Kendrick Lamar Will Reportedly Open Grammys With Dave Chappelle & U2

Kendrick Lamar, Dave Chappelle and U2 are about to kick the Grammys off on an unforgettable note.

BYAron A.
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Kendrick Lamar had a major year in 2017 with his album DAMN. and everything else that followed after. It was easily one of the best, if not the best, album to drop in 2017 and the accolades he received were well-deserved. In December, the Grammys announced the nominations which included seven in the name of the Compton spitter. A few days back, they announced that he'll be performing at the show but new reports say his performance will include two legendary acts in their respective fields.

Kendrick will reportedly be joined by U2 and Dave Chappelle to kick off the Grammy Awards, E! News reports. While it's unsure what Chappelle's involvement is, we're excited to see what he has up his sleeve.

Kendrick Lamar and U2 collaborated on numerous occasions in 2017 with the latter joining the former on DAMN. highlight "XXX." The rapper also had contributions throughout U2's latest album, Songs Of Experience, for the album's intro and outro. It looks like they'll end up "XXX." considering "American Soul" off U2's latest album was the source of sample for Kendrick's song.

The Grammys is expected to be a big night for Kendrick Lamar. The rapper is currently in the ranks for not only the Best Rap Album category but also for Best Album. In addition, "HUMBLE." has four nominations for Record Of The Year, Best Rap Performance, Best Rap Song and Best Music Video. And to top it off, Kendrick's Nike Cortez show collaboration is also expected to be released the same evening.


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About The Author
Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.