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Music

Watch Kendrick Lamar Perform "King Kunta," "i," and "Alright" with the National Symphony Orchestra

Yeah, you need to see this.

Last month, Noisey writer Ryan Bassil protested that Kendrick Lamar needs to start playing his latest record, To Pimp a Butterfly, more in his live sets, after a summer full of shows that relied mostly on past bangers from good kid, m.A.A.d city. Whether he heard us, or, more likely, just already had loads of long term plans around that idea himself, things have changed in these last few months, with the announcement of his Kunta Groove Sessions tour and numerous TPAB orientated shows.

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Last night at The Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. he delivered a super special one-off performance alongside the National Symphony Orchestra of America, conducted by Steven Reineke, who had previously done similar work with Nas. Super special was our best attempt to summarise what happened in very few words, but let's be honest, you just need to watch this, immediately.

Chew on orchestra performances of "These Walls," "i," "King Kunta," and "Alright" below.