Kendrick Lamar opened the 60th Annual Grammy Awards Sunday night (Jan. 28) with a powerful, politically charged performance that featured a lot of fire (literally and figuratively) as well as appearances from legendary rock band U2 and comedy legend Dave Chapelle.
WATCH KENDRICK LAMAR’S 2018 GRAMMYS PERFORMANCE HERE:
Joined by masked dancers in military fatigues beneath screens displaying a waving American flag, Lamar kicked off the show with a performance of “XXX,” which was followed by a brief appearance from U2’s Bono and The Edge.
Afterward, Dave Chappelle took the stage and introduced himself, saying, “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.”
Kendrick then returned to the stage and continued his set, this time performing “King’s Dead.” The first song performed by Kendrick is a cut from his critically acclaimed 2017 album DAMN, which earned him seven Grammy nods this year—the second most behind JAY-Z’s eight. The second song comes from the “Black Panther” soundtrack, which was produced by Kendrick.
Before the show even started, K. Dot had already won the awards for Best Rap Song, Best Rap Performance and Best Music Video. Not too long after his performance, the rapper also won the award for Best Rap/Sung Performance for “Loyalty,” his collaboration with Rihanna.
