The Grammys’ Fu**ing Sh**ty Censorship of Kendrick Lamar’s Performance Posted by Nathan S. on 01/28/14 | Filed under Top Stories, Kendrick Lamar, Fails, Grammys, Absurdly Detailed Investigations

Don't worry, this isn't another post about how terrible the Grammys are. As Lucas just wrote, I think we're all already a little burnt out on the Grammy debates. But, if you could be so kind to indulge me in one last Grammy related post....what the fuck is up with the Grammys' censorship of Kendrick Lamar's performance?

Let's backtrack a little bit. It's looking like two good things are going to come out of these Grammys for me. One, I'm now listening to Gary Clarke Jr. And two, for the duration of the existence of the internet we'll be able to watch Kendrick Lamar's pistachios performance of "madd city" backed by Imagine Dragons. It's fucking awesome, but unfortunately the censor had their finger on the mute button went overboard. The first time I watched it I was so stoked I didn't even really notice, the second time it became annoying, and by the third time, I realized it just actively didn't make any fucking sense. Here, let's all watch again. 

If that won't play for you on the page click here, and you might want to refresh yourself with the original studio version of "madd city". Before we go any further - and warning, if you don't enjoy obsessive, over-attention to detail you should stop reading now - let's establish three things.

1) Contrary to popular belief, and George Carlin, there's no actual list of words that are allowed and not-allowed. The network censors determine what's "obscene" based on context. Pretty much 100% of the time a "fuck" will get you bleeped, regardless of context, but it's still all technically a subjective determination. 

2) Kendrick's doing a slightly stripped down, live version of "madd city" because, you know, it's hard to say that many words that forcefully while running around a stage without running out of breath. Hence we get a live "this no drill sergeant, no stress weighing on your brain" instead of the album version, "Not the drill sergeant, but the stress that's weighing on your brain." 

3) Kendrick's also doing a pretty thoroughly self-censored, live version of "madd city".  For example, instead of the original "Seen a light-skinned nigga with his brains blown out" he says "seen a light skin (partner?) with his brains blow out" at the 1:20 mark, which they rightly don't mute. In fact, ironically, it's impossible to tell with how much the Grammys censored the performance, but based on how actively Kendrick self-censored, I'm not sure he ever actually swore. He went through the trouble of censoring himself in some sections and he's just going to rampantly drop f-bombs or n-bombs in other sections? Only someone who saw it live would be able to confirm - anyone? 

Ok, with all that in mind, let's go through this mute by mute. 

Time: 1:35
The Censored Version: "That was back when I was nine, Joey packed the nine / Pakistan on every porch is fine / we adapt...at a time / with the sliding door, what is up?"
The Original Lyrics: "That was back when I was nine, Joey packed the nine / Pakistan on every porch is fine, we adapt to crime / Pack a van with four guns at a time, with the sliding door, fuck is up?
What They Muted: "...to crime / pack a van with four guns..." 

Really? Really though? It was the reference to guns that did it? But earlier "seen a light skinned partner with his brains blown out" was fine? And again, he self-censored "fuck is up", so....

Time: 1:44
The Censored Version: "What you shootin....huh"
The Original Lyrics: "Fuck you shooting for if you ain't walking up, you fucking punk?."   
What They Muted: "...for if you ain't walking up, you fucking punk?."

Um...ok then. Not sure why "...for if you ain't walking up..." is obscene. Actually it's not, at all.

And maybe they muted "you fucking punk", but considering he started off the line by cutting out "fuck", and cuts out every "fuck" in the section immediately after, what are the odds he actually said "You fucking punk" right there? So just what the fuck did they mute, and why? 

Time: 1:47
The Censored Version: "Pickin up the uh pump, picking off you suckers / suck a what, die, sucker punch, a wall of bullets coming from...".
The Original Lyrics: "Picking up the fucking pump, picking off you suckers / Suck a dick or die or sucker punch, a wall of bullets coming from..."
What they muted: Nothing. 

Kendrick completely self-censored. So again, what are the odds he said something crazy in the previous sections that were muted? And as long as we're here, allow me to point out that while "pack a van with four guns" was previously a problem, apparently "AKs, ARs" is totally fine.

Time: 1:57
The Censored Version: "That's what momma said when we was eating their.....damn, all hell broke loose."
The Original Lyrics: "That's what momma said when we was eating their free lunch / Aw man, goddamn, all hell broke loose."
What They Muted: "...free lunch / Aw man, god..."

What? WHAT??? WWWWHHHHAAAATTTT????

Time: 2:02
The Censored Version: "You killed my cousin back...your truce / now crawl your head in that noose, you wind up dead on the news."
The Original Lyrics: "You killed my cousin back in '94, fuck your truce / Now crawl your head in that noose, you wind up dead on the news."
What They Muted: "..in '94, fuck...." 

Again, that's assuming he actually said "fuck". It's hard to tell what he said right there before "your truce." It might have been "fuck", it might have been "uhh", but based on Kendrick's previous self-censorship - second later he says, "that there ain't no threat" instead of "that shit ain't no threat" - odds are he said "uhhh".

More understandable, but it seems to me like the censor hit the mute button early in anticipation. Or maybe they just really hate the year 1994. That's also an option. 

Time: 2:40
The Censored Version: "Man down, uh....who you know, where you from uh / where your grandma stay huh uh / this mad city better run my..."
The Original Lyrics: "Man down, where you from, nigga? / Fuck who you know, where you from, my nigga / Where your grandma stay, huh, my nigga? / This m.A.A.d city I run, my nigga."
What They Muted: "...where you from, nigga? / Fuck who you know..."

At least that's what they theoretically muted. Considering he obviously actively avoided every other "fuck" and "nigga" in that bridge I find it hard to believe he actually said them in that specific section. But ok, if I give the censors the utmost benefit of the doubt, fine. 

Honestly, this turned out to be so much worse than I thought when I first started out. I expected to be writing yet another piece about Carlin-esque hypocrisy of bleeping some swear words and not others, or some references and not others, but instead it looks like the censorship here was almost random. I'm not convinced Kendrick every actually ever utted a "fuck" or "nigga" that entire performance*. 

Worse than that, they just started muting random prefixes and pronouns without any seeming point: note to future Grammy performers, don't expect to say "free lunch" and get away with it. 

So what's the lesson here? Mostly that I have rap-related OCD, but also that the Grammys censors apparently get so nervous during hip-hop performances that they start hitting that mute button like they're having a seizure. If anyone can get me the un-censored audio so I can conclusively who's more insane, me or the network censors, you'll win a billion RefinedHype bonus points. 
 
* The next time I get to talk to Kendrick, it'll be the first thing I ask him. The first time I talked to Kendrick is an upcoming "True Rap Blogger Stories". 

RefinedHype has merged with The DJBooth. It's the same articles you loved on RefinedHype, new address. For more info, check out the official announcement.