Kendrick Lamar Played A Tiny NYC Show With Jay-Z And Beyoncé In The Crowd

Kendrick Lamar is currently in the thick of his The Big Steppers Tour in support of his triumphant new album, Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers. This past weekend, the Compton rapper played three dates in New York City, with two nights at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center on Friday and Saturday, followed by a Sunday show at UBS Arena in Long Island on Sunday. But that was clearly not enough of New York on-stage time for Lamar. So, on Saturday night, Kendrick played an intimate stripped-down performance at Brooklyn’s Dumbo House, where Jay-Z and Beyoncé were both in attendance and Kendrick tipped a cap to Jay-Z for a very specific reason.

In the stripped-down performance for what looks like less than 100 people, Kendrick was backed only by a keyboard and bass and when he was playing “The Heart Part 5,” he stopped mid flow to thank Jay-Z for clearing a lyric sample. “I say I do this for my culture,” he rapped, before delivering an aside to his esteemed guest: “Hov, good looking out for clearing that muthaf*cking line. You ain’t never… you ain’t never charged me for a muthaf*cking line, dog! You know, I really appreciate that sh*t.”

Some folks captured Jay-Z and Beyoncé leaving the members-only club (which is the Brooklyn outpost of the more well-known Soho House) after the performance, but not before Jay, Kendrick, Baby Keem, Tanna Leone, and Dave Free had time to pose for a photo together.

This was a special one for anyone in attendance, but one Dumbo House regular missed out on surprise. Give this dude a hug if you see him around town: