- Kendrick Lamar performed his first show since his beef with Drake on Wednesday.
- Lamar performed most of his diss tracks aimed at Drake, including "Not Like Us" five times.
Kendrick Lamar cemented his win in his rap beef with Drake at an LA show on Wednesday where he performed a diss track five times, surrounded by rap legends.
But the Juneteenth concert wasn't just a victory lap, with fans viewing it as an iconic moment in hip-hop history and an important attempt to unite the fractured West Coast.
The sold-out, one-off show, "The Pop Out: Ken & Friends" — which was streamed live on Amazon Prime Video and Twitch — was Lamar's hotly anticipated first performance since his beef with Drake unfolded earlier this year.
After the pair released a series of back-to-back diss tracks in April and May, Lamar was viewed as the winner after "Not Like Us" topped the Billboard Hot 100 charts for one week in May and has been in the top 10 ever since. Drake's response, "The Heart Part 6" wasn't enough to beat Lamar.
When both artists went quiet, fans were left wondering what would happen next.
Lamar didn't disappoint with "The Pop Out," where he performed four of his five Drake diss tracks, opening with "Euphoria." Later came his diss verses on "6:16" and "Like That," and he ended the night with "Not Like Us," featuring an intro from West Coast hip-hop legend Dr Dre, who joined him on stage.
Lamar then performed "Not Like Us" four more times alongside numerous West Coast rappers, athletes, dancers, and members from multiple Los Angeles gangs. At the end, they took a group photo together.
Fans said the concert was the equivalent of Lamar getting the West Coast to dance on Drake's grave, and proof that the hip-hop community supports him.
Kendrick doing this on the heels of killin Drake knowing the whole world would tune into him doing a victory lap on his grave, just to have the first hour be local rappers and Tommy the Clown and his next generation of dancers for 20 minutes is fucking hilarious and AMAZING
— Big Boss (@LordBalvin) June 20, 2024
Drake really pissed KDot off so bad he formed the Rap Coalition of Hate, they did a dance circle on his grave, and took a family photo like ✌ pic.twitter.com/elcJmQMok4
— Riana Manuel-Peña (@RianaTweetsNow) June 20, 2024
DEMAR DEROZAN
— Big Boss (@LordBalvin) June 20, 2024
WESTBROOK
KENDRICK
YG
MISCELLANEOUS GANG MEMBERS
KENDRICK GOT THE WHOLE WEST COAST ON STAGE DANCING ON DRAKE GRAVE BRUH
LMFAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO WHAT THE FUCK pic.twitter.com/f0Yh1qWjTf
But they also appreciated the cultural significance of the show, with one X user describing it as "one of the most historic nights in hip-hop history."
While fans have focused a lot on the unsubstantiated allegations of sexual assault, pedophilia, and domestic abuse in the pair's diss tracks, the battle was truly about authenticity.
In "Not Like Us," Lamar calls Drake, who is Canadian, a "colonizer" of rap culture, claiming he stole his persona from artists like Future, Lil Baby, 21 Savage, Young Thug, Quavo, and 2Chainz.
In "Family Matters" and "Push Ups," Drake calls Lamar, who raps about race and societal issues, a fake activist and says his hometown, Compton, California, doesn't support him.
Lamar challenged that idea by showcasing up-and-coming West Coast rappers and performing with major Californian hip-hop stars including Tyler The Creator, Jay Rock, Ab-Soul, Schoolboy Q, and Dr. Dre, while the crowd was filled with stars including LeBron James.
Lamar didn't just bring all of these artists together to mock Drake, though, but to unite the West Coast.
"For all of us to be on this stage together, unity, from East side mother-fucking LA, Crips, Bloods, Pirus, this shit is special, man. We put this shit together just for ya'll," Lamar said in between the "Not Like Us" encores, referring to rival gang members onstage.
"This shit ain't got nothing to do with no song at this point, ain't got nothing to do with no back and forth records, it's got everything to do with this moment right here. That's what this shit was about, to bring all of us to-mother-fucking-gether," he added.
Lamar also paid tribute to late rapper Nipsey Hussle, former NBA star Kobe Bryant, and Californians who have lost their lives to violence.