Beyoncé & Kendrick Lamar Perform ‘America Has a Problem’ Live for First Time on Renaissance Tour
Ring the alarm, America has a problem. For the final show of her three-night Renaissance World Tour run at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif., Beyoncé brought out surprise guest Kendrick Lamar for an electric performance of their remix of “America Has a Problem,” a fan-favorite track from her Billboard 200-topping Renaissance album.
Typically, Beyoncé performs “America Has a Problem” in a recreation of a news station desk; she relays the news of America’s problem (hint: it’s her) on Channel 4’s KNTY News. At Monday night’s show (Sep. 4), Lamar climbed up from behind the desk and delivered his fiery remix verse as the sold-out stadium went absolutely berserk. The performance marked the very first live rendition of the “America Has a Problem” remix.
But it appeared that audio issues plagued the first half of Kendrick’s verse, according to fan videos. In a coincidental turn of events that doubled as an unintentional tribute to Beyoncé on her birthday, K. Dot’s mic did not start working until he rapped the lyric, “I’m an honorary Beyhive, let’s see why.” Even while Lamar’s mic malfunctioned, the two consummate professionals never let the crowd see them sweat. He rapped through the audio issues and Beyoncé teased the crowd with a bit of vogueing as she prepared to come in on the chorus. To complement Beyoncé’s beloved custom Mugler bee bodysuit, Lamar wore a ‘fit that evoked the neon yellow fashions of construction workers.
Beyoncé and Kendrick Lamar released the “America Has a Problem” remix back in May. Upon release, the remix helped the song re-enter the Billboard Hot 100 at No. 38, surpassing the No. 69 peak of the original solo version.
The “America Has a Problem” remix is the third collaboration between Beyoncé and Lamar. They first joined forces in 2016 for the Grammy-nominated Lemonade deep cut “Freedom,” which peaked at No. 35 on the Hot 100. The two superstars then reunited for “Nile,” a track from Beyoncé’s 2019 The Lion King: The Gift compilation soundtrack.
Check out some fan videos of Beyoncé and Kendrick lighting up the Renaissance World Tour stage with the first live performance of the “America Has a Problem” remix:
Kyle-Brandon Denis
Billboard
