Kendrick Lamar‘s “Not Like Us” video is a celebration of the beloved rapper’s hometown of Compton but several local business owners have claimed the production of the visual hurt them financially.
Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” Video Costs Local Businesses Loss Revenue
According to a Los Angeles Times report, published on Saturday (Sept. 14), Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” music video cost thousands of dollars in lost revenue for several local businesses in Compton, Calif.
Corina Pleasant, the owner of Alma’s Place, a soul food restaurant, told the LATimes on the day of the music video shoot no customers were coming into her establishment because the parking lot was filled with people looking for a shot to be in the video. She estimates she lost between $1,800 to $2,200 on that day of the video shoot. Other business owners in the area were affected as well.
Adelfo Antonio Garcia, a co-owner of Sunny Express Gourmet Fast Food, told the newspaper that he had also incurred a loss of about $2,000. And customers continue to mistakenly believe that his restaurant is closed on Saturdays.
Business owners are now asking K-Dot, his production company pgLang or the city to compensate them for their loss of revenue.
“It was really disheartening to have the electricity on and gas,” Pleasant told the LATimes. “I’m just running everything and making no money. I literally was there for nothing, because the little money that I did make, I had to pay my staff with that.”
Local businesses also criticized the city’s lack of communication, claiming they were not informed in advance about Kendrick’s video shoot taking place near their establishments.
A spokesperson for the City of Compton told LATimes in a statement that the city would identify “opportunities for more efficient film permit communication to our community” in the future.
“Businesses in Compton, especially small businesses, are the backbone of our city,” the statement read. “We want to continue to keep an open line of communication and do everything we can to support economic growth.”
XXL has reached out to the Compton Chamber of Commerce for a statement.
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Tam’s Burgers Sees Significant Spike in Sales
Some businesses enjoyed a sales bump thanks to Kendrick’s “Not Like Us” video. Tam’s Burgers, the famous local restaurant where Kenny filmed parts of his visual, reportedly saw a spike in sales following the release of the visual.
In an interview with TMZ, which can be viewed below, one of the managers at the Tam’s Burgers at the Compton location on Rosecrans Ave. have seen a stream of customers in the days after the “Not Like Us” video dropped on July 4.
Manager Lauro Hernandez told the media outlet that customers have been ordering the bacon cheeseburger, which is what K-Dot orders. The Compton rhymer has reportedly been visiting the establishment since he was a teen. Hernandez added they didn’t ask for money to film at the restaurant but Kendrick agreed to feature the store signage in the video for promotion.
Read More: People Are Tired of ‘Not Like Us’ and Don’t Want to Hear It
Watch Tam’s Burger owner talk about Kendrick Lamar shooting his “Not Like Us” video at his restaurant below.