A battered eyed, prison jumpsuit wearing, shacked in chains, Kendrick Lamar, delivered his most powerful performance ever during one of the most controversial Grammy’s in the history of award shows.
The Compton rapper walked out on a stage set up like a prison as he performed “The Blacker the Berry” off his 2015 album, To Pimp a Butterfly.
Kendrick transitioned from one setting to another, where he also performed “Alright” in front of a bonfire and then went into a never before heard song with the camera moving as fast as the lyrics catching his bruised eye and controversial lyrics about modern-day slavery.
The performance ended with Kendrick Lamar standing in front of a huge image of Africa with his city name “Compton” inside.
This will hands down be one of the most talked about moments in Grammy history.
Kendrick also walked away with five Grammys for Best Rap Album (To Pimp a Butterfly), Best Music Video (Taylor Swift, Kendrick Lamar, “Bad Blood”), Best Rap Performance (“Alright”), Best Rap/Sung Collaboration (Kendrick Lamar featuring Bilal, Anna Wise, Thundercat, “These Walls”), and Best Rap Song (Kendrick Lamar, Kawan Prather, Sounwave, Pharrell Williams, “Alright”).
Watch Kendrick’s powerful performance below.