Kendrick Lamar had all eyes on him at last night’s The Pop Out – Ken & Friends concert in Los Angeles, and he gave the West Coast the spotlight in a live musical event that dominated the headlines and still has people talking.
The epic show, which took place on Wednesday night (June 19) at the Kia Forum in Inglewood, Calif., featured a bunch of highlight moments that will leave a lasting impression on fans. With E-40 providing the intro (and later interlude) monologue, DJ Hed’s opening set featured young rap talent like Wallie The Sensei, Zoe Osama, Kalan.FrFr, Remble and others. Mustard‘s more mainstream set had rousing performances from Tyler, The Creator, YG, Roddy Ricch, Ty Dolla $ign, Steve Lacy and many more.
Then it was Kendrick’s time to shine. He began his set with “Euphoria” before rolling into more hits. The rapper’s time on stage featured a Black Hippy reunion with Jay Rock, Ab-Soul and ScHoolboy Q reuniting on stage. Legendary producer Dr. Dre even popped out toward the end and performed before introducing Kendrick’s chart-topping Drake diss track “Not Like Us,” which Kendrick went on to perform five times. The show concluded with a large group photo of everyone who participated in the show, followed by one last performance of “Not Like Us.”
“This sh*t make me proud then a muthaf**ka, y’all don’t know. This sh*t get me emotional, dawg,” Kendrick stated while posing the mass picture. “We done lost a lot of homies to this music sh*t, a lot of homies to the street sh*t. For all of us to be on stage together, unity, from each side of muthaf*kin’ L.A. Crips, Bloods, Pirus, that sh*t is special, man.”
What a time to be alive.
See the best moments from Kendrick Lamar’s The Pop Out – Ken & Friends concert below.
Fans Arrive to Pop Out With Custom Merch
As fans poured into the Kia Forum in Los Angeles for The Pop Out – Ken & Friends concert, photos began to emerge online of K-Dot fans wearing a lot of their own merch. One of the most memorable photos shows a group of four kids, each with a different line from Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” on their T-shirt.
The front of their shirts together read: “They Not Like Us.” The back of their shirts read: “Dot F*ck Em Up.”
E-40 Narrates Entire Pop Out Concert
The Pop Out – Ken & Friends Concert was narrated by E-40, another lovely West Coast touch that was celebrated by the crowd when his voice came over the loudspeakers.
“Tonight is a celebration of what makes the left coast the best coast… and the unification of the west,” he said before Kendrick’s set as the crowd cheered.
E-40 spoke about the moment a little bit more on his Instagram. He said he went right to the hotel after landing in Washington, D.C. to record his narrations, and that he always knew Kendrick Lamar was “gonna be special.”
“I feel honored to be considered for moments like this, as sometimes The West Coast is overlooked,” E-40 wrote below. “But not tonight. I’m glad I was able to play my part and Sprinkle a little Game on this historical moment.”
The Pop Out – Ken & Friends Highlights New Cali Talent
Before Kendrick took the stage, The Pop Out event made sure to highlight a ton of the new talent coming out of the West Coast. Remble, Ray Vaughn, Cuzzos, OhGeesy and Fenix Flexin, BlueBucksClan and Westside Boogie were just a few of the young rappers who popped out to get the crowd ready for K-Dot.
The legendary krump dancer Tommy the Clown and a large crew of dancers also broke it down with a lengthy dance battle before closing out DJ Hed’s set.
Mustard Reminds the Crowd How Many Hits He’s Got
Mustard spent a good portion of his set reminding the audience just how prominent of a hitmaker he is. Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” serves as Mustard’s first hit in a few years, and Mustard capitalized on his moment by performing almost like Verzuz set to show the audience how much his sound defined the 2010s. He ran through Tyga’s “Rack City,” 2 Chainz’ “I’m Different,” Kid Ink’s “Show Me” with Chris Brown, Big Sean’s “I Dont F*ck With You” and other smashes. He then got the crowd even more excited by bringing out Tyler, The Creator, his close friends YG and Roddy Ricch to remind fans even more of his dominance.
“Aye Mustard,” Roddy said at one point. “They tryna say we fell off!”
Tyler, The Creator Performs “Earfquake” With a Wild Crowd Reaction
Tyler, The Creator popped out during Mustard’s set and did a killer run-through of “Wusyaname” and “Earfquake,” and the latter had the crowd going absolutely bonkers. Clips from the Amazon stream show the crowd carrying the song, as they screamed out the chorus while Ty did laps around the Kia Forum stage.
Tyler ended things on a polite note, giving the crowd a simple “thank you” before bowing and departing.
Kendrick Lamar Kickstarts Performance With “Euphoria” and Adds New Lyric
Kendrick Lamar began his Pop Out Concert by performing his Drake diss track “Euphoria.” During the energized run-through of the lyrical diss, Kendrick threw in a new bar just to throw salt in Drake’s wound.
Kendrick rapped, “I’m knowin’ they call you The Boy, but where is a man?/’Cause I ain’t see him yet/Give me Tupac ring back and I might give you a lil’ respect.”
The lyrics on the recorded version of the song are: “I’m knowin’ they call you The Boy, but where is a man?/’Cause I ain’t see him yet/Matter of fact I ain’t even bleed him yet, can I bleed him?”
Black Hippy Reunite for the First Time in Years
Kendrick Lamar also reunited with the Black Hippy crew at The Pop Out – Ken & Friends concert. For the first time in years, Kendrick was seen partying it up with Jay Rock, Ab-Soul and ScHoolboy Q in that order to perform.
Jay Rock performed “WIN,” while Ab-Soul hopped on stage to hype K-Dot up as he ran through his Drake diss track “6:16 in LA.” ScHoolboy Q then came running on stage to perform “Collard Greens” and “THat Part.” At the end of the show, Black Hippy then came together on stage so Kendrick could run through his hit single “Not Like Us” one last time before closing out the show.
Kendrick Lamar Pays Homage to Tupac Shakur’s Outfit at Source Awards
Kendrick Lamar’s outfit became the talk of the internet during his performance. Fans quickly pieced together that K-Dot was likely paying homage to Tupac Shakur and his all-red outfit from his infamous appearance at the Source Awards.
The 1995 Source Awards came as growing tensions between the East and West Coast were at an all-time high, with Pac infamously ambushing A Tribe Called Quest’s acceptance speech for Best Group to perform “Out on Bail.”
Kendrick Lamar Wears $600,000 Ben Baller Chain
Kendrick’s red ensemble also included a $600,000 cross-chain, similar to the one ‘Pac wore at said awards, but much more brolic. The cross was designed by jeweler Ben Baller, who celebrated the moment on X by reminding people there’s “nobody better,” and that K-Dot “knew who to call” for some ice.
Dr. Dre Gives Surprise Performance and Introduces “Not Like Us”
Dr. Dre shocked the Kia Forum when he came out as a surprise guest during Kendrick’s set. Together he and K-Dot performed “Still D.R.E.” and “California Love” before the super producer introduced the song everyone was dying to hear.
“You ain’t gonna say nothing else before we continue to party?” K-Dot asked as Dre appeared to be wandering off the stage.
“Yeah, OK,” Dre said. He then walked a few steps and leaned into the microphone. “I’m gonna take a moment of silence for this one. Psst I see dead people.”
Kendrick Lamar Plays “Not Like Us” Five Times
During one of the most memorable moments of the night, Kendrick Lamar closed out his epic Pop Out show by performing “Not Like Us” a whopping five times, marking the first time he’s ever performed the song live. After doing the first four run-throughs completely on his own, he invited all of the show’s performers, as well as dozens of celebrities on stage to vibe out to the Drake diss track one last time.
An Entirly West Coast Only Artist Show
The L.A. vs. Everybody vibes were thick enough to cut with a knife. The entire lineup was filled up with artists from the L.A. area. Artists from different eras, sets and neighborhoods graced the stage, going back to Dr. Dre all the way up to 301Babii.
Celebs in Attendance Have a Good Time
Several non-rap celebs were reportedly in attendance including actors Don Cheadle, John Boyega, singer Chlöe Bailey and others. NBA players DeMar Derozen and Russell Westbrook, both Cali natives, even danced on stage during one of the final performances of “Not Like Us.”
Kendrick Lamar’s Fiancée Whitney Alford in Attendance
K-Dot’s fiancée Whitney Alford was present and accounted for at the show along with their two kids. After Drake claimed on his “Family Matters” diss song that K-Dot had abused Alford, there was speculation that her relationship with Kendrick was over. However, her presence at the show along with their kids appears to speak volumes.
All the Funny Tweets About the Night
Social media had a field day with posts about the concert, with much of the comic relief being gang-related since K-Dot was able to peacefully gather different sets under one roof.
“Can’t believe Drake tried to say this man was not affiliated. They having a Blood Bonvention on the stage right now,” one hilarious post reads.
The Final Photo
Kendrick Lamar closed out the show with a show of unity in the form of a group photo on stage with everyone who participated in the event.
“This sh*t make me proud then a muthaf**ka, y’all don’t know. This sh*t get me emotional, dawg,” Kendrick stated while posing the mass picture. “We done lost a lot of homes to this music sh*t, a lot of homies to the street sh*t. For all of us to be on stage together, unity, from each side of muthaf*kin’ L.A. Crips, Bloods, Pirus, that sh*t is special, man.”