Lil Baby rocked the Grammy Awards Sunday night, March 14, with his performance of his politically driven anthem “The Bigger Picture,” which takes a look at America’s racial problem and the mistreatment of Black people by the police.
The Atlanta rapper used his performance to make sure no one forgot about the deaths of Rayshard Brooks and Eric Garner by the police and brought out fellow artists and activists Killer Mike and Tamika Mallory to drive the message home.
Lil Baby even reenacted Brooks’ killing in Atlanta during an interaction with law enforcement officers in 2020. Patrons in the drive-thru at a Wendy’s restaurant had called police after discovering the father of four asleep in his car and blocking the flow of traffic in the line. What began as a calm interaction between Brooks and police ended in his death. After the shooting, protesters burned down the restaurant — a scene that Lil Baby also revisited in his performance.
Lil Baby kicked off his set with the playing of a James Baldwin quote as the late author reflected on America’s history of diminishing people of color’s accomplishments.
“My performance is important to me, and I had to make sure it was right,” the rapper told Variety. “Nominations aside, actually performing ‘The Bigger Picture’ means the most to me. 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.”
Killer Mike then spit his political rhymes from “Walking In The Snow” off his Run The Jewels project. Mallory also emerged with a call to action for the country and the new president.
Continue reading on the next page and check out a behind-the-scenes video of the “The Bigger Picture” Grammy performance.
