When he brought members of the Crips and Bloods together on stage for his “Pop Out” performance, Kendrick Lamar succeeded in uniting the people of Los Angeles.
In an effort to portray a united Los Angeles, K.Dot welcomed individuals of both sides of the city’s gang divide at the conclusion of his show on Wednesday, June 19, alongside a number of notable West Coast figures like Dr. Dre, ScHoolboy Q, Jay Rock, Tyler the Creator, YG, and Roddy Ricch.
As the performance came to an end, Kendrick Lamar also spoke to the crowd, stating, “This shit making me emotional.” With Nipsey [Hussle’s] passing, we’ve been screwed up. Since Kobe [Bryant] passed away, we have been broken. This is the epitome of oneness.
“This street stuff and this music shit have cost us a lot of friends. That shit is special, for all of us to be united on stage. Each person on this platform has lost a soldier.
Viewers praised the historic occasion on X, with one saying, “Kendrick really bringing Cali crops and Compton pirus together on one stage.” Already a memorable Juneteenth.
Kendrick is a legend, according to another. On stage, he got bloods and crips. It is quiet. This coherence.
“Kendrick’s hatred for Drake really unified the bloods and crips,” someone jokingly said.
Kendrick Lamar has attempted to mediate some peace between the two notorious gangs before.
The cover art for his 2014 song “I” featured representations of both the Bloods and the Crips.
Later, Kendrick discussed the ideas that went into the artwork.
“We used to put up gang signs, but where I’m from, there’s a lot of gang culture and stuff, so instead we’re throwing up hearts and I put a Blood and a Crip together,” he said.
“Sparking the idea of some sort of change through music, or through me, because I return to the city now and people treat me with the dignity and respect that this kid can, you know, change something different that’s been going on in the community a little bit.”
A noteworthy aspect of Kendrick Lamar’s “Pop Out” performance was his resurgent criticism of Drake.
In addition to playing the diss tunes “Like That” and “Euphoria,” he concluded the show by playing “Not Like Us” five times.
Kendrick reportedly demanded that Drake return a ring that belonged to 2Pac and was purchased at auction for more than $1 million during the performance.
The line “Give me Tupac’s ring back and I might give you a little respect” was added to the lyrics of “Euphoria” by him.
Drake had previously received legal threats from the late rapper’s estate for utilizing an artificial intelligence (AI) vocal replica of him on the diss track “Taylor Made Freestyle.”
