Kendrick Lamar Brings To Pimp A Butterfly Live To Your Living Room With A Full Band (Video)

Kendrick Lamar has been very protective of how he presents his album, To Pimp A Butterfly, live. The critically-acclaimed LP, which has been nominated for 11 Grammy Awards (the most ever for a Rap album), is deeply personal to the Compton MC who has said he wanted his first album to be like it, but he “wasn’t confident enough.” As a result, he has been sparing in performing it live, choosing to perform it in intimate venues, with a full band, during a very limited “Kunta’s Groove Sessions” tour. In fact, to date, those sessions have traveled to less than 10 venues. Moreover, Kendrick has stated that he would not perform the album live again, after this recent run, though that stance has softened a bit, recently, as he told the New York Times “Maybe in another five, 10 years we’ll be able to take it on a world tour and give it its proper exposure. But present time, I just want to hold it dear. I didn’t want to overexpose it. It could be in arenas one day. I don’t feel like the time is right.”

That decision likely has been to the dismay of many fans, but thanks to his recent performance at Austin City Limits, anyone who desires can experience Kunta’s Groove Session, on the screen of his or her choosing. The performance aired last night and now is available for full stream. While a good portion of the setlist is dedicated to TPAB, Kendrick pulls out a number of favorites from his good kid, m.A.A.d. city album, as well. The band is airtight, and the live instrumentation allows the selections to open up and breathe even more than they did on their respective albums.

The entire performance and setlist are below.

1. “For Free?”
2. “Institutionalized”
3. “Backseat Freestyle”
4. “Swimming Pools (Drank)”
5. “These Walls”
6. “Bitch, Don’t Kill My Vibe”
7. “Money Trees”
8. “m.A.A.d city”
9. “u”
10. “King Kunta”
11. “i”
12. “The Blacker The Berry”
13. “Alright”

Related: Kendrick Lamar Premieres A New Song With An Absolutely Monstrous Performance (Video)