Kendrick Lamar: the poet, the revolutionary.

At this point in his career, it would seem to undermine the genius of Compton's son to simply call him a "rapper." Leading all artists at the 58th annual Grammy Awards with 11 total nominations, Lamar left the ceremony with five awards, including best rap song for his track, "Alright," and best rap album for his most recent project, To Pimp a Butterfly. Undoubtedly, Kendrick Lamar delivered one of the best performances, ever.

And if you happened to catch the show, you're probably aware that you witnessed something akin to performance art more so than a simple recitation of words over an instrumental. Either way, we'd be remiss if we didn't revisit and explore the various messages being conveyed through lyrics and imagery that deserve to be laid bare.

Coming out shackled, feet shuffling as he approached the microphone, Lamar kicked off his performance with the song "The Blacker the Berry" - the aggressive, high-energy track that acts as a medium through which he vents his internal struggle of reconciling his black, male identity with his destructive past.

Lamar's Grammy performance was, in short, powerful. In front of millions of viewers, and at a time of increased criticism, he fearlessly and artfully delivered a message responding to America's deeply-rooted racial problems in a way that so many artists before him have attempted to do. He's managed to wield his influence in such a way as to grab the country's attention, and now we can't look away. Kendrick Lamar's performance helped advance a conversation on race and inequality that is far from reaching its end.