Compton-based rapper Kendrick Lamar's meteoric rise seemed to come from nowhere, and even UGA seemed to be taken by surprise a couple weeks ago when its ill-conceived ticketing plan for the event devolved into a near-riotous snafu. If you're one of the lucky ones with (or plotting to sell your first-born for) a spot inside Grand Hall Thursday, you're in for a treat; last year's good kid, m.A.A.d. city showcased Lamar's wide-ranging studio talent, but a recent "Saturday Night Live" performance proved he's no slouch in the live department, either. Lamar's vivid, narrative-driven music culls from SoCal's early '90s heyday but vibrates with the futuristic, haze-hop sheen native to Internet-era underground rap, the sure-footed sound of an artist for our times.