Rapper Kendrick Lamar may have landed the killing blow in his feud with Drake with his Juneteenth concert “The Pop Out Ken & Friends” in Inglewood, California. The show was a massive hit, stirring viewers from around the world to sing praises for Lamar across social media platforms as it was streamed live by Amazon Music.
It was such a sensation on Twitter that “nah Kendrick” was trending before the night was over.
Local and remote audiences enjoyed performances from a long list of other hip-hop artists as well as multiple renditions of the hit summer track “Not Like Us.”
What is a “pop out” concert?
The phrase “pop out” appears to be about Lamar’s decade-long beef with fellow rapper Drake and also appears in “Not Like Us” to describe an action one must sometimes take to show your competitors that you mean business.
Sometimes you gotta pop out and show n—-s
Certified boogeyman, I’m the one that up the score with ’em
Walk him down, whole time, I know he got some ho in him
Pole on him, extort shit, bully Death Row on him
What’s the beef?
Kendrick Lamar and Drake have been feuding on and off since the early 2010s following collaborations between the two on each of their albums of the era. The conflict first erupted into the open in 2013 when Lamar dissed Drake (as well as several other rappers) in the song “Control” by Big Sean.
Lamar later clarified that the dissing was all in good fun, or “friendly competition,” but pop culture outlets latched onto the line about Drake and pushed the idea that the two were in a feud for the next 10 years.
In March 2024, the beef took a serious turn when Lamar dissed J. Cole and Drake in “Like That.” This was in response to J. Cole suggesting that the triad of rappers are the “Big Three” of the genre in his song “First Person Shooter.”
Drake responded in April with “Push Ups” and “Taylor Made Freestyle.” The pair exchanged more diss tracks in May, including Lamar’s “Meet the Grahams,” which accused Drake of some rather serious crimes.
Who was at the Kendrick Lamar pop out concert?
Lamar was joined on stage by members of the Black Hippy collective including Jay Rock, Ab-Soul, and ScHoolboy Q who each performed their own solo work. Later, he brought out Dr. Dre for a joint performance of “Still Dre” and 2Pac’s “California Love.”
During other parts of the concert, “Not Like Us” producer Mustard took the stage with Tyler, the Creator, YG, Ty Dolla $ign, Steve Lacy, and others for a set. NBA stars Russell Westbrook and LeBron James also made an appearance, as well as other artists including Jay Worthy, Tommy the Clown, Demar, Russell Westbrook, Ray Vaughn, Westside Boogie, and so on.
Kendrick unites the Crips and Bloods
During the concert on June 19, Lamar brought dozens of members from the notorious rival gangs the Crips and the Bloods on stage to demonstrate that the city of Los Angeles could stand united. Near the end of the show, Lamar himself was moved by the coming together of so many people despite the deadly violence affecting both sides of the long-standing conflict.
“This s–t making me emotional,” he said to the crowd. “We been f—ed up since Nipsey [Hussle] died. We been f—ed up since Kobe [Bryant] died. This is unity at its finest.”
“We done lost a lot of homies to this music s–t, to this street s–t. For all of us to be together on stage, that s–t is special. Everybody on this stage got fallen soldiers.”
Where did Tupac come in?
The mention of the legendary late rapper Tupac can be added to the historical archives on the beef between Lamar and Drake. In July 2023, Drake purchased a ring designed by Tupac himself for $1.01 million at a historic auction.
He showed off his purchase to the world in an Instagram Story to promote “Meltdown” on July 28. It features a large gold crown studded with 10-carat cabochon rubies and pavé diamonds.
Lamar took a moment during the pop out concert to bring up this lavish purchase of the coveted piece of jewelry.
“Give me Tupac’s ring back.”
How many times did Kendrick perform “Not Like Us”?
Five. Lamar performed “Not Like Us” five times in a row for audiences after the duets with Dr. Dre, who stayed on stage to help with this hit single marathon to wrap up the pop out concert. By the end, the crowd was rapping along with them word for word, never seeming to get tired of the beloved single.
Kendrick Lamar pop out concert reactions
