On Friday, the Supreme Court in the United States voted to overturn the landmark bill Roe v. Wade preventing millions of women from legal and safe abortion. 26 states have already banned, or will ban, abortion in the coming weeks with women’s rights protests being sparked from coast to coast. While thousands of miles separate England from the United States the weekend saw thousands of fans as well as celebrities rally for change at the Glastonbury Festival in Somerset.
Kendrick Lamar is quickly going viral today after his headline performance at the music festival. The rapper performed hit tracks like “Savior,” “United In Grief,” “Count Me Out” and “N95” before he concluded his set by thanking fans and making a powerful political stance. “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.”
He continued, “I look out into the crowd and I see different creeds, different colors. I wear this crown. They judged Christ. They judge you, they judged Christ. We gonna continue to walk in his image.”
Kendrick Lamar ending his Glastonbury set with a pointed reference to RoevWade. #glastonburyfestival2022 #RoeVsWade pic.twitter.com/L8RzXIWJsw
— Sanny Rudravajhala (@SannyR1985) June 26, 2022
Lamar went on to repeat the phrase, “They judge you, they judged Christ. Godspeed for women’s rights,” as fake blood poured from a diamond crown of thorns designed by Tiffany & Co. He continued with the plea as he got increasingly emotional before the rapper abruptly stopped speaking and walked off the stage.
For the uninitiated, the crown of thorns is Christian iconography that according to the New Testament in the bible, was placed on the head of Jesus during his crucifixion.
Lamar joined the likes of Billie Eilish, Olivia Rodrigo, Phoebe Bridgers and Lorde who all addressed the news at the festival. Lorde changed the lyrics in her monologue “Secrets From a Girl (Who’s Seen It All)” to champion women’s rights while Rodrigo invited British artist Lily Allen to perform her 2009 hit, “F**k You.”
