Black Panther song “All the Stars” will not be performed at the Oscars

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

Unfortunately, it’s been confirmed by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences that the stars have not aligned for rappers Kendrick Lamar and SZA to perform their Oscar-nominated Best Song “All the Stars” at this year’s host-less ceremony. The hypnotic track created by Lamar, SZA, Sounwave and Anthony Triffith is featured as a part of Marvel’s Black Panther soundtrack, which had been curated by Lamar and has already won the award for Best Score Soundtrack at this year’s Grammy Awards, as well as the prize for Top Soundtrack at the 2019 American Music Awards.

While the lead-up to the 91st Academy Awards has pegged the event as a hot mess in the making, it’s important to note that the decision to pull “All the Stars” from the show’s performance roster is not a casualty of the event’s running time. In fact, Lamar and his representatives have been working alongside Oscar organizers to make the gig a reality, though it’s now been confirmed that due to Lamar working abroad, the Duckworth-born rapper will not be available to attend the event. In addition to citing his busy schedule as a reason for declining the invite, Lamar also stated that the the tight Oscar window would not allow enough time to organize a stage show worthy of the banger's raw energy.

It’s also worth noting that, while Lamar declined, SZA nor any of the song’s other contributors wanted to perform the song without him.    

As of this time, the 91st Academy Awards will feature performances by the following artists: Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper for A STAR IS BORN‘s “Shallow”, Bette Midler singing “The Place Where Lost Things Go” from MARY POPPINS RETURNS, Jennifer Hudson performing “I’ll Fight” from RBG and Gillian Welch and David Rawlings performing “When a Cowboy Trades His Spurs for Wings” from THE BALLAD OF BUSTER SCRUGGS.

Will you be tuning in for this year's Academy Awards ceremony? Does the idea of an "All the Stars" performance being absent from the show affect your desire to tune in? Let us know in the comments section below.