Kendrick Lamar · S8 E6

The Pop Out

Juneteenth 2024. The Forum in Inglewood. Every West Coast legend on one stage. 'Not Like Us' played five times

Cold Open

Juneteenth, June 19, 2024. Kendrick Lamar stands on stage at The Forum in Inglewood, surrounded by every West Coast legend alive, and plays Not Like Us five times in a row.

Kendrick Lamar, The Pop Out (live concert, The Forum, Inglewood, 2024). The most important West Coast hip-hop event in a generation. Dr. Dre, YG, DJ Mustard, and dozens more share the stage for a night that turns a beef victory into a celebration of an entire coast.

Song Breakdown

The Pop Out (Live at The Forum, 2024)

Kendrick opened with older material, brought out surprise guests one by one, and built the energy across the entire night toward one destination: Not Like Us. By the time the DJ Mustard beat dropped for the fifth time, the crowd didn't need Kendrick to rap, they did it for him. The concert proved Not Like Us wasn't just a diss track. It was a West Coast national anthem.

Sources

The Pop Out: Ken & Friends, The Forum, Inglewood, June 19, 2024

He played it five times. Five. And every time the crowd went harder. I've never seen anything like that in my life.

DJ Mustard on The Pop Out concert, 2024

The Coronation

The Pop Out wasn't announced as a Kendrick concert. It was billed as a pgLang event celebrating Juneteenth and West Coast unity. But everyone knew what it really was: a coronation. Kendrick had won the biggest rap beef of the decade, and this was the city confirming it in person.

Sources

Amazon Prime Video, live stream, June 19, 2024

The Forum

The legendary Inglewood arena where Kendrick staged The Pop Out on Juneteenth 2024, turning a victory lap into a cultural event streamed live to millions.

SECRET REVEAL

TAP TO REVEAL: How many times did Kendrick perform Not Like Us at The Pop Out?

Quick Quiz

Where was The Pop Out concert held?

Bonus Listening

man at the garden, Kendrick Lamar (2024)

From GNX. If The Pop Out was the coronation, this is the acceptance speech. Kendrick raps about his place at the top of hip-hop with the calm of someone who no longer has to prove it. The delivery has the weight of a man who just stood on stage and heard his entire city chant his name.

Lyrics

man at the garden, Kendrick Lamar (2024)

Read the lyrics while you listen. Kendrick addresses his position in hip-hop directly. The title evokes both Madison Square Garden and the Garden of Eden: two different kinds of power, two different kinds of responsibility.

RAPID FIRE

The Pop Out

Coming Next

Five months after The Pop Out, Kendrick drops an entire album with zero warning. No singles, no rollout, no announcement. Just a photo of a Buick GNX and twelve new tracks. Next: GNX.

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