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H.E.R. was one of the many women who opened for headliner Kendrick Lamar at the Makers of the Game concert, Feb. 17, 2018. Morgan Moody / The Undefeated
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It’s all about the women at Kendrick Lamar’s NBA All-Star 2018 Nike concert

Kamaiyah, Sabrina Claudio and H.E.R. open for Lamar at Makers of the Game concert

Justin Tinsley @JustinTinsley
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Hip-Hop H.E.R. Sneaker Stories Kendrick Lamar Nike Music

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    1:03 PMWhile Adidas flexed its muscle on All-Star Saturday night, mustering a rare public appearance out of Kanye West, who joined Kid Cudi on stage, Nike held court with its own full-fledged concert headlined by Kendrick Lamar in its Makers of the Game weekend series.

    The event, though, was about far more than just Lamar. Rapper Kamaiyah and singers Sabrina Claudio and H.E.R. all performed. This all-female bill was intentional. Earlier that day Lamar released a sneaker, the Nike Cortez Jenny II, aimed at a very underserved female sneaker consumer. All of the performers captivated the intimate crowd, in particular H.E.R., who ran through a string of hits, such as her Daniel Caesar collaboration “Best Part,” as well as “Focus” and “Jungle.”

    Kendrick Lamar arrives at the Nike Makers H.Q.’s where he talks about his collaboration with the shoe company and the launch of the Kendrick-inspired Nike Cortez sneaker.

    The 1point8 for The Undefeated

    “Some of the greatest artists, period. I don’t even like to say women or female,” Lamar said hours earlier in a Makers conversation with Emily Oberg of Tidal’s Groupchat podcast. “They’re just great, period … Everybody just doing they thing.”

    And the man of the hour, himself, did not disappoint. Kamaiyah, Sabrina Claudio and H.E.R. all heat the stage up for Lamar to burn it down. Holding the crowd in the palm of his hand, his set was as much an intense choir rehearsal as an incredible live performance. Fan favorites “LOYALTY.,” “HUMBLE.,” “LOVE.,” “Swimming Pools,” “Money Trees,” “Levitate,” the soul-cleansing “Alright” and countless more records had the floor shaking, joints sparking and friends rapping to each other for the better part of 45 minutes.

    From performing at the college football national championship, winning multiple Grammys, scoring the soundtrack for what will be the biggest movie of the year (and one of the most successful ever) in Black Panther to now this invite-only event in his hometown of Los Angeles, Kendrick Lamar is as powerful as he’s ever been.

    Justin Tinsley is a senior culture writer for Andscape. He firmly believes “Cash Money Records takin’ ova for da ’99 and da 2000” is the single most impactful statement of his generation.