After Drake battle, Kendrick Lamar turns victory lap concert into LA unity celebration

2024-12-25 01:02:15 source:lotradecoin updates category:reviews

INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Not content with merely taking a victory lap after winning his battle against fellow rap superstar Drake, Kendrick Lamar turned his Juneteenth “Pop Out” concert at the Forum into a cathartic livestreamed celebration of Los Angeles unity.

Lamar curated a three-hour concert featuring a mix of up-and-coming LA rappers and stars including Tyler, The Creator, Steve Lacy and YG. When it was his turn to take the stage, the 37-year-old rapper powered through a set with Black Hippy collaborators Schoolboy Q, Ab-Soul and Jay Rock, performed his Drake diss songs “Euphoria” and “6:16 in LA,” then was joined on-stage by Dr. Dre.

The two West Coast titans performed “Still D.R.E.” and “California Love” before Dre quieted the roaring crowd by calling for a moment of silence. It was a misdirect. He then delivered the “Sixth Sense” quote that opens Lamar’s chart-topping “Not Like Us”: “I see dead people.”

A crowd of 17,000 that included The Weeknd, LeBron James, Ayo Edebiri and Rick Ross rapped along to every word of the biting-but-jubilant DJ Mustard production, which Lamar restarted twice after the first verse and performed four times in full.

RELATED COVERAGE That cool Tony Awards moment when Jay-Z joined Alicia Keys? Turns out it wasn’t live Moneybagg Yo’s ‘A Gangsta’s Pain’ went No. 1. He’s back to soundtrack your summer with ‘Speak Now.’ Celebrity birthdays for the week of June 16-22

Shuffling, frolicking, dancing and spinning around him as Lamar strode the stage in a red hoodie: NBA stars Russell Westbrook and DeMar DeRozan, Mustard, rapper Roddy Ricch and even a teenage dance troupe led by the krumping innovator Tommy the Clown.

Lamar reveled in the moment: “Y’all ain’t gon’ let nobody disrespect the West Coast. Y’all ain’t gon’ let nobody imitate our legends, huh,” he said, referring to Drake’s use of an AI tool to mimic 2Pac’s voice on one of his diss records.

But Lamar had more on his mind, calling out to specific men and women to join him on-stage for a group photo.

“Let the world see this,” he said. “For all of us to be on this stage together, unity, from East side ... LA, Crips, Bloods, Piru — this ... is special, man. We put this ... together just for ya’ll.

“This ... 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 ... was about, to bring all of us together.”

After the final song, Lamar exited, saying “I promise you this won’t be the last of us.” The stabbing horns of the “Not Like Us” instrumental kicked in once again and the crowd rapped the lyrics without Lamar as they filed through hallways out to the parking lot.

More:reviews

Recommend

She grew up in an Arizona church community. Now, she claims it was actually a religious cult.

Brooke Walker grew up in an Arizona church community. Families, side by side, in communion with God

New Hampshire man wins $1 million from $1.4 billion Powerball draw

During the Powerball's multi-state game on Saturday, Oct. 7, a lucky resident from New Hampshire bou

Golden Bachelor's Joan Vassos Shares Family Update After Shocking Exit

Joan Vassos had all the right reasons to exit The Golden Bachelor.Though a front-runner in Gerry Tur