Hip-hop genius Kendrick Lamar's albums are ambitious rap operas, and the National Symphony Orchestra helped to bring his expansive musical vision to life with a collaborative performance at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC.
The show took place yesterday (October 20), and it featured Kendrick performing a selection of material from his albums good kid, m.A.A.d city and To Pimp a Butterfly featuring ornate, cinematic backing from the orchestra.
Watch some clips below. The first clip, for "These Walls," is an official one from the Kennedy Center. The rest of the videos are fan-shot; the quality isn't always stellar, but the footage shows that the orchestra didn't get Lamar to tame his style, and he even inspired the conductor to dance along with his righteous rap anthems.
"These Walls":
"King Kunta":
"The Blacker the Berry":
"i":
"Mortal Man":
"Alright":
The show took place yesterday (October 20), and it featured Kendrick performing a selection of material from his albums good kid, m.A.A.d city and To Pimp a Butterfly featuring ornate, cinematic backing from the orchestra.
Watch some clips below. The first clip, for "These Walls," is an official one from the Kennedy Center. The rest of the videos are fan-shot; the quality isn't always stellar, but the footage shows that the orchestra didn't get Lamar to tame his style, and he even inspired the conductor to dance along with his righteous rap anthems.
"These Walls":
"King Kunta":
"The Blacker the Berry":
"i":
"Mortal Man":
"Alright":