Why Didn't Kendrick Lamar Perform at the 2019 Oscars?
Bad News, Black Panther Fans, Kendrick Lamar Isn't Performing at the Oscars
If you were hoping to see Kendrick Lamar and SZA perform their Oscar-nominated song "All the Stars" from Black Panther at the 2019 Oscars, we have some bad news for you. According to Variety, the duo won't be making an appearance at the Academy Awards due to logistics and timing. In fact, the song won't be performed at all during the show.
The song is nominated against "I'll Fight" from RBG, "The Place Where Lost Things Go" from Mary Poppins Returns, "Shallow" from A Star Is Born, and "When a Cowboy Trades His Spurs For Wings" from Ballad of Buster Scruggs. Each of the remaining four best original song nominees will be performed during the 2019 Oscars telecast. Originally, the Academy only had plans to showcase "Shallow" and "All the Stars" during the telecast, but received backlash, according to Variety, due to nominee solidarity. The Academy quickly changed its tune and opted to showcase each of the five nominees, however, only four will be performed due to Lamar's and SZA's timing issues.
In addition to its Oscar nomination, "All the Stars" also was nominated for four Grammys, including record of the year. Lamar also earned a Grammy nom for "King's Dead" from the soundtrack, and the score won the Grammy for best score soundtrack for visual media. Unfortunately, Lamar and SZA didn't perform the Grammy-nominated song for that telecast either. The song has actually rarely been performed live: Lamar and SZA performed it at Coachella last year and at a show at the Oakland Coliseum in CA in 2018.
Black Panther will still no doubt have a historical night. The movie is up for seven awards, including best picture, making it the first superhero movie to earn that nomination. In addition to its nomination for best picture, Black Panther received nods for production design, sound mixing, sound editing, best achievement in costume design, and best original score.
