A young concert attendee just got the shoutout of a lifetime at a recent Kendrick Lamar show.
During a performance on Sunday, Lamar shared an endearing moment with a young fan — also named Kendrick — during his set at a Big Steppers Tour stop at Detroit’s Little Caesars Arena.
In footage that’s since gone viral, a 9-year-old concertgoer with a sign reading “My name is Kendrick. This is my 1st concert. Can We Take a Pic” caught the rapper’s attention.
Lamar spoke uplifting words to the child from the stage, telling him to “respect and honor” his parents.
“Always honor them, man,” the Grammy-winning artist said. “They brung you to your first concert. Always respect and honor them.”
“You will forever be great. You’re great right now. You can do whatever you wanna put your mind to, you know it? You understand that?” Lamar added. “Little Kendrick, do what you wanna do in life.”
The child’s father, David Stewart, later gushed about the experience on social media, sharing a clip of Lamar’s speech on Instagram.
“I was hoping for a picture but this was a million times better! @kendricklamar gave my son a speech,” Stewart wrote in the caption.
After the set, Lamar sent the kid home with a note that he wrote on the back of his sign. “Young Kendrick. Thank you for coming,” it read. “I’m glad we got to exchange energy. You are special.”
Lamar added, “Continue to manifest the great energy you possess!!! See you next time!!! Luv!!!”
Two days after the performance, young Kendrick’s father explained on his Instagram Story how the interaction with Lamar was a full-circle moment.
“I named my son after Kendrick 9 years ago. I was at a Kendrick Lamar concert the moment my son was born!! And for that moment to take place is definitely amazing that the universe came back full circle like that!” Stewart said.
Last month, Lamar became the center of another viral moment when a clip emerged from his tour showing a security guard being brought to tears by his live performance of 2017’s “DAMN” tune “Love.”
In an interview with Jazzy’s World TV, Lamar said he’d seen the viral clip and explained that he wanted his music to bring out positive emotions in people.
“It’s really just about the feeling of it at the end of the day,” Lamar said. “Past all the politics, past all the numbers. It’s what music makes you feel, how it makes you feel.”
In a shout-out to the security guard, he added: “I was like, man, I wonder what he going through? But at the end of the day, that’s how you want everybody to perceive your music.”
