In Case You Forgot: Revisiting Kendrick Lamar & ‘The Pop Out' Concert One Year Later
Source: Timothy Norris / Getty
One year ago today, (June 19th) the world watched as Kendrick Lamar performed for the first time since his public feud with Drake. Continue reading to refresh your memory and see how everyone reacted to the epic night!
Unless you live under a rock, you know that last year the hip hop community was enthralled with the beef between rap giants Kendrick Lamar and Drake. The two Grammy Award-winners traded scathing shots back and forth for almost a month and left fans on both sides defending their goats. After much debate, public opinion crowned Kendrick the winner, especially after the release of the track 'Not Like Us.' The DJ Mustard produced song hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 upon its release and spent the better part of the last year occupying the chart. Once the beef died down a bit, fans began to wonder what would be next. A video? A remix? Both?
Instead, Kendrick, who just had celebrated his 37th birthday two days prior, blessed his fans with something much better, a one-off concert entitled The Pop Out – Ken and Friends in Los Angeles on Juneteenth. Unsurprisingly, almost as soon as tickets for The Pop Out released, they sold out. Naturally, the demand for tickets was so high that everyone wasn't able to purchase them. For all of those who weren't lucky enough to snatch up tickets to attend in person, the concert also live-streamed on Prime Video and the Amazon Music channel on Twitch. Even before fans stepped into The Forum, the atmosphere at The Pop Out , which was presented by pgLang and Free Lunch, was electric. It was a party outside as fans waited for doors to open. While people waited around, there were several merchandise stands, food and beverage stations and photo ops for them to hit up. On top of that, courtesy of HeadCount, there was a voter registration station, encouraging attendees to vote in November.
As entertained as fans might've been outside, it was nothing compared to the show they were blessed with once they stepped inside The Forum. The highly anticipated concert began with a set from Real 92.3 FM's DJ Hed. He brought out a multitude of established and up and coming West Coast artists including Remble, Westside Boogie, Kalan.Frfr, BlueBucksClan, CUZZOS, Bino Rideaux and many more. Legendary Compton, California dancer Tommy the Clown even stepped out to take fans down memory lane with a special performance alongside his TSquad dancers. Hed's set was a great introduction to some of the rising talent in California and a perfect warmup for what went on to be an absolute epic night.
The concert was titled The Pop Out, which was a play on one of the lyrics in 'Not Like Us.' What better way to continue the night than by having the producer of the smash hit grace the stage? That's right. DJ Mustard was next to electrify the crowd with an impeccable set. In addition to playing some of his own biggest hits, the Los Angeles native used his star power to bring out some of the superstar artists he's worked with throughout his illustrious career. Before Mustard exited the stage, West Coast staples Ty Dolla $ign, Dom Kennedy, YG and Roddy Ricch and more performed some of their massive slaps in front of a packed house. The roof of the building almost blew off when Tyler, The Creator surprised everyone and blazed the stage. In one of the most heartwarming moments of the night, Mustard paid tribute to the late legendary rapper Nipsey Hussle. He had fans in attendance raise their phones and turn their camera lights on while he played three of Nip's songs.
Even if the show ended after Mustard's set, it would've been considered classic. Luckily, the main event was still on deck. After a brief intermission, the man of the hour popped out from the bottom of the stage and started his show in a way that only he could. The first song in Kendrick's set was his six minute 24 second Drake diss track, 'Euphoria.' The crowd rapped the whole song word for word as Kendrick set the tone for what the rest of his performance would be like. After the exhilarating introduction, Cornrow Kenny performed a plethora of his classics including, 'DNA,' 'Element,' 'Alright,' 'Swimming Pools' and more. Nostalgia hit an all-time high when Kendrick brought out Jay Rock, Ab-Soul and Schoolboy Q to perform some of their biggest tracks together. The reunion was truly a special moment as it marked the first time Black Hippy had been seen together since Kendrick left TDE (Top Dawg Entertainment) in 2022. After Kendrick dipped into his catalog to perform some more of his timeless bangers and his controversial 'Like That' verse, he brought out one of his mentors and one of the West's most legendary musicians, Dr. Dre. To the delight of the crowd, Dre performed the undeniable classic tracks 'Still D.R.E' and 'California Love' with assistance from Kendrick.
As Dre was about to exit the stage, Kendrick questioned if he was going to say anything else before they continued the party. This prompted Dre to walk back, quiet the crowd and whisper 'I see dead people' into the mic. Every single person in the crowd and watching at home knew exactly what that meant. For the first time ever, Kendrick began performing the song of the summer. The crowd completely exploded as they screamed the lyrics to the song at the top of their lungs. The song's impact become more and more apparent as Kendrick performed it four more times. Each time the track restarted, it seemed as if the crowd got louder and louder. The most impactful thing that took place during the whole night happened before the fifth performance of the chart-topping diss track. Kendrick brought up all of the artists who had performed throughout the night (regardless of their gang affiliations) and got them to take a picture together on stage. 'Let them see this. We put this together with peace.' Kendrick said to the crowd. After the picture, it seemed as if the whole West Coast music scene was on the stage performing 'Not Like Us' in one of the most beautiful and important moments in recent hip hop history.
The Pop Out – Ken and Friends was a deserved victory lap for Kendrick and a much needed uniter for the West Coast and the city of Los Angeles in specific. Throughout the show and after, fans couldn't help but to chime in and give their opinions of the night, Kendrick, Drake and everything in between. One year later, check out some of the reactions to the biggest concert of last year!
In Case You Forgot: Revisiting Kendrick Lamar & 'The Pop Out' Concert One Year Later was originally published on globalgrind.com
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Watch: Priyanka Chopra Jonas calls daughter Malti 'a light of our lives'
June 20 (UPI) -- Priyanka Chopra Jonas says her daughter Malti is "a light of our lives." The actress, 42, discussed Malti, her 3-year-old daughter with her husband, singer Nick Jonas, when she stopped by The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon Thursday to discuss her new movie Heads of State. "She's precocious. She is funny. She's a little comedian and she knows she's funny, so that's even better," Chopra Jonas said. "But, yeah, she's just such a light of our lives right now. This is an amazing season for us." Malti was born in 2022 via surrogate. Chopra Jonas and Nick Jonas, 32, married in 2018. "It's lovely not to have found your person," Chopra Jonas previously said on the Jennifer Hudson Show. Chopra Jonas also shared on Tonight that she "had a great time" filming Heads of State opposite Idris Elba and John Cena. In the film, Elba plays British prime minister Sam Clarke, while Cena portrays Will Derringer, an actor and the U.S. president. Chopra stars as Noel Bisset, the M16 agent who rescues the pair after their plane is attacked. "I have to bring them to safety, and we have a lot of fun stuff -- explosions and fun things that happen while we're doing it," she told Fallon. Heads of State begins streaming on Prime Video July 2.
Newsweek
an hour ago
- Newsweek
Pitti Uomo: Fashion Expert Derek Guy on How Menswear Has Loosened Up
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. The ubiquity of slim-cut men's tailoring appears to be dwindling, as the styles showcased at June's Pitti Immagine Uomo 108 trade fair in Florence, Italy—and worn by the well-dressed denizens of fashion who flocked there—suggested. "The major change, and I think the one that's obvious, is that men's tailoring and clothing in general is loosening up again," fashion blogger Derek Guy—the internet's "menswear guy"—told Newsweek. "So, after 20 years of slim-fit silhouettes, things are starting to loosen up." Models attend The Hilfiger Social Club during Pitti Immagine Uomo 108 at Palazzo Portinari Salviati on June 17, 2025 in Larciano, Firenze, Italy. Models attend The Hilfiger Social Club during Pitti Immagine Uomo 108 at Palazzo Portinari Salviati on June 17, 2025 in Larciano, Firenze, Italy. Stefania M. D'Alessandro/Getty "If you go back 15 years ago, among the men who wore ready-to-wear suits, their tailoring was often very trim, keeping with the time," Guy continued. "And slouch shirt tailoring, extended shoulders, wider trousers, so and so forth." But just because these looser styles are in vogue, it's not a fashion requisite. The best way to express yourself through clothing, as Guy put it, is to focus on your personal aesthetic preferences and try to emulate that. "I think of clothing as social language. So, to me, just because the trend is shifting toward looser silhouettes doesn't necessarily mean you have to," Guy said. "Part of this is just about building your visual vocabulary and going through cultural history and understanding how people create certain looks—to understand how you can use that visual language today."
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Priyanka Chopra Jonas Reveals Her 3-Year-Old Daughter Malti's Special Nickname for the Jonas Brothers
Priyanka Chopra Jonas reveals the adorable name that her daughter has for the Jonas Brothers The Heads of State actress shared that her daughter Malti calls her dad's band the "Donut Brothers" Chopra Jonas and husband Nick Jonas welcomed their daughter in May 2022Priyanka Chopra Jonas is sharing the adorable name her daughter has coined for her dad Nick Jonas' boy band. Chopra Jonas appeared on the Thursday, June 19 episode of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon to promote her upcoming Prime Video film Heads of State. While there, the actress, 42, shared the adorable way her daughter Malti, 3, identifies her dad and uncles' (Kevin and Joe Jonas) band, the Jonas Brothers. "[Bruno Mars and Rosé's] 'APT' is her favorite song, by the way," she told host Jimmy Fallon, after admitting her daughter has diverse taste in music. When the late night host asked if she listens to any Jonas Brothers' songs, Chopra Jonas shared, "I mean she doesn't identify them, but she calls them the Donut Brothers." Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. The musician, 32, and the actress welcomed their first child together via surrogate on Jan. 15, 2022. During a 2023 interview with Elle, Chopra Jonas told the outlet that Malti has her "wrapped around her finger." "I don't even know how I'll ever discipline her because I just don't have it in me," she said. "I was so close to losing her so many times that she can get away with anything, and I just want to see her happy." In October 2023, Chopra Jonas spoke with PEOPLE about the "extremely overwhelming" reality of being a mom. "Every single day you worry about what you can do wrong and what mistake you might make," she shared. "I look at [my daughter's] smile, and I'm like, 'Okay, okay. I'm doing good so far.' It's the greatest thing I've ever done, but it's extremely scary." is now available in the Apple App Store! Download it now for the most binge-worthy celeb content, exclusive video clips, astrology updates and more! On Thursday, May 15, the Jonas member opened up about his daughter's "intense" toddler schedule on Live with Kelly and Mark. At the time, the singer revealed that Malti has taken an interest in karate, but there's one activity she vetoed. "She's in nursery school here in New York. She's got her little friend group, and it's wild. We also put her in a bunch of classes," he shared. "These toddler schedules are like way more intense than my schedule." "We tried soccer — did not like that," he said, jokingly apologizing to co-host Mark Consuelos. "But karate, she's really taken to karate. It's basically they get in their karate outfits and they just say, 'hi-ya,' and they just do that." "But she's loving that, and its amazing to just have that sort of stability and friendship and all those things that, I don't know, perhaps, I took for granted in the past," he concluded. Read the original article on People
