Kendrick Lamar made his Not Like Us live debut for the first time at The Pop Out: Kane & Friends. The 37-year-old rapper delivered a scathing blow to Drake by playing the fiery diss track at least five times at the Juneteenth event on Tuesday. The Humble hitmaker brought together more than 25 West Coast artists as a symbol and celebration of unity.
‘This is unity’: Kendrick Lamar brings 25 artists together on stage
The star-studded concert, held at Los Angeles’ Kia Forum, featured a nod to the West Coast rap fraternity. Lamar invited every artist performing at the show to the stage and instructed them to chant “One West!” “It’s unity, y’all don’t know,” the DNA rapper said. “Everybody’s sons are dead, but we’re right here, celebrating them all right now, it’s all special,” he added.
The event kicked off with sets from DJ Head and DJ Mustard, who held a moment in memory of slain LA rapper Nipsey Hussle. Other performers at the glittery 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 a performance of Euphoria – another diss track targeted at Drake.
Kendrick Lamar sang Not Like Us 5 times
Last month, Lamar put an end to his years-long feud with the God’s Plan rapper by releasing Not Like Us. In the explosive track, the Pray For Me singer accused Drake of “colonizing” Southern rap culture for personal gain, while also making other accusations which the Canadian artist has denied. Due to popular demand, Lamar performed the track five times at The Pop Out.
As the set came to a close, he asked the audience, “Oh, y’all ain’t gonna let nobody disrespect the West Coast, huh?” Lamar criticized Drake’s use of AI versions of Tupac and Snoop Dogg’s vocals in his song, Tailor Made Freestyle, saying, “Oh, y’all ain’t gonna let nobody make fun of or imitate our legends, huh?”
