Kendrick Lamar: New Grammy Song From ‘Chamber’ of Unreleased Material

Rapper has made a habit of performing scrapped 'To Pimp a Butterfly' tracks on TV

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February 17, 2016

Kendrick Lamar: New Grammy Song From ‘Chamber’ of Unreleased Material

Kendrick LamarÂ said the new, untitled song he performed at the end of hisÂ riveting, politically-charged Grammy medleyÂ came from a trove of tracks that did not make it onto his acclaimed album,Â To Pimp a Butterfly.

“I got a chamber of material from the album that I was in love [with] where sample clearances or something as simple as a deadline kept it off the album,” Lamar said in an interview with Grammy.comÂ that was continued on 2 Dope Boyz. “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.”

Lamar has begun to make a habit out of performing these unreleased, untitled songsÂ during TV appearances. He dropped the first onÂ one of theÂ final episodes of the The Colbert Report in December 2014 ”” months before To Pimp a Butterfly was released ”” and more recently during aÂ January episode of The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon.

Lamar’s show-stealing Grammy performance also includedÂ renditions of To Pimp a Butterfly cuts “The Blacker the Berry” and “Alright.” During the opening number, the rapper appeared as a prisoner who breaks through his chains; he then stormed through “Alright” amidst a group ofÂ African drummers and dancers, and finished with the explosive, untitled song.

Lamar also earned five Grammy AwardsÂ Monday and swept the rap categories, collecting Best Rap Album for To Pimp a Butterfly, Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song for “Alright,” and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for his “These Walls” featuring Bilal, Anna Wise and Thundercat.

Jon Blistein