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Two months have flown by since Kendrick Lamar pulled off one of the biggest moments of the summer with “The Pop Out: Ken and Friends” concert. The Juneteenth show featured guest appearances from YG, DJ Mustard, Ab-Soul, and countless other artists, as well as Los Angeles king of krump Tommy the Clown and his dance crews.
The show, streamed on Amazon Prime, came at the apex of Lamar’s feud with Drake. Amidst a volley of diss tracks between the two men, the Compton native dropped “Not Like Us,” a record that turned a litany of lyrical jabs at the 6 God into a legendary cultural moment in Hip Hop history. Lamar ran the track several times while on stage, but it’s what happened at the end of his performance that signaled the impact of “The Pop Out” being more than an opportunity to taunt Drake.
As his set came to a close, he invited dozens of people on stage, many of whom represented opposing sets from the Crips and Bloods gangs across the city. “This is unity at its finest. We done lost a lot of homies to this music s**t, to this street s**t. For all of us to be together on stage, that s**t is special,” he told the crowd. For some, seeing members of the organization gathered without incident was a shock. However, during an interview, Vince Staples said that there had always been a sense of unity amongst the territories.
In a recent interview with Complex, Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre were asked if they agreed with the “ARE YOU WITH THAT?” rapper’s take on the city’s unification. For starters, Dre, who appeared at “The Pop Out,” said, “I think Kendrick was able to bring that together for that moment. Hopefully that moment can move forward. I’m not sure if that’s gonna be possible or not because it’s gonna take more than just one event to get that accomplished. Once it’s done, everybody goes home to their home teams.
He agreed, however, that the energy surrounding that moment of unity felt different. Snoop chimed in, “What Kendrick did, he united the whole city based off of him being a king, taking this violent situation, which is a rap beef, and creating peace, and giving homies the opportunity to come on stage, to engage in his video, to be a part of his movement, and to also move like he moves.”
The three men, Lamar, Dre, and Snoop, all shared the stage when they helmed the 2022 NFL Super Bowl halftime show along with 50 Cent, Eminem, and Mary J. Blige. The “Next Episode” artist said that the Pulitzer Prize recipient’s feat was admirable. “If you gon’ move with Kendrick, you gotta move like Kendrick. He’s about peace, he’s about love,” said Snoop.
He continued, “He ain’t from no gang. He’s from a city full of gangs, and he unites cities, so that’s what this was about. So, it’s a good move for the whole West Coast culture as far as rap is concerned because rap has always been the lead thing on our side. So if you can take a violent rap or a violent song and create peace out of it, he should be commended for that.”
Check out the full interview below.