‘Godspeed for women’s rights’: Kendrick Lamar references Roe v Wade overturning in astonishing final Glastonbury moment
Kendrick Lamar has spoken out in support of women’s rights in the wake of the Supreme Court’s ruling on Roe v Wade.
The Pulitzer Prize-winning rapper made his Glastonbury debut on the Pyramid Stage at 9.45pm on Sunday (26 June) as the final headline act of the festival.
At the end of his 90-minute set, Lamar delivered a statement seemingly in response to the recent Supreme Court ruling over Roe v Wade.
“They judge me; they judge Christ. Godspeed for women’s rights,” declared the rapper, before repeating the statement twice over.
It was a powerful conclusion to a performance that has been praised by viewers as “terrific” and “groundbreaking”.
On Friday (24 June), the US Supreme Court ruled in favour of a Mississippi law that outlaws abortion at 15 weeks of pregnancy while also overturning key precedents established by the 1973 decision in Roe v Wade.
Since the ruling became public, a number of musicians at Glastonbury have used their platform to speak out against the decision.
Ahead of Lamar’s headline set on Sunday (26 June), New Zealand singer Lorde said “f*** the Supreme Court” during her performance.
“Welcome to sadness,” said the singer on stage. “The temperature is unbearable until you face it. Wanna hear a secret girls? Your bodies were destined to be controlled and objectified since before you were born.
“That horror is your birthright. But here’s another secret. You possess ancient strength. Ancient widsom. Wisdom that has propelled every woman that came before you. That wisdom is also your birthright. I ask you today, make exercising that wisdom your life’s work because everything depends on it. F*** the Supreme Court.”
The musician’s speech was met with cheers from the crowd, before she launched into a performance of her 2021 track “Mood Ring”.
Earlier on in the festival, Phoebe Bridgers, Billie Eilish and Idles also condemned the ruling.
Bridgers led chants of “f*** the Supreme Court” on adding: “All these irrelevant old motherf***ers trying to tell us what to do with our f***ing bodies. F*** it.”
Meanwhile, Joe Talbot of the British rock band Idles said that the ruling had taken the US back to the “Middle Ages”.
On Saturday evening (25 June), Olivia Rodrigo brought out Lily Allen as a special guest to sing “F*** you” to the five Supreme Court justices, Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch, Amy Coney Barrett, and Brett Kavanaugh.
