Kendrick Lamar Takes Grammy Stage in Chains
Beyoncé caught plenty of backlash last weekend after using her Super Bowl halftime performance to make a statement about race issues in America. Well, Kendrick Lamar topped her; making an even more radical statement Monday during his Grammy set.
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The To Pimp a Butterfly rapper — nominated for a whopping 11 Grammys — entered the stage, which was set up to look like a jail cell, wearing a blue prison uniform and leading a chain gang. Before rapping a lyric, he commanded the audience’s attention as he reached for the microphone stand with the chains dangling from his hands. Then he yelled the opening line, “I’m the biggest hypocrite of 2015,” from his song “The Blacker the Berry.”
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As the song progressed, he challenged racists. “You hate me don’t you?” he rapped. “You hate my people. Your plan is to terminate my culture.”
In an amazing visual transition, the stage lights dimmed to reveal that the jail costumes were decorated with glow-in-the dark paint modeled after African tribes. The choreography changed to African stylings, and Lamar moved to a second set that was designed like an African village with a blazing fire pit.
As Lamar moved into the lyrics from his hit “Alright,” dancers in African costumes formed circles around him.
For the final portion of the song, he took the stage solo, and closed with a powerful map of Africa appearing behind him. Compton, the name of his hometown, was labeled on the map.
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