Last night on the new Arsenio Hall Show, Hall began the segment talking about the reasons why he came back to late night television. He told the audience, "But one reason is because I heard a brother from Compton spit, y'all know what I'm talking about? ...and I said to myself then, 'Not only am I coming back, but I can't wait to say, Ladies and Gentlemen, please welcome Kendrick Lamar.'"
The curtain opened behind Hall, and Lamar performed a badass rock rendition of "M.A.A.D City." Having that backing-band jamming out behind him really brought the intensity of that song to another level.
Hall spoke with Lamar about his how his verse on 'Control' got him international recognition outside of the hip-hop community. Hall mentioned how Ice Cube names Lamar as the rapper he is listening to these days and how Pharrell calls Lamar "The Black Dylan."
Lamar gave the background behind his group "Black Hippie" and explained that they are trying to do their own thing outside of industry standards while continuing the Tupac-era legacy.
Later in the interview, Hall talked to Lamar about his roots in Compton, and how he saw Dr. Dre and Tupac filming the "California Love" video in his neighborhood.
"15 years later, or so, I get in the studio with Dre, and I bring up that same situation," Lamar recalled. "He said he remembered... all the little kids out there. And I said, Dre, 'I was one of them little kids.'"
Then Lamar hit the stage with Schoolboy Q to perform "Collard Greens," off Q's upcoming album "Oxymoron." Lamar chilled at the back of the stage near the turntable while he waited to rap his verse. Many of his rapid-fire rhymes were bleeped out, but the energy of the two rappers on stage was solid.
Watch the clips of last night's show here, and let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
