There's going to be a lot of talk in a few hours about who wins Album of the Year at the 2016 Grammys. But Kendrick Lamar just stood on stage with millions of people watching and performed in chains. His band was locked behind bars. This is an award ceremony that didn't have a rap category until 1989, that didn't have an R&B category until 1995, that created the urban contemporary category in 2013. Kendrick's performance probably made some viewers uncomfortable. They probably didn't get it. But what we just saw was brilliant, and we should feel lucky for seeing it.

Originally published on esquire.com

From: Esquire UK