Kendrick Lamar Uplifts West Coast Culture With Juneteenth Show

Kendrick Lamar at Life Is Beautiful 2023 on September 23, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by ... [+] Christopher Polk/Billboard via Getty Images)

Kendrick Lamar presented his Juneteenth show, The Pop Out — Ken & Friends, at The Forum in Inglewood, California on Wednesday (June 19th) and it was a celebratory ode to West Coast hip-hop.

Preparing the audience for K Dot, DJ Mustard, who produced Lamar’s infamous diss track “Not Like Us”, excited the audience with a curated set that included heavyweights Tyler, The Creator, Dom Kennedy, Steve Lacy, Ty Dolla $ign, Blxst, YG and Roddy Ricch.

Lamar then took the stage to introduce his set with “Euphoria,” one of multiple diss tracks aimed at Drake, boldly remixing the song to recite, “Give me Tupac’s ring back and I might give you a little respect.” He continued invigorating spectators with performances of his classics: ‘Humble,” “Money Trees,” “Loyalty,” “Alright” and “Swimming Pools,” among others.

Along with a surprise reunion of hip-hop collective Black Hippy, which was initially formed under Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE) in 2008 and comprised of Schoolboy Q, Jay Rock and Ab-Soul, he went on to give his flowers to those who came before him in the West Coast music scene by bringing out Dr. Dre to perform “Still D.R.E.” and “California Love” before heading into the most-talked about moment of the night. Dr. Dre ignited the uproar with the words, “I see dead people.”

In an electrifying finale, Lamar performed his viral diss track “Not Like Us” live for the first time… and continued to do so four more times. The hip-hop visionary unveiled this massive summer hit when he was in a back-and-forth rap battle with Drake, which debuted at No. 1 on the Hot 100 in May.

The noteworthy moment got even more special when the Compton rapper brought out every performer for a group photo onstage, uniting artists across various Los Angeles neighborhoods and affiliations. Before DJ Mustard’s set, DJ Hed kicked off the evening with a roster of West Coast artists including Bino Rideaux, Ohgeesy, Westside Boogie, Jason Martin and Remble.

“Let them see this. We put this together with peace. I promise this won’t be the last of us,” Lamar proudly stated while closing out his moving L.A. show.

For some, Kendrick Lamar’s concert goes down in history as another respectable feat in his music track record, but this showcase was personal for West Coast music and culture aficionados who take pride in their traditions and ways of life.

The West Coast has long been mourning L.A. figures Nipsey Hussle and Kobe Bryant — both who had transformative messages of hope, work ethic and victory — since they were taken too soon by tragic passings.

“This sh*t making me emotional. We been f*cked up since Nipsey died. We been f*cked up since Kobe died,” Lamar even admitted at the Pop Out. DJ Mustard also gave a heartwarming tribute to Nipsey Hussle during his set, displaying a license plate that said the following: “RIP NIP. The Marathon Continues.”

Lamar’s Juneteenth celebration served as a communal healing event that reminded the community why West Coast takes so much pride in its culture despite some of its darkest moments. Regardless of the (sometimes) haunting past, West Coast culture respectively thrived at the Pop Out with its undeniable union to stand together and remind the world its great impact on a global scale. Fans have Lamar to thank for that.