Although Kendrick Lamar dropped what's widely been considered one of the records of the year in To Pimp a Butterfly, his live set lists this summer have still largely consisted of material from his previous release, good kid, m.A.A.d city. Save for tacking "King Kunta", "i", and "Alright" onto the end of his existing set, Kendrick's given little indication so far of what the live power of his new project might be. Last year he helped close out the Colbert Report by playing a still untitled, unreleased song; on the Ellen Show he played "These Walls"; on Saturday Night Live he played "i". TV has been Kendrick's way to share new performances, and what better occasion to do that than as the inaugural musical guest on the rebooted Late Show with Stephen Colbert? For the first time ever, Kendrick played a medley of tracks from To Pimp a Butterfly, including "U", "Momma" and "Wesley's Theory."Continued below…It's understandable why Kendrick doesn't want to take the record to festivals—it's not as immediate as Good Kid Mad City. But on the basis of this performance it's also hard to believe that, should he choose to do so, a To Pimp A Butterfly tour, where Kendrick plays the album in full with a live band, wouldn't be anything less than a grandoise spectacle. Kendrick is riveting, and his band is airtight. In light of recent speculation that Kendrick singled out Drake on "King Kunta", it's also interesting the emphasis he places on the "ghostwriter" line in this performance. The bar has been set for what musical guests have to bring to the Ed Sullivan Theater now that Colbert's set up shop there. And it's a high one. Watch below:
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