Yesterday, Kendrick Lamar delivered a show-stopping performance at the 2016 Grammys. Performing Blacker The Berry, Alright and Untitled 3, he took his moment to be on national, and international, TV and ran with it by thrusting the plight of African Americans in their own country onto screens around the world. It was incredible.
The consequent social media uproar saw Twitter practically implode with adoration and jubilation at what Kendrick had just done, as did his fellow artists, colleagues and peers. However, it wasn’t just them that thought what he’d done was something spectacular. Academy president Neil Portnow even went so far as to call his performance a “masterpiece” according to DJBooth.
“What I said when I was asked what we’re going to see from Kendrick, I said you’re going to see something that’s unbelievably powerful, and you’re also going to see something that’s a piece of art. To do what he did to put together, really that vignette, that works for a live audience and television, was really a masterpiece. From our standpoint, I’m very proud that happened on our stage, and I know that he is.”
One of the highlights of the performance was the unreleased and fierce track, Untitled 3. However, fans can get excited for even more unreleased material like this and the one he shared on Fallon, as K Dot revealed he has a “chamber of material” specifically for these performances. In an interview with Grammy.com and 2 Dope Boyz, he said this chamber is filled with tracks that didn’t quite make it to the record:
“You see all these performances on these late night shows—I got a chamber of material from the album that I was in love where sample clearances or something as simple as a deadline kept it off the album. But I think probably close to ten songs that I’m in love with that I’ll still play and still perform that didn’t make the cut.”
Very good news indeed.
Kendrick Lamar is just weeks away from his return to Australian soil, for a set at Bluesfest and two sideshows. Check the dates below and jump on tickets – if there are any left!
Dates:
March 21: Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne
March 23: Allphones Arena, Sydney
Head here for sideshow info and here for Bluesfest info.
Read our review of Kendrick Lamar’s ‘To Pimp A Butterfly’
Image: Pitchfork