#Watch Lil Baby and Killer Mike Perform “The Bigger Picture” at 2021 Grammys

Lil Baby performed at the 2021 Grammys tonight, delivering a moving performance of his song “The Bigger Picture.” The performance included a surprise appearance from Run the Jewels’ Killer Mike, who rapped a portion of RTJ4’s “walking in the snow” while Lil Baby performed within a larger set piece based on protests against police brutality. In the middle of the performance, activist Tamika Mallory called on President Biden to heed the call for change.

A James Baldwin quote was read during the introduction of Lil Baby’s moving performance. It went:

When I was brought up I was taught in American history books that Africa had no history and that neither had I. I was a savage about whom the least said the better, who had been saved by Europe and who had been brought to America. Of course, I believed it. I didn’t have much choice.

“My performance is important to me and I had to make sure it was right,” Lil Baby said in a press release. He continued:

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.

“The Bigger Picture” earned Lil Baby nominations for Best Rap Song and Best Rap Performance. Read Pitchfork’s “The Best and Worst of Rap This Week: Why Lil Baby’s Protest Song Should Not Be a Surprise and More,” and follow all of Pitchfork’s coverage of the 2021 Grammys.