Next month, Kendrick Lamar is up for 11 Grammy Awards, which is one shy of the record set by Michael Jackson in 1984, and he will surely take a few of them–at the least–home. The Compton rapper set the world ablaze this past March with his To Pimp a Butterfly album, the deeply introspective, personal, and socially arousing follow-up to his autobiographical debut, good kid, m.A.A.d. city, which was nominated for several Grammys in 2014, but ultimately wasn’t selected victor. Kendrick looks to add to his fledgling total–he racked up a couple awards at last year’s ceremony for his earnest quest for piece, “i”–this year thanks in part to “Alright,” his Pharrell-produced anthem, and “Blacker the Berry,” a visceral declaration of black pride and the hypocrisy and guilt that can be associated with a street-oriented entertainer in search of equality.
The former of those anthems, “Alright,” soundtracks a new short film by the GRAMMYs, which celebrates the impact Kendrick has had on Compton–and ostensibly, the world–with the keen attention he pays to every word of his lyrics. Compton residents recite the song acappella before they’re joined by Kendrick himself, who turns up with a modest crowd of people who have just “witnessed greatness.” Watch the clip above.
