Besides being up for a monumental 11 total Grammy nominations, all eyes will also be on Kendrick Lamar when he hits the stage to perform during the award show. Kendrick will be performing “The Blacker the Berry” and “Alright” from his Grammy-nominated album, To Pimp a Butterfly, according to Billboard. After host LL Cool J described Kendrick's performance as "very controversial," Grammy Producer Ken Ehrlich shared even more of what we can expect. "Controversial… I’m not sure that’s the right word. Certainly it’s provocative. One of the things that’s important to us with the show and I think to the Academy is that we encourage artistic freedom and artistic license," he said.
He continued, "In this case, Kendrick came to us and said that we live in a time where these issues confront us every day and that it’s important that they be given a public forum, and he would like to use his x number of minutes to create a great performance that is consistent with his this year. It is overtly political and it is overtly provocative, and I think if nothing else it’s going to give people something to think about and talk about." As to whether or not he thinks the performance will offend anyone, he explains," I suspect there will be a portion of the audience that… I don’t know that I’d use the work 'offended,' but certainly will be provoked by it."
Interestingly enough, photos from Kendrick's Grammys rehearsal on Sunday night have since surfaced online on Reddit. Through the props and set design, there is clear prison imagery with performers linked in chains as well as a silhouette of Africa with Kendrick's hometown of Compton written in it. Check out the photos below and our 2016 Grammy predictions here. The 58th annual Grammy Awards air tonight on CBS.
