by Jeroslyn JoVonn
June 20, 2024
Kendrick Lamar broke the internet on Juneteenth with his Amazon Prime special “The Pop Out – Ken & Friends Concert.”
Kendrick Lamar broke the internet on Juneteenth with his Amazon Prime special The Pop Out – Ken & Friends Concert.
The Grammy-winning rapper hit the stage for a 90-minute set that concluded with him performing his smash hit Drake diss “Not Like Us” five times in a row. Kendrick appeared intentional about his 22-track set list, which spanned his library of music dating back to his 2011 debut studio album Section 80.
Kicking off with his first direct Drake-aimed diss, “Euphoria,” the Compton native went on to perform a string of his fan favorites, including “DNA,” “Alright,” “Swimming Pools,” “m.a.a.d City,” and “Humble.” There was even a reunion of his old rap group, Black Hippy, consisting of Kendrick, Schoolboy Q, Jay Rock, and Ab-Soul.
Kendrick performed three of his Drake diss tracks, “Euphoria,” “6:16 in LA,” and “Like That,” before bringing out L.A. legend Dr. Dre for a two-song set comprised of “Still Dre” and “California Love” before the Aftermath founder gave a surprise intro to “Not Like Us” that kicked off a legendary finale to the Juneteenth show.
If fans were expecting Kendrick to go easy on Drake, they had another thing coming. The “Element” rapper kicked off the show with his scathing Drake diss “Euphoria,” which included a new verse Kendrick introduced during the live show.
“Give me Tupac’s ring back, and I might give you a little respect,” he rapped.
The lyric comes in response to Drake buying a ring designed and worn by Tupac Shakur during his last public appearance before his death in 1996. The Toronto rapper purchased the ring in August 2023 at a Sotheby’s sale for a little over $1 million — over three times the presale estimate of $200,000 to $300,000.
Kendrick Lamar changes the lyrics on “Euphoria” while performing live and disses Drake again. 😳
“Give me Tupac’s ring back and I might give you a little respect” pic.twitter.com/WRujYfpOq6
— WhatsOnRap (@WhatsOnRap__) June 20, 2024
Then came Kendrick’s now-viral performance of “Not Like Us” five times in a row. After having Dr. Dre kick off the song, Kendrick performed it up until his infamous “A Minor” line before running it back to the beginning.
Not Like Us to Drake is how Back To Back was for Meek 😂 Kendrick preformed the song 4 times and the entire arena rapped it word for word all 4 times 😭 pic.twitter.com/FGMV0eH2uj
— spicebae (@spicebae_) June 20, 2024
After four consecutive performances of the hit diss track, Kendrick ended the show by bringing up a variety of friends, famous faces, and members of the Bloods and Crips gang for an iconic moment of unity, Black pride, and Black Boy Joy that was seen and celebrated by the masses.
NBA stars and L.A. natives Russell Westbrook and Demar DeRozan hit the stage to dance and sing along with Kendrick as well as rappers who performed opening sets for the show like YG, “Not Like Us” producer DJ Mustard, Tyler The Creator, Steve Lacy, Schoolboy Q, and many more.
Kendrick Lamar brings out every performer from the Ken & Friends lineup to perfom Not Like Us for the fourth time in a row 🤯🔥 pic.twitter.com/8yJdAI5hDW
— The Beat Boulevard (@thebeatblvd) June 20, 2024
The crowd loved every bit of it and exited the Kia Forum, singing “Not Like Us” as it played in rotation after Kendrick belted it out five times in a row.
The show was Kendrick’s first live performance since he and Drake traded numerous diss tracks last month. Drake has been pretty silent in the wake of the show, which is clearly in response to his ongoing feud with Kendrick. A member of his OVO crew shared a photo of the rapper wearing a “Revenge” t-shirt, which could hint at his plans for a comeback.
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