Kendrick Lamar Hosts ‘Pop Out’ Concert, With Diss Track, Star Guests, and Unity on Stage
Kendrick Lamar absolutely threw blows at the opening of his “Pop Out” concert in LA on Wednesday night. He kicked off with the Drake diss track “Euphoria,” and dropped a new verse: “Give me Tupac’s ring back and I might give you a little respect.” Yeah, he absolutely went there.
This line hits harder because it’s all about a ring once owned by the legendary Tupac Shakur, which Drake ended up buying at an auction. Lamar’s been dominating this rivalry, especially after the whole break-in situation at Drake’s Toronto estate. Brace yourself, there might be more beef coming our way!
The concert was lit with guest appearances from Dr. Dre, Tyler, the Creator, Schoolboy Q, Jay Rock, Ab-Soul, and the TDE crew. Amazon Music and Rotation livestreamed it as part of Black Music Month’s “Forever the Influence” celebration.
A whopping 17,000 fans, including The Weeknd, LeBron James, Ayo Edebiri, Demar Derozan, and Rick Ross, were there, catching all the vibes. Lamar even restarted the song twice and performed it four times! He was completely here for this moment in Black History, saying, “Y’all ain’t gon’ let nobody disrespect the West Coast. Y’all ain’t gon’ let nobody imitate our legends,” throwing major shade at Drake’s use of AI to mimic Pac’s voice on a diss track.
Lamar had more on his mind, though. He invited some powerful street figures on stage for a rather legendary 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. We did this just for y’all. It’s not about any song or beef; it’s about this moment right here. Bringing all of us together.”
After the final song, Lamar dipped but not without making a promise, “I promise you this won’t be the last of us.” The instrumental of “Not Like Us” played yet again, and the crowd took over rapping he lyrics as they made their way out.
The concert, “The Pop Out — Ken and Friends,” is named after Lamar’s track “Not Like Us,” where he raps, “Sometimes you gotta pop out and show n—s / Certified boogeyman, I’m the one that up the score with ’em.” The song, aimed at Drake, dropped a month ago and has been topping the charts, solidifying Lamar’s win thus far. Only time will tell which artist will land on the right side of Hip Hop History.
