The Roots backed up Grammy-winning rocker Gary Clark Jr. for a fiery rendition of his incendiary single “This Land” on the Grammys set in front of a replica plantation house. The passionate performance called America’s prickly history with race into stark relief on one of the biggest television stages. Watch the performance below.
Ahead of Clark Jr. and The Roots’ performance, the Austin, Texas musician was awarded the Grammy for Best Contemporary Blues Album for his politically and socially conscious album This Land, released February 22, 2019 on Warner Records. The album’s title track was also nominated for Best Rock Performance, Best Rock Song, and Best Music Video, the last of which was awarded before the main ceremony to Lil Nas X for his comedic, cinematic video for “Old Town Road.”
The Roots, meanwhile, have been enjoying the creative leeway they’ve earned thanks to their “day job” as the house band for The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon. They’ve been taking their time crafting their 12th album, End Game, which is rumored to be releasing later this year. They put out the first single, “Feel It (You Got It),” with Tish Hyman in December, indicating that those rumors may soon become a reality.
Check out the full list of Grammy winners here.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
