Kendrick Lamar debuts new song ‘Untitled 2’ on ‘Tonight Show’

Kendrick Lamar’s album “To Pimp a Butterfly� is looking like the consensus pick for the best and most important album of 2015, a standing that’s perhaps a preview of potential Grammy success. But that doesn’t mean that he’s taking a break from new music.

On Thursday night’s “Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,� Lamar performed “Untitled 2,� a brand new song continuing the jazz-fusion streak that pinned “Butterfly� together.

While his stage presence wasn’t quite as incendiary as on some of his other recent TV performances -- namely, his version of “Alright� performed atop a cop car at the BET Awards -- it was still a crystal-clear showcase of his musicality and live-set virtuosity.

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“Tonight Show’s� bandleader, Questlove, had alluded to the prospect of new music from Lamar, who has used live television as a launching point for other freshly debuted singles (Lamar is also slated for an “Austin City Limits� appearance Saturday night).

Lamar sat down with Fallon for a relatively breezy chat about their childhood gaming hobbies and Lamar’s prospects at the Grammys. This year, Lamar has the most nominations for a rapper in Grammy history (a nod that maybe constitutes a subtle apology for his 2014 Grammy loss to Macklemore). But clearly it hasn’t softened his work ethic.

“I wouldn’t want to go past that, though,� Lamar said of Michael Jackson’s 12 nominations for “Thriller.� “I can’t fathom being as great as Michael without putting out the work.�

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