Lil Baby makes his Grammy debut.
Nominated for two awards, the Atlanta rapper delivered a powerful statement about police brutality with his performance of “The Bigger Picture” at Sunday’s show that featured appearances from Killer Mike, activist Tamika Mallory, and “Insecure” actor Kendrick Sampson.
Accompanied by an intro from James Baldwin, the performance opened with Sampson being pulled over by two white police officers who shot him as he ran away. Killer Mike performed a verse from Run the Jewels’ “Walking in the Snow,” while Baby capped off his set on top of a cop car as fireworks exploded in the sky.
“My performance is important to me and I had to make sure it was right. Nominations aside, actually performing ‘The Bigger Picture’ means the most to me,” said Baby. “I paint pictures with my songs and wanted the performance to bring that picture to life. Just like with the song, this performance had to reflect the real. No sugar-coating. My family, my fans and my city know who I do this for.”
Despite his winning performance, Baby went home empty-handed. “The Bigger Picture” was nominated for Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song but lost to Megan Thee Stallion’s “Savage” in both categories.
