Kendrick Lamar gave one hell of a performance when he kicked off the 2018 Grammys with U2 and Dave Chappelle on Sunday.
The Compton artist opened his set standing among masked dancers in military fatigues as American flags waved, rapping a verse from “XXX.” as the beat of “LUST.” played. He was then joined by U2′s Bono and The Edge, who are featured on the album, “DAMN.”
He continued the medley with “DNA.” before Chappelle interjected with a critique on America’s racism.
“I just wanted to remind the audience that the only thing more frightening than watching a black man be honest in America is being an honest black man in America,” the comedian said.
K Dot, who had already won three awards by the time he hit the stage and won one more right after, commenced his performance with his verse on Rich The Kid’s “New Freezer” followed by “King’s Den” from the “Black Panther” soundtrack.
Chappelle interjected once again, “Is this OK with CBS? Cause it looks like he’s singing and dancing but this brother’s taking enormous chances. Rumble, young man, rumble!”
It was powerful. It was unapologetic. And it sent folks on Twitter, including rapper Talib Kweli and producer Lena Waithe, into a frenzy.
Check out the full performance above.