On Wednesday night in Los Angeles, Kendrick Lamar appeared to pull off the near-impossible. Long-simmering rivalries, resentments and pettier disputes were, for the moment, set aside in favor of a much greater purpose: hating on Drake.
As part of his Juneteenth “Pop Out” concert in Inglewood, which was attended by thousands and live-streamed to millions via Amazon Music, Lamar brought up musical guests who represented both the old and new guards of rap music.
Legendary rapper and producer Dr. Dre mixed it up with 33-year-old Tyler, the Creator, who’s twice now won the Grammy for Best Rap Album. Lamar’s fellow west coast rap stars Schoolboy Q, Ab-Soul and Jay Rock mingled onstage with NBA stars like LeBron James, James Harden and DeMar DeRozan; as well as various other local Los Angeles luminaries.
All of them came together to essentially dance on Drake’s grave, demonstrating their pop culture supremacy. By the time Lamar came to the conclusion of his own set, the crowd was prepped, and Lamar ended up playing the diss track “Not Like Us” SIX TIMES in a row back to back.
Ever since the Kendrick vs. Drake diss track battle came to an unprecedented crescendo in early May, it’s been unclear which party would strike next. Lamar dealt Drake blow after punishing blow—an assault which culminated in the aforementioned “Not Like Us,” the now-proven summer banger that labels Drake a “certified pedophile.”
“Tryna strike a chord, and it’s probably A-minor,” Lamar taunts Drake in the song, played repeatedly on stage last night in dramatic fashion.
The Daily Beast reached out to Drake for comment on the event but has not received a response.
Drake, in turn, accused Lamar of alleged domestic abuse on his May diss track “Family Matters,” in which he also insinuated that Lamar is not his son’s biological father. But Lamar has cumulatively accused Drake of having a secret daughter, running a sex-trafficking ring and engaging in pedophilia, so it’s safe to say Lamar is playing dirtier.
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