Hope can be hard to find in 2015. There are mass-shootings, continuous fatalities attached to incidents of police brutality, and a quest for justice that can seem elusive. Kendrick Lamar used the BET Awards stage wisely this weekend.

The Top Dawg Entertainment star did not make his 2015 standout televised performance about him, such as rocking “King Kunta.” Instead, he looked within his To Pimp A Butterfly album and found a message of hope and power, for the people. “Alright” is just that. The fourth single gets dressed to the nines, as K-Dot delivers his words, standing atop a battered police cruiser, in front of the backdrop of a tattered American Flag. The first time the song is performed on TV is before an audience that includes its co-producer, Pharrell Williams. Pay close attention, and you’ll notice that a verse in this hallmark performance differs from the album. Kendrick never seems to miss a moment to live in the now.

The brief technical outage almost seems symbolic, no?

Could this song grow to be the headline anthem of 2015?

Related: Kendrick Lamar Gets Deeply Personal in New Interview. Says He Is Trayvon Martin.