His enthusiasm was contagious.

Lamar says that he wrote “i” while inspired by his native Compton, California — the m.A.A.d. city referenced in his 2012 debut good kid, m.A.A.d. city — as it has long suffered from gang warfare. “The reason why we have a lot of turmoil is simply the fact that we don’t have self-love,” he said to Power 106.

Watch the live debut of Kendrick Lamar’s “i” below.

[via Pitchfork]

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