Kendrick Lamar’s set at the 2015 Sweetlife Festival was chock-full of moments. From one fan turning all the way up to the “m.A.A.d. city,” to an emotional meeting with a fan whose life he helped save, the TDE rapper made connections beyond the stage this weekend.
Kendrick shared with MTV News that 16-year-old Claire, caught his attention when he noticed that she was crying. After learning that she had been suicidal, the rapper brought her on stage, where her tears turned into shock from being able to thank the rapper in person.
“I’m at the end of the show, and I see this young lady crying, and I’m thinking, She must be really going through something right now,” K. Dot said. “Then I start hearing her murmur with her lips, ‘You saved my life.’ So I’m like, Damn. This is serious. This is not for play, why she’s out here right now. She came to see the person that actually helped her get through a life, through music.”
SEE ALSO: She Did That: One Fan’s Stage Performance Of ‘m.A.A.d city’ Made Kendrick Lamar Proud
Claire told Kendrick, “I was gonna kill myself last year,” prompting him to have his security guard bring her on the stage. Following his set, the two had another moment backstage. Claire shared that her battle after being diagnosed with severe depression, and how Kendrick Lamar’s music helped her make it through.
“I couldn’t have done it without him,” she said. “I listened to his music over and over and there were nights where I thought I was going to end it all, and I didn’t, and I think that’s because his words impacted me in a way that no other artist has ever done. I can’t thank him enough. I can’t thank the people behind him enough for making him come to the earbuds that I listen to. I feel inseparable from his music.”
And to K. Dot, moments like these put things in perspective.
“And every time I see something like that, it reminds me why I do what I do. It was just crazy. She came back here, we signed some stuff for her, talked to her for a little bit, and told her to keep going.”
Read the full story of Claire meeting Kendrick Lamar here.
Photo Credit: Adam Fleischer/MTV