Kendrick Lamar debuted Not Like Us live for the first time at The Pop Out: Ken And Friends. The 37-year-old rapper delivered a brutal blow to Drake by playing the fiery diss track at least five times at the Juneteenth event on Tuesday. The Humble hitmaker brought together over 25 artists from the West Coast as a symbol and celebration of unity.
‘This is unity’: Kendrick Lamar brings 25 artists together onstage
The star-studded concert, held at Los Angeles’ Kia Forum, was a nod to the West Coast rap fraternity. Lamar invited every artist who performed at the show onstage and instructed them to say, “One West!” The DNA rapper said, “This is unity, y’all just don’t know man.” “Everybody got fallen sons but we’re right here, right now celebrating all of them, this s**t is special,” he added.
The event opened with sets by DJ Hed and DJ Mustard, who held a moment in memory of slain LA rapper Nipsey Hussle. Other performers at the glitzy event included Tyler, the Creator, YG, Roddy Ricch, Ty Dolla $ign, Dom Kennedy, Steve Lacy, and Dr. Dre. Meanwhile, Lamar himself took the stage with the performance of Euphoria—another diss track aimed at Drake.
Kendrick Lamar performs Not Like Us 5 times
Last month, Lamar put an end to the years-long feud with the God’s Plan rapper with the release of Not Like Us. In the explosive track, the Pray For Me crooner accused Drake of “colonising” Southern rap culture for personal gain among other claims, which the Canadian artist has denied. Given the popular demand, Lamar performed the track five times at The Pop Out.
As the set drew to a close, he asked the audience, “Y’all ain’t gonna let nobody disrespect the West Coast, huh?” Lamar went on to criticise Drake’s use of AI versions of Tupac and Snoop Dogg’s vocals on his song, Taylor Made Freestyle, saying, “Oh y’all ain’t gonna let nobody mock or imitate our legends, huh?”
