Kendrick Lamar was the final musical guest on Stephen Colbert's The Colbert Report, so to make things come full circle, he is the first official act to perform on his new rendition of The Late Show. On Wednesday night (Sept. 9), K. Dot took to the CBS talk show to offer up a medley of his hits from his new album To Pimp a Butterfly.
With his hair styled in cornrows, Lamar ripped through for tracks off To Pimp a Butterfly. He kicked off while spitting "Wesley's Theory" with the help of a live backing band, which banged on some big drums as he rolled through the funk-induced track.
Soon, Lamar transitioned seamlessly into "Momma," which was filled with dramatic lengthy silent pauses, allowing the weight of his lyrics to full resonate through the NYC studio. Lamar then brought out the big guns with the TPAB standout "King Kunta," which he performed at length as the basslines rolled out in a major way. Finally, to roung out the medley Lamar brought out just a bit of "u."
This performance is just the latest in a tight relationship between Lamar and Colbert. In December 2014, he was the last musical guest on The Colbert Report performing an untitled track.
Lamar is the second musical guest on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. On the show's opening night, the host performed "Everyday People" alongside Mavis Staples, Ben Folds, Brittany Howard and more celebrity guests.
Lamar's album To Pimp a Butterfly was released in March.
