Thursday night Gorillaz, along with Pusha T and a virtual appearance by Mavis Staples, performed live on "The Late Show." As a virtual animated band, the performance was a rare chance for fans to see them live in person and a chance for Gorillaz to give a sneak peak of their new album before its release the next morning.

The band gave a powerful performance of "Let Me Out," which comes from their new album, Humanz. In the song we see race as its central issue when Pusha T imagines Staples as his mother on the brink of death, and has an honest conversation with her about what he fears his life as an African American will look like with Donald Trump as President of the United States.

"Look into my eyes, mama, tell me what you see," he raps, "Tell me there's a chance for me to make it off the streets. Tell me that I won't die at the hands of the police."

Then Staples, who appeared in pre-recorded footage singing, responds to Pusha singing,

"All the world is out of your hands.
You got to die a little if you wanna live.
Change is coming,
You best be ready."

Watch the performance in the video below.

Simone Cazares is a sophomore at the University of St. Thomas, majoring in communication and journalism. Originally from Miami, Fla., she survives Minnesota's cruel winters by immersing herself in the Twin Cities music scene.

Resources

Gorillaz - Official site

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert - Official site

Related

• Gorillaz Are Human After All
• Interview with Damon Albarn and Paul Simonon of Gorillaz (2010)