kendrick lamar
Page: 4
HipHopWired Featured Video
Source: Christopher Polk / Getty
Kendrick Lamar and Killer Mike were among the winners at the 2024 BET Awards while Usher took the stage in a standout moment.
On Sunday night (June 30), the 2024 BET Awards took place in front of a packed house at the Peacock Theatre in Los Angeles, California. The night, hosted by actress Taraji P. Henson, was a star-studded affair that saw some of the biggest Black personalities in entertainment take home awards. R&B superstar Usher being awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award was the key highlight of the four-hour show, which also saw him take home the award for Best Male R&B/Pop Artist.
[embedded content]
Usher took the stage to receive the award after a medley performance of his greatest hits from artists including Childish Gambino, Summer Walker, Keke Palmer, Victoria Monét, and Teyana Taylor with Latto closing it out with her version of Ludacris’ verse on “Yeah!”. L.A. Reid and Babyface presented the award to Usher, who began his speech by saying: Getting here has definitely not been easy, but it has been worth it. This life achievement award, I don’t know man. Is it too early for me to receive it? Because I’m still running and gunning and still love this s—t like I was eight years old.”
Kendrick Lamar took home the award for Best Male Hip-Hop Artist, beating out Drake as his “Not Like Us” song served as the opening of the show as Henson rapped an interpretation dressed as the Compton artist was on his “Pop Out” concert. Nicki Minaj secured the award for Best Female Hip-Hop Artist, and Killah Mike got the major award of the night by winning Album of The Year for his recent release, Michael. The Atlanta rapper stirred the crowd with his acceptance speech.
[embedded content]
The rest of the evening also featured energizing performances from Megan Thee Stallion, who appeared at the BET Awards for the first time in three years while Victoria Monét thrilled the crowd with her set featuring her hit “On My Mama” and her new single “Alright”. The new wave of women rappers also took the stage, with GloRilla descending from the roof in a parachute to kick her set off. Sexxy Red also performed a medley of her hits, while Ice Spice gave the audience a preview of her upcoming Y2K album with a quick set.
HipHopWired Featured Video
Source: Theo Wargo / Getty
There is a thin line between competition and conflict and in the ever-evolving landscape of Rap and Hip-Hop, all it takes is a few words or actions to tilt the scale towards beef.
At their best, the beefs gave us quotables and songs that have become a part of our cultural catalogue from KRS-One’s iconic lines on “The Bridge is Over” or Jay-Z’s jab at Nas’ iconic song “The World is Mine” on “Takeover.” At their worst, the beefs led to violent interactions that served as warnings for the future (rest in powerful peace Tupac Shakur, Christopher Wallace and too many more).
Whether you rooted for the underdog or cheered for the villain, here is a list of nine Hip-Hop beefs that altered the way we listened to the culture’s music to this day.
9. Kool Moe Dee and LL Cool J
Considered by many as one of the first instances of rap beef, the two’s feud not only produced some of the biggest rap moments (Kool Moe Dee’s rap Grammy performance and LL’s Jack the Ripper series), but also set a precedent of using rap disses to enlarge both stars’ brand. For LL, he’d become one of rap’s earliest commercial successes, leading the line of success and respect into the 90s and beyond. His rise also foreshadowed a theme with the pioneer’s anger with younger MC’s who felt slighted by the next generation’s hubris.
[embedded content]
[embedded content]
8. Lil’ Kim and Foxy Brown
Kim’s ascent into rap in 1996 alongside the Notorious B.I.G. and Junior Mafia brought a new aesthetic for female rappers as she embraced a more sexual and aggressive energy. Unfortunately, competition between her and fellow Brooklyn rapper Foxy Brown became inevitable as the two traded words over the years on various songs including Kim’s verse on Lil Cease’s 1999 song, “Play Around,” “The Notorious Kim”, and Mobb Deep’s “Quiet Storm Remix”. Foxy’s venomous verse on “Bang Bang” proved prophetic, and the violence and residual tension that followed over the years make it one of rap’s most memorable beefs.
[embedded content]
[embedded content]
7. Gucci Mane and Young Jeezy
For these two southern MC’s who have since gone on to rectify their differences, their dispute over Gucci’s first commercial record, “So Icy,” ushered in a flurry of diss records back and forth that escalated to alleged violence off the records. Unfortunately, their antics and the energy behind it ushered in a new dimension of dissing enemies, encapsulated by Gucci’s gesture of smoking on the remains of an enemy, a move he’s since condemned.
[embedded content]
[embedded content]
6. LL Cool J and Canibus
For Canibus, the rising phenom in rap at the time, being featured on a song with someone as accomplished as LL Cool J was an honor. His initial verse on the posse cut, “4,3,2,1,” however innocent, prompted LL’s furious response, and the records that followed only made LL’s battle rap status grow larger. Canibus’ “Second Round KO” and L’s “The Ripper Strikes Back” also introduced whether fans preferred battle records from overtly lyrical rappers or more commercially renowned artists.
[embedded content]
[embedded content]
5. 2Pac and The Notorious B.I.G.
Largely remembered for the shocking claims made by 2Pac against Biggie on the song “Hit Em Up”, the primarily one-sided beef spurred a slew of responses from Biggie and others, both directly and subliminally which fueled the environment that led to their untimely deaths. The behind-the-scenes antics between Bad Boy Records and Death Row only exacerbated the tension and forced former friends to cross all types of lines that rap had yet to see before then.
[embedded content]
[embedded content]
4. Jay-Z and Nas
After years of tension and perceived disrespect, Jay-Z and Nas’ early 2000s beef produced two of rap’s biggest diss records, “Takeover” and “Ether,” and simultaneously added to both stars’ classic repertoire of albums and songs. Despite the propensity for violence that existed, both men’s decisions to end their issue and work together represented a rare display of maturity, unlike anything we’d seen at that time for stars of their magnitude.
[embedded content]
[embedded content]
3. Ja Rule and 50 Cent
Arguably one of the most influential rap beefs of the early 2000s, 50 Cent’s and Ja’s behind-the-scenes issues spilt onto the national stage when 50 attacked Ja multiple times on his debut album, Get Rich or Die Tryin’. 50’s unrelenting vendetta against Ja and Murder Inc. successfully made him a legend in many eyes and all but erased the stellar run of one of rap’s most influential and successful rap labels. Despite both artists moving on to different endeavours, the beef between them remains one of rap’s most noticeable land mines, going off at least once a year on social media without fail.
[embedded content]
[embedded content]
2. Ice Cube and N.W.A
In the eyes of many rap fans including Cube himself, his 1991 diss response “No Vaseline” is arguably the most known and well-crafted. Before rap fans became accustomed to the idea of a 20 v 1 type battle, Cube took it upon himself to diss his former group N.W.A singlehandedly, so much so that they decided not to respond. At the top of his game both critically and commercially, his diss carried the same weight as Jay-Z and Nas with a level of sophistication and execution that has yet to be reached by a diss record since.
[embedded content]
[embedded content]
1. Kendrick Lamar and Drake
Much like how Jay-Z and Nas’ beef festered over the years before exploding onto the scene, Kendrick and Drake’s feud following his verse on Big Sean’s “Control” grew, culminating in years of subliminal jabs. Kendrick’s feature on the Future and Metro Boomin’ single, “Like That” forced both sides into the competition and from there, we got more rap disses in a week than we’d ever seen from two competitors. The speed of their releases, rollout strategies and cleverness upped the ante for rap feuds that typically played out over time and showed us the lyrical brilliance of both camps regardless of who you felt was the victor.
Culturally, the response to Kendrick’s song, “Not Like Us” both online and during Kendrick’s Juneteenth concert, continues the communal call-and-response aspect of rap disses that we’ve loved since its inception. In a short amount of time Not Like Us has become a rap anthem and one of the year’s most streamed songs, much like Drake’s Back to Back became a Grammy-nominated song.
[embedded content]
[embedded content]
HipHopWired Featured Video
Source: Amazon Music / Amazon Music
When Biggie Smalls asked, “What’s Beef?” he posed the question at the height of the East Coast/West Coast rap rivalry, which would ultimately result in the death of the Brooklyn MC—as well as Tupac Shakur.
But, does beef always have to end in death? Most Hip-Hop fans would hope not. The very nature of the culture is competitive, and rivalries can be thrilling and entertaining when they stay on wax.
The recent rivalry between Kendrick Lamar and Drake has been one of those quarrels that has reenergized the culture and entertained Hip-Hop fans in a way not seen in years.
SlotsUp online casino and Media Lab Insights recently prepared and shared statistics that detail the legacy of rap beef—by breaking the statistics and songs into eras which are marked by a major event.
“These timelines were used to better understand the development of conflicts, success, and the demand for performance in the hip-hop industry,” the report notes. “Their comparison is focused on three main points: the technical aspect (the average tempo of the tracks (which can be calculated by the amount of bars, and the length), the profitability (the amount of platinum albums), and the risks involved (death rate).”
Researchers at SlotsUp commented on the study. “Until our current era, the more beef was around, the more successful the artists were. Our current era is going against this pattern, with the same amount of deaths and diss tracks as the first era, but with more platinum albums. Over the years, Hip-Hop became less technically demanding, especially after 2004. This study shows that conflicts aren’t always profitable, and violence can be avoided.”
The first era was marked by what the researchers called “The Roxanne Wars” in the mid-1980s. Two of the most significant songs were “Roxanne, Roxanne” and “Roxanne’s Revenge.” However, cultural commentators say that there were up to 30 songs related to the beef. The only major death to come out of that era was Scott La Rock—whose murder has not been directly attributed to the beef. The clear winner of this battle was Roxanne Shante, who went on to a lengthy career and is credited as one of the foundational female MC’s.
[embedded content]
The second era was one of the most deadly. Lasting from 1992 to 1997, the beef sparked the true rise of the diss track. The research shows that diss tracks and deaths more than doubled while platinum albums skyrocketed to 35. The era saw 10 deaths, with three being the most prominent—Eazy E, 2Pac, and The Notorious B.I.G. The winner of this era could be seen as the recently disgraced Sean “Diddy” Combs as his Bad Boy imprint saw some of its biggest success following the death of B.I.G. This era also marked Hip-Hop’s biggest foray into the pop genre with an increase in record sales that would last for more than a decade—before the proliferation of streaming.
The third era, lasting from 1998-2004, featured the beef between Jay-Z and Nas. This era was also the most financially successful with more than 50 platinum albums. “Eminem was significant in this era,” as the study shows that the Detroit rapper released nine diss tracks. The winner of this era continues to be debated. However, the culture benefited from the end of the beef with Jay and Nas making several concert appearances together.
Source: Bethany Mollenkof / Getty
The fourth era: 2005-2008, is one largely of peace—kicked off by the end of the beef between Jay-Z and Nas—two New York rap titans. Also worth noting is the average length of rap songs would begin to get shorter with many getting under the 4-minute mark. The fifth era from 2009-2012, was marked by the release of Kendrick Lamar’s Good Kid, M.A.A.D City. It would be the second era that Eminem would be involved in numerous beefs including with Benzino and Mariah Carey. It was during this era that beef would escalate in southern states with one significant death being that of Slim Dunkin.
[embedded content]
Era number six was from 2013 to 2019. The most significant beef was between Drake and Meek Mill. However, the two would eventually collaborate (again, since they were cool prior to Meek’s Twitter fingers) on “Going Bad.” This era is also marked by continued financial success with more than 40 platinum albums. The murder of Nipsey Hussle would mark the end of this era.
Our current era began with the coronavirus pandemic, which affected the entire world but also highlighted the significance of “beef,” with the good-natured but often tense musical battles as part of the Verzuz series. But without question, Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us,” is thus far the most powerful diss song of the era—but whether or not it’s over is still up for debate, and Drake. Fortunately, K. Dot did his victory lap by bringing gang members together on one stage as a show of unity at the conclusion of his pop out concert on Juneteenth.
Early in May, the New York house music stalwarts at Nervous Records were enjoying two hits in the top 10 on the Beatport chart: A zippy, heavily syncopated reimagining of Kendrick Lamar‘s “Bitch Don’t Kill My Vibe” by Liquid Rose and Trace (UZ), and a thunking version of Diddy and Keyshia Cole’s “Last Night” by Loofy.
In both cases, the older track was outfitted with a fresh vocal and re-tooled for dancefloors, swooping at just under 130 beats per minute. “There’s something special about being able to know all the lyrics and sing along to a brand new song — even though it’s not a brand new song,” says Rida Naser, associate director of music programming for SiriusXM’s BPM and The Pulse.
Many producers have taken note. Ghostbusterz tackled the Doobie Brothers’ “Long Train Running,” while Armonica, Zamna Soundsystem, and ROZYO took on the dance version of Lana Del Rey’s “Summertime Sadness;” both hit the Beatport Top 100. (Beatport, a popular site for DJs and electronic music enthusiasts, ranks songs according to the number of downloads.) Mr. Belt & Wezol’s re-do of Whitney Houston‘s resilient late-’90s classic “It’s Not Right But It’s OK” recently surpassed 65 million streams on Spotify.
Trending on Billboard
“We’ve been doing loads of these since 2018,” says Kevin McKay, a DJ, producer, and founder of the label Glasgow Underground. “A lot of artists were shying away from it because they felt it was uncool, or that they would be looked down on for it. Now almost all the labels are doing them.” For a time, Joe Wiseman, head of Insomniac Music Group, “was getting sent so many dance covers” that he considered issuing a moratorium on signing them.
[embedded content]
Dance music has a long history of referencing the past, often through club-ready remixes and prominent samples. But while most aspiring rockers cut their teeth in a cover band, “in dance music, that part gets skipped,” McKay says, “and people go straight to writing originals.”
Still, as anyone who’s ever attended a wedding knows, many people need to be coaxed onto the dance floor — often by hearing songs they already recognize. Plenty of club-goers need the same enticement.
Dance covers “evoke a sense of nostalgia, reminding [listeners] of the original hits and the memories associated with them,” says Wez Saunders, managing director of the label Defected Records. And those “reworks often serve as a gateway, drawing attention to the genre and leading listeners to discover new music.”
George Hess, a veteran dance radio promoter, believes the lack of shared experiences during the pandemic — when “new memories were difficult to create since people basically weren’t together enjoying each other’s company” — further heightened listeners’ desire for familiarity.
Around this time, mainstream pop saw a spike in “I know that one!” samples and in-your-face interpolations, offering some potential support for Hess’ theory. And two of the biggest singles to come out of the commercial dance world recently, ACRAZE’s “Do It To It” and David Guetta and Bebe Rexha’s “I’m Good (Blue),” borrowed liberally from old hits by Cherish and Eiffel 65, respectively.
[embedded content]
In a world where anyone with a computer can cobble together a dance track, it’s also possible that producers are increasingly incentivized to make covers as a way to lasso listeners overwhelmed with similar-sounding releases. In 2023, Luminate reported that more than 120,000 tracks hit streaming services daily. The flow of new tunes is more controlled at Beatport; still, between 20,000 and 25,000 fresh tracks hit the platform per week.
Nervous Records works with Louie Vega, “who always uses live musicians” to inject different tones and textures into his tracks, says label co-founder Mike Weiss. “With fewer producers doing that, a lot of them are all using the same plugins,” and covers offer a way to stand out.
McKay believes the covers trend may be more about channeling the knock-out top lines and gleaming hooks of the originals: “We have a dearth of songwriting talent, so when you’re on the dance floor, you get this amazing song from the past and it just blows away a lot of the current content.” Glasgow Underground has done well on the Beatport chart with covers of The S.O.S. Band, Kylie Minogue, ABBA and more.
In addition, the complex dynamics of the music business ensure that sampling or interpolating a song is an arduous process, potentially making covers a more attractive proposition. To clear a sample, a producer needs to obtain permission from the owner(s) of both the original composition and the recording. “Independent artists without representation might struggle to even get a response to their request,” explains Tim Kappel, an entertainment attorney and founder of the firm Wells Kappel. Their request might also be denied, he continues, or be granted only if the artist agrees to pay hefty up-front fees for using the material.
In contrast, artists can typically cover songs in the U.S. without the explicit approval of the original songwriters, under the somewhat vague condition that their “arrangement shall not change the basic melody or fundamental character of the work.” The original writers receive all the songwriting royalties from the resulting cover. “For a dance artist that just wants to consistently release music, the obstacles to clear samples and interpolations might outweigh the desire for the artist to have publishing on the underlying composition” and drive them to produce more covers, says Jodie Shihadeh, founder of Shihadeh Law.
[embedded content]
While dance music remakes have increased, they are not an automatic home run. In Wiseman’s view, the most obvious source material is “never the best” — he’s not looking for a house remake of Britney Spear’s “Toxic,” for example. “You want to get that feeling where someone’s like, ‘I know I heard that song years ago, and I loved it back then, but I don’t quite remember it,’” he continues.
And several label executives also emphasized that covers are just one tool they use to hook audiences. “As a label who’s been around for 33 plus years, [covers] can’t be our sole focus,” says Andrew Salsano, vp of Nervous Records.
Nervous Records is hopeful that one more reimagined classic can light up dancefloors this summer: On July 19th, the label will put out a new version of Cher‘s “Believe” from Super Flu. While the original thrums like an overheated racecar engine, the Super Flu release builds slowly, replacing Cher’s Auto-Tune flourishes with a conversational delivery, trading in triumph for something more ambivalent.
DJs are already testing the Super Flu single in their sets. “I’ve been in clubs when it’s been played,” Weiss says. The dancers’ response?
“Very emotional.”
HipHopWired Featured Video
CLOSE
Kendrick Lamar rocked what many call the best hip-hop concert of the year, and the good vibes kept flowing while filming the “Not Like Us” video in his hometown of Compton this weekend. Via social media, many were able to witness some behind-the-scenes footage featuring Kendrick Lamar in Hub City basking in the glow that carried over from The Pop Out concert.
The momentum that Kendrick Lamar managed to create on the heels of engaging in a war of words with Drake culminated in his hitting the top of the charts with “Not Like Us,” a fiery diss track produced by Mustard and has been fodder for memes, reels, and more.
At last week’s The Pop Out concert in Inglewood, Calif. on Juneteenth, K-Dot brought together several West Coast acts, including his former Top Dawg Entertainment labelmates in ScHoolboy Q, Ab-Soul, and Jay Rock, proving there was no love lost between them.
Further, other mainstays of the greater Los Angeles region were present at the Kia Forum in YG, DJ Hed, Tommy The Clown, Roddy Ricch, Ty Dolla $ign, and more. There were also images of Dot speaking with his former label boss, Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith, and TDE’s president Punch.
It was rumored that a video for “Not Like Us” would be shot in Compton over the weekend and now we’ve gotten plenty of footage and reactions online to suggest that all has been confirmed on X, formerly Twitter. The film crew took shots of famous Compton locations such as Tam’s Burgers along with other prime spots.
We’ve got reactions listed below.
—
Photo: Getty
HipHopWired Featured Video
Kendrick Lamar, currently Hip-Hop’s king of the cultural mountain, is having one incredible week after his widely celebrated Juneteenth concert in Inglewood which capped the official crowning of him being the people’s champ. This weekend, Kendrick Lamar is reportedly filming a video and it appears that while the beef with Drake is supposedly finished, security measures have been improved just in case.
TMZ got the inside scoop that Kendrick Lamar’s team is beefing up security for a weekend video shoot for what many online presume to be for K-Dot’s blistering “Not Like Us” track. The outlet learned via inside sources that the video is being filmed in Kendrick Lamar’s hometown of Compton and that all proper permits and the like were filed.
More from TMZ:
For security reasons, our sources won’t say how many deputies have been tapped for the gig — which is set to take place all over Compton. However, we have been told that Kendrick’s production company is paying around $120 an hour to have them on hand.
While law enforcement sources tell us the police are aware of Kendrick’s recent beef with nemesis Drake, we’re told no known threats have surfaced at this time.
As it stands, it just looks like a sensible choice considering Drake, who may have moved on, might have overzealous fans hoping to prove themselves.
Further, the beef between Drizzy and Kendrick Lamar took some dark turns so feelings might be sore on both sides in all fairness. That said, it looks like the West Coast is too deep to be concerned with such matters.
—
Photo: Getty
HipHopWired Featured Video
CLOSE
Kendrick Lamar, already victorious in his war of words with Drake, celebrated the win on Juneteenth in epic fashion via his The Pop Out: Ken & Friends concert at the Kia Forum. With K-Dot reconnecting with his former TDE labelmates and mentor Dr. Dre among others, the West Coast displayed a unified front of a scope not seen within Hip-Hop in quite a while.
As the second of livestreamed shows via Amazon Prime Video and Twitch for Kendrick Lamar, the first being 2022’s The Big Steppers Tour, The Pop Out: Ken & Friends thrilled a sold-out crowd in Inglewood with a barrage of West Coast bravado as fans had little insight as to who would appear onstage next.
One of the highlights was seeing Kung Fu Kenny next to his Top Dawg Entertainment brethren, especially the four-headed monster known as Black Hippy, comprised of Lamar, Ab-Soul, ScHoolboy Q, and Jay Rock.
Also taking to the stage was West Coast dance legend Tommy The Clown and DJ Mustard, the producer of Hip-Hop’s song of the summer in “Not Like Us” also provided a set playing some of his hit tracks. DJ Hed also put on for the coast by bringing to the stage a number of established and rising acts who all took control of the moment and cemented themselves in the annals of Hip-Hop history.
Below, we’ve listed all of the acts that appeared onstage with Kendrick Lamar at The Pop Out: Ken & Friends in alphabetical order.
Note: Please inform us if we’ve missed anyone via our socials or in the comments section.
—
Photo: Getty
1. 310babii
2. Ab-Soul
3. AzChike
4. Bino Rideaux
6. BlueBucksClan
9. Dom Kennedy
10. Dr. Dre
11. G Perico
12. JasonMartin
13. Jay Rock
14. Jay Worthy
15. Kalan.FrFr
16. Meet The Whoops (Jay Worthy, Slumlord Trill, Hopout, Hitta J3, YS)
17. Mustard
18. OHGEESY
19. Ray Vaughn
20. Remble
21. RJMrLA
22. Roddy Ricch
24. ScHoolboy Q
25. Steve Lacy
26. Tommy The Clown
27. Ty Dolla $ign
28. Tyler, The Creator
29. Wallie The Sensei
30. Westside Boogie
32. Zoe Osama
HipHopWired Featured Video
CLOSE
The Game has been one of the more vocal champions of West Coast Hip-Hop but fans couldn’t help but notice he was noticeably absent at Kendrick Lamar‘s concert on Juneteenth. Fans on X are saying that The Game was frozen out of the West Coast show due to his affiliation with K-Dot’s chief rival, Drake.
In the wake of The Pop Out: Ken & Friends Concert, which featured Kendrick Lamar and a large host of his famous pals, the absence of The Game alongside a variety of West Coast acts stood out as a curious moment. While it doesn’t appear that the former Aftermath is bothered by being excluded from the show, fans on X are speculating that the artist born Jayceon Taylor was left off the bill due to his alignment with Drake.
Back in April, Game posted a video of him listening to Drizzy’s “Energy” track which some took to mean he was on the side of the so-called 6 God. In the now-deleted post, fans blasted Game for seemingly going against his fellow Compton native in Lamar although the rapper never publicly chose a side.
Still, the optics of it all have fans believing this is why Game, a capable rapper despite what some might say, was not part of the epic cameo performances that included the likes of YG, TDE mainstays Ab-Soul, Jay Rock, and ScHoolby Q, and others.
On X, the jokes are flying about The Game now appearing on the bill and we’ve got the best we could find below.
—
Photo: Getty
HipHopWired Featured Video
CLOSE
Source: Amazon Music / Amazon Music
Kendrick Lamar gave fans everything they wished for, and more. The Compton rapper’s Pop Out show went down on Juneteenth at The Forum in Inglewood, but was streamed worldwide via Amazon Prime, bringing the Los Angeles vibes, and Drake slander, to the globe.
Billed as The Pop Out: Ken & Friends Concert, the star-studded cameos did not disappoint. Tyler, The Creator, YG and even the good Dr. Dre were just several of his high-profile guests. And really, you knew you were in for a time when Kendrick started his set by performing “Euphoria,” which the crowd seemed to know word for word.
K. Dot hit fan favorites like “King Kunta” and “Be Alright,” but the guest artists that really got the crowd going were from his hometeam Black Hippy contingent that includes Jay Rock, who performed “Money Trees,” Ab-Soul and ScHoolboy Q, who performed “Collard Greens.”
But the best was saved for last, with Kendrick Lamar asking Dr. Dre (who performed “California Love”) to do him one last favor before he left the stage, and that was to kick off the DJ Mustard-produced, Drake diss track “Not Like Us.”
K-Dot proceeded to run back the song a smooth fives times (six if you count it playing when he finally left the stage_, with the crowd, and surely the home audience, too, rapping along bar for bar. As expected, the “A-mnor” line was a crowd favorite, with Kendrick simply letting the venue hold the moment the first time, and mimic Neo’s fame bullet-time motion from The Matrix the second time.
However, the truly epic moment was Kendrick inviting various rappers who repped different sets of Crips and Bloods, as well as NBA stars Russell Westbrook and DeMar DeRozan, onto the stage, “This sh*t making me emotional. we been f*cked up since Nipsey died,” said Kendrick. “We been f*cked up since Kobe died.”
If you know anything about LA gang culture, you know Kendrick pulling that off and keeping everything peace was major. The moment was captured in an epic photo and encapsulates the influence Kendrick Lamar has on culture.
Check out the reactions to Kendrick Lamar’s Pop Up show, that kept trending for hours after it conclusion, in the gallery.
All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes.
Fans from all around the globe will be able to tune in to Kendrick Lamar’s The Pop Out – Ken & Friends concert slated for Wednesday (June 19).
The concert, presented by pgLang and Free Lunch, will stream live from the Kia Forum in Inglewood, Calif. on Prime Video and the Amazon Music‘s Twitch Channel starting at 4 p.m. PT/ 7 p.m. ET.
Read on for details on how to stream free on Prime Video.
How to Watch Kendrick Lamar’s Concert on Prime Video
Prime Video subscribers can stream The Pop Out – Ken & Friends for free. If you’re not subscribed, click below to launch your 30-day free trial to Amazon Prime to watch the concert on Wednesday.
Trending on Billboard
‘The Pop Out: Ken & Friends’: Stream Free on June 19 at 4 p.m. PT/7 p.m . ET
With a Prime membership, you’ll get access to Prime Video, Amazon Music, Prime Gaming, Prime Reading and other exclusive perks including free shipping.
You can join Amazon Prime for free for the first month and enjoy Prime Video, along with other membership benefits. Prime is $14.99/month but students can get a six-month trial and 50% off after the free trial ends. Amazon also offers 50% off for SNAP/Medicaid recipients.
Besides live concerts, Prime Video carries a range of exclusive TV series and movies such as The Boys, Fallout, Mr. & Mrs. Smith, Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Swarm, Harlem, Invincible, Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, Fleabag, The Summer I Turned Pretty, The Wheel of Time, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, The Legend of Vox Machina, The Goat, Them 2 and Reacher.
Those who want to watch internationally, can access different streamers with a VPN such as ExpressVPN or NordVPN.
Lamar’s concert livestream coincides with Amazon’s Black Music Month celebration “honoring the contributions of Black artists, producers, and songwriters who have defined culture.” In honor of Black Music Month, Amazon launched the “Forever Influence” campaign featuring Amazon Music Originals and exclusive video content.
K-Dot previously teamed with Amazon for Kendrick Lamar Live: The Big Steppers Tour live from Paris in 2022.