Kendrick Lamar's Juneteenth concert at Los Angeles’ Kia Forum on Wednesday (June 19) was a remarkable celebration of West Coast rap, culminating in an unprecedented display of unity among artists and entertainers. The event, titled "The Pop Out: Ken & Friends," was announced shortly after Lamar's rap battle with Drake.
DJ Hed kicked off the show with performances from rising and established Los Angeles stars, including new Top Dawg Entertainment signee Ray Vaughn, the all-girl rap group Cuzzos, male group Blue Bucks Clan, and Westside Boogie. The legendary krump dancer Tommy the Clown also graced the stage with his crew.
Mustard took over the second segment, playing hits like Tyga’s “Rack City” and 2 Chainz’s “I’m Different.” He was joined by artists like Dom Kennedy, Ty Dolla Sign, Steve Lacy, Tyler, the Creator; Roddy Ricch, and YG, all of whom performed their biggest hits.
When Kendrick Lamar took the stage, he delivered powerful performances of “Euphoria,” “DNA,” and “Alright.” He was joined by his former TDE labelmates and Black Hippy comrades Jay Rock, Ab-Soul, and ScHoolboy Q. While the quartet was catching vibes onstage, fans got high-energy renditions of “Money Trees,” “Win,” “King’s Dead,” “6:16 in LA,” “Collard Greens,” and “THat Part.” One notable highlight was Dr. Dre's surprise appearance for “Still D.R.E.” and an introduction of “Not Like Us,” which K. Dot performed multiple times.
Fortunately, those who were unable to attend had the opportunity to watch a live stream of the entire event, and those who did tune in made sure to express their appreciation on social media. “Kendrick Lamar just unified real-life gang members,” wrote Twitter user verypalehipster. “Had them all take a group pic and got everyone to dance together to a song calling Drake a pedophile for the fifth time in a row on Amazon Prime.”
Check out plenty of other reactions to Lamar’s concert below.