Kendrick Lamar Stars, Cast Raps ‘Alright’ In Latest ‘Black-ish’ ABC Promo [Video]

Season 2 of ABC’s hit comedy Black-ish is underway. Approaching the midseason mark, the network released a promo music video with Kendrick Lamar. The 1-minute clip shows K-Dot with the Johnson family as they all take turns lip syncing the words to his Grammy nominated anthem “Alright.” Unfortunately, Kendrick Lamar doesn’t have an actual role in the coming episode, “Old Digger.” The Johnson kids, Zoey (Yara Shahidi), Andre Jr. (Marcus Scribner), Jack (Miles Brown, and Diane (Marsai Martin) are brainstorming on how to make a music video go viral.

“All we have to do is make a music video and boom, overnight viral sensation,” Zoey tells her younger siblings Andre Jr, Jack and Diane. All of the sudden, “Alright” starts playing as the family hangs out in the living room. K-Dot slowly walks in with an enormous bowl of cereal and sits down on the couch. The music video shows a montage of the Johnson family from various episodes while “Alright” plays in the background. The family gathers around the couch to take selfies with the famous To Pimp A Butterfly rapper before he stands up and walks out with his big red bowl of cereal. “That was awesome,” Andre Jr. exclaims with headphones over his ears. “We have to shoot this now,” Zoey adds.

Black-ish tells the story of an upper-middle class black family through the lens of Andre ‘Dre’ Johnson (Anthony Anderson), husband and father of three kids. Scared that his children’s economically privileged upbringing isn’t preparing them for struggles of the real world, Andre tries to establish a firm cultural identity for his family. A lot of the episodes revolve around lessons on what it means to be black, and the difference of experience between generations. Mrs. Johnson, ‘Bow’ (Tracee Ellis Ross) is mixed race and Andre Jr. tends to identify with a way of life Dre deems ‘white’ because of his experience growing up. ABC uses comedy as a way to provoke meaningful conversation about cultural differences between blackness, whiteness and mixed-identities. The TV series also bluntly addresses challenges distinct the American black community.

Lamar’s “Alright” became the chorus of the Black Lives Matter social justice movements this year and is fitting to the message Black-ish hopes to send its viewers. Diddy, Mary J. Blige, Amber Rose, Tyra Banks and Jermaine Dupri have also made cameos on the show.

With 11 episodes aired so far, the ABC hit comedy is about halfway through season 2. Expect 24 half an hour long episodes, just like the first season. Catch K-Dot and the Johnson family on ABC Wednesday at 9:30 EST.