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Black America Web
9 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Black America Web
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, 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
Yahoo
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Granderson: Where's the music that meets this moment? Black artists are stepping up
It's been one year since Kendrick Lamar took the Kia Forum stage in Inglewood for 'The Pop Out: Ken and Friends,' the first in a series of highly publicized victory laps that have come at the expense of his deflated rival, Drake. Their rap battle began more than a decade ago, and the two heavyweights exchanged subtle lyrical jabs until the gloves came off in the winter of 2023. By the following spring, they were exchanging a flurry of scathing diss tracks, each diving deeper into the other's personal life. The fight was competitive until K-Dot landed the haymaker. It wasn't the chart performance of 'Not Like Us' that declared Lamar the winner. No recording artist has more Billboard Hot 100 entries than Drake. In fact, he has more appearances on the chart than Michael Jackson, Elvis and the Beatles combined. When it comes to talent and commercial success, Drake is unquestionably among the greats. The reason Lamar was able to knock him out was because Drake's authenticity couldn't take a punch. That's not just my score card. That's what the culture was feeling. Lamar performed 'Not Like Us' five times during that Juneteenth show last year and dropped the accompanying music video on the Fourth of July. By the time Vice President Kamala Harris was playing it at her first rally as the presumptive Democratic nominee in Atlanta, every sporting event in America was playing that song. Yes, the 'A-minor' double entendre was catchy, and it is always good to have Mustard on the beat. But what elevates 'Us' is the same thing that grounds the artist who wrote it — an unapologetic defense of the culture and the people from which the art originates. As the saying goes: 'Everybody wants to sing our blues. Nobody wants to live our blues.' For Lamar, the decadelong rap battle stems from his lifelong disdain for gangster cosplay and the vacuous monetizing of Black culture. As the diss tracks between the two progressed, it was clear Drake was still trying to win a rap battle — while Lamar was inspiring a conversation beyond their beef, rap music and even the entertainment industry. At the heart of Lamar's surgical evisceration of Drake's brand of artistry is a question all creatives must ask of themselves at some point: What am I doing this for? * * * Few inflection moments in American history have shaped our society quite like the convergence of war, technological advancement, old-fashioned prejudice and artistic expression during the summer of 1969. From the Apollo moon landing and Woodstock to the Stonewall riots and the Harlem Cultural Festival, there wasn't a disciple or demographic that was not directly affected over that stretch. It was during the summer of 1969 when the great Nina Simone gave a concert on the campus of Morehouse College in Atlanta after the school's most famous alumnus — the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. — had been assassinated the year before. Simone joined other artists there to offer the students encouragement. That summer she also debuted the song 'To Be Young, Gifted and Black' and performed it during the Harlem Cultural Festival. Her contemporaries Donny Hathaway and Aretha Franklin soon recorded their own versions of the song — not because of its chart success, but because of its purpose. 'An artist's duty, as far as I'm concerned, is to reflect the times,' Simone said after her Morehouse performance. 'How can you be an artist and not reflect the times? That to me is the definition of an artist.' Indeed, after Bob Dylan asked 'how many years can some people exist before they're allowed to be free?' in his 1962 protest song, 'Blowin' in the Wind,' Sam Cooke was inspired to declare 'it's been a long time coming, but I know change is gonna come' in 1963. The 16th Street Baptist Church bombing in Birmingham pushed Simone to write her first protest song in 1964: 'Mississippi Goddam.' By the summer of 1969, she was known as much for her work in the civil rights movement as for her music. Simone still wrote songs about love, heartache, those sorts of things. However, the reason her legacy still looms large today (the Irish singer Hozier named his third EP after her in 2018) is that Simone was also willing to use her art to reflect the times. Not sure if you've looked around the country recently, but the times we live in are a-changing. And just as was the case in the summer of 1969, the summer of 2025 finds the U.S. at a convergence of war (Ukraine-Russia/Israel-Gaza-Iran) and technological advancement (especially artificial intelligence) and old-fashioned prejudice (indiscriminate ICE raids). However, in this updated version of America, the White House has taken over the Kennedy Center, has cut off National Endowment for the Arts grants, has threatened the broadcast licenses of news networks and is holding a guillotine over Big Bird's head. Because of President Trump's unprecedented hostility toward long-standing cultural and academic institutions, there is a question of how far tech and media executives will allow today's artists to reflect the times we're living in. 'I think it's hard today to get a feel for the totality of what people are feeling because there's so much out there to consume,' documentarian and author Nelson George told me. 'The Chuck D who's 25, right now, I don't hear him. The Tracy Chapman of this era. Do we really not have voices that are saying something or are we not getting access to those people? All those songs from other moments in history, I'm surprised there hasn't been an anthem for this time yet.' Comedian Roy Wood Jr. said he feels that in his line of work, 'resistance humor or educating humor' works best in television because 'TV is a reflection of who we are, where I feel like movies are what we wish we could be or were.' The host of CNN's 'Have I Got News for You' also said because of the political climate we're in, instead of challenging us to learn or grow as a culture, TV executives are 'canceling a lot of the shows that really focused on serious societal issues because there's a pushback against those types of topics.' Big Sean, whose 2013 project with Lamar is pegged as the starting point of the Drake beef, said there was significance to Lamar's 'pop out' appearing on Juneteenth, the federal holiday marking the end of slavery in the U.S. 'I feel like being Black is awesome.… We worked as a people to get there, to feel like that,' he told me. 'That's why I'm so thankful for the people that said I'm Black and I'm proud.' And that James Brown vibe is the type of art Big Sean said he is currently working on, the kind that uplifts and gives listeners hope. Lamar's Juneteenth show was livestreamed on Prime and became Amazon Music's most-watched production. For Ben Watkins, creator of the Prime TV series 'Cross,' the success of Lamar's performance — along with his Super Bowl show and current tour with SZA — is proof there is a hunger for authentic Black artistic expression in this current political environment. As he was putting together the TV show, Watkins said, he told everyone involved: 'I'm going to do a Black man with swagger, I'm going to show D.C. to its fullest and I'm going to honestly talk about some of the controversies and contradictions of a Black cop.' The reaction? 'That sounds great to us.' 'Cross' premiered the week after the 2024 election and for 100 days it was among Prime Video's top 10 most-watched series. Grammy winner Ledisi said she wasn't planning on writing a political anthem when she began composing 'BLKWMN' for her latest album. However, her tribute to the resolve of Black women was embraced as an anthem after its release in February. 'I wasn't thinking of any of that, just creating,' she told me. 'When you're truly creating … you just have an intention of releasing whatever that feeling is. I'm glad it resonated with the times.' Even before the song took off, Ledisi unexpectedly found herself in the middle of social media attacks for daring to sing the National Black Anthem at this year's Super Bowl. That's why when she sang a couple of lines from one of Lamar's anthems during a recent tour stop in Chicago, I couldn't help but feel it was more a word of encouragement for herself and the predominantly Black audience than it was a nod to a commercially successful track. That week Trump announced plans to resurrect names from the Confederacy on public land. Just hours before Ledisi took the stage, 'No Kings' protesters came marching by, followed closely by local police. Their chants echoed loudly throughout the North Loop, their passion forcing those shopping and dining near the river to take notice. The concrete walls and thick glass designed to rebuke Chicago's winter could not keep out the cries of the people. Later that night Ledisi, whose Nina Simone tribute album was nominated for a Grammy in 2021, looked up in the balcony, smiled — and visibly exhaled. 'We gon' be all right,' she sang to a full Chicago Theatre house. 'We gon' be all right.' * * * Few inflection moments in American history have shaped our society quite like the convergence of war, technological advancement and old-fashioned prejudice during the summer of 1865. The second round of the Industrial Revolution was on the horizon, the Confederacy was on its last legs, and the first Juneteenth celebration was born. However, while the Civil War was all over, racism managed to emerge from the wreckage unscathed. In fact, a Confederate journalist by the name of Edward A. Pollard began working on a revisionist history book that painted the South as noble and slavery as unimportant to their way of life. Pollard's piece of fake news, 'The Lost Cause: A New Southern History of the War of the Confederates,' was completed before President Andrew Johnson had even declared the war officially over. And to this day there are elected officials from former Confederate states who repeat untruths about the war that originated from Pollard, an enslaver. Today there are state holidays in honor of men who fought against this country because for some white people it still feels better to believe Pollard's lies about the Confederacy than to accept the truth about America. Historically this is where creatives have come in, using artistic expression to fill in the gaps in our understanding of one another. Sometimes the art is profitable. A few times it hits No. 1 on the New York Times Bestseller list or Billboard chart. More often than not, it is underappreciated. However, art that reflects an authentic lived experience is always necessary. It is both the spark that can ignite a fire and the coolant that prevents us all from overheating. Over the last century, each time it seems the world was falling apart — be it war, famine or disease — it was always the artists who kept us laughing, hoping and believing. A year ago, on Juneteenth, Kendrick Lamar took the Forum stage for what was initially viewed as a victory celebration. And it was … though he didn't do it for himself. KDot did it for 'Us.' @LZGranderson If it's in the news right now, the L.A. Times' Opinion section covers it. Sign up for our weekly opinion newsletter. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
News18
a day ago
- Entertainment
- News18
‘I Shouldn't Have Gone': Jagmeet Singh Apologises To Drake After Kendrick Concert
Last Updated: Jagmeet Singh publicly apologised to Drake for attending a Kendrick Lamar show in Toronto after Drake called him a 'goof.' The most intense dispute in modern rap history has erupted in recent years, leading to several legal lawsuits and a stunning uprising against their mutual record label. Drake is most likely not feeling too good after Kendrick Lamar received a lot of love from his hometown of Toronto during the Compton rapper's co-headlining performances there last week alongside SZA. He is, thus, venting his frustration on the New Democratic Party's former federal leader, Jagmeet Singh, who was spotted at one of Lamar's performances. The former federal NDP leader apologised late Sunday night only hours after Drake shared a screenshot of a private Instagram message to Singh in which the rapper labelled the politician a 'goof." Drake merely wrote, 'You're a goof," to the politician in his most recent message. Previous messages included a thank-you note for Drake's follow in 2019 and since-deleted stories Singh had previously posted about Drake. Images of Singh during the performance began to circulate online by Sunday night. Singh quickly apologised for the comments and explained on social media. Writing on his personal Instagram story, he said: 'I went for SZA, not Kendrick, I was born in this city, I love this city. But real talk, I get it. I shouldn't have gone at all. For me, it'll always be Drake over Kendrick." canadian politics are not real why are drake and jagmeet singh fighting — Liz ✿ | lime skittle (@ElizabethRenzie) June 16, 2025 Lamar led a show in Toronto last week alongside SZA, his first in Drake's city since their high-profile dispute began. These were the only Toronto shows in their Grand National Tour. It is not known which night Singh attended Lamar's show. The audience appeared to be quite receptive, pleading for Lamar to perform an encore of his popular diss song 'Not Like Us' as well as giving it a two-minute ovation. Drake singled out Singh and said nothing else about the performances or Toronto's affection for Lamar. The former coworkers-turned-foes have been embroiled in a highly visible conflict for more than ten years, beginning with Lamar's public taunts of Drake in 2013. The altercation became far more intense last year when both released diss tracks, including Lamar's Grammy-winning song 'Not Like Us.' Drake and fellow Toronto rapper Smiley released a new song on Friday while Lamar performed for the Toronto audiences. He notably maintains his moniker as 'the 6ix God," a reference to Toronto residents referring to the city as 'the 6ix" in the new song.
Black America Web
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Black America Web
Drake Gets Apology From 'Goof' Canadian Politician For Attending Kendrick Lamar Concert: 'I Went For SZA'
Drake's seemingly never-ending beef with Kendrick Lamar may have paused on wax, but it's seen new sparks in the last week. Lamar's Grand National Tour had two stops in Toronto's Rogers Centre recently, and many wondered if Drake's hometown would embrace the Compton MC, and they did… overwhelmingly. During Thursday night's show, some fans even begged for an encore, screaming 'one more time' after Kendrick performed 'Not Like Us.' Social media erupted as fans reacted to the lack of turf loyalty to Drizzy, with concertgoers dancing to the songs that dissed the 6 God. Among the people in the crowd was Jagmeet Singh, a Canadian politician who served as the leader of Canada's New Democratic Party (NDP) from 2017 until 2025. Drake was lurking and spotted a photo of Singh in the crowd, and it must have made him feel slighted that Singh was enjoying the show. So, using his typical trolling tactic on social media, he hopped into his DMs, messaging him, 'you're a goof,' and then posted a screenshot of it to his Instagram Stories. Singh got wind that one of his country's biggest celebrities was criticizing him for hanging out with the opposition and released a statement apologizing, claiming he was only really in attendance to see SZA while championing all things Canada. 'I went for SZA, not Kendrick. I was born in this city. I love this city. But real talk, I get it,' he wrote. 'I shouldn't have gone at all. OVO and Drake have lifted up this city and D.' He ends the message by picking sides, writing, 'For me it'll always be Drake over Kendrick.' The beef has quieted down once again now that Lamar has left Canada as he readies up for the overseas leg of his tour. Drake has also embraced the spat on his own tour, wearing a hoodie with bullet holes in its back as smoke flows out during the Anita Max Win Tour . However, he hasn't performed in Lamar's home state of California since, and his upcoming Some Special Shows 4 U shows with PARTYNEXTDOOR are only scheduled to take place in Europe. See social media's reaction to Drake's disagreement with a politician below. Drake Gets Apology From 'Goof' Canadian Politician For Attending Kendrick Lamar Concert: 'I Went For SZA' was originally published on Black America Web Featured Video CLOSE
The South African
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- The South African
Kendrick Lamar performs ‘Not Like Us' in Toronto, crowd responds
Kendrick Lamar has been on his Grand National Tour with SZA. His most recent stop was in Toronto, Canada. The overly publicised feud between Kendrick and Drake reached a fever pitch when Lamar took to the stage at the Rogers Centre and let loose with a selection of his records aimed at Drake. These included Like That by Future which Lamar features on. That particular record sparked the exchange between two of the best rappers out. Lamar also did Euphoria and the monster hit, Not Like Us. He performed for two nights in Toronto, which is also known as The 6. Pundits debated whether he would be able to perform in his rival's hometown, but not only did he do that, but he played to a sold-out audience. Lamar left the crowd wanting more, right after he performed Not Like Us. This record is considered to have sealed Lamar's victory in the battle. That song houses lyrics that frame Drake in a dim light, inferring that he is a deviant. Drake is still at legal loggerheads with Universal Music Group (UMG) over their promotion of that track. The lawsuit filed in January of this year, alleges that UMG defamed Drake by amplifying Not Like Us, which includes accusations against him and his associates. UMG has filed motions to have this ongoing matter dismissed. Regardless, Lamar basked in the moment at centre stage as the chant of 'one more time' rang around the arena after he played the controversial global hit. The Compton native did not oblige and instead moved on with his set. Everything Lamar did in the battle was very purposeful and calculated. This was no different with his visit to Canada. Lamar played at a venue that Drake has not even performed at yet, which must sting. Drake has of course played at some major venues in Canada but not at the Rogers Centre. Also having SZA on the GNX tour and performing in Canada could be a sore spot for Drake. At one stage he and SZA seemed to be friendly, and the R&B sensation has even appeared in a Drake music video for the song Rich Baby Daddy as well as an appearance in the lyrical visualiser for Slime You Out. Adding insult to further injury, Jagmeet Singh, the leader of Canada's NDP party, was spotted in the audience. Drake called him out on social media to which Singh responded and claimed to have only been at the show to see SZA and nobody else. Singh even posted an apology on his social media, stating that Drake and his OVO collective have done so much for Canada and that it was insensitive for him to have gone to this concert. The event went off without much incident as tensions were expected to be high. Some of Drake's most loyal fans did attempt a protest outside the venue, but to no avail, as the show went ahead as planned and uninterrupted. Drake has been working on a new solo album following the Valentine's Day release of his third joint or collaborative album, $ome $exy $ongs 4 U with Partynextdoor. It would be hard to conceive a reality where the Canadian superstar lets this moment go by unanswered but given that he is widely considered to have lost the lyrical skirmish with Lamar, it might be better to simply move on. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 11. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
