Kendrick Lamar Leads a Spectacular Juneteenth Celebration at the Kia Forum
by Pharron Fields
On Wednesday, Compton's own Kendrick Lamar took the stage at "The Pop Out" concert, a Juneteenth celebration held at the Kia Forum and streamed live on Amazon Prime Video. The event was a tribute to Los Angeles pride and featured a powerhouse lineup of California's finest talent.
Lamar opened his set with the diss track "Euphoria," setting a powerful tone for the night. However, the evening was more about celebrating the rich musical heritage of Los Angeles. The show featured performances by California natives such as Tyler, The Creator, Steve Lacy, Ty Dolla $ign, DJ Mustard, YG, Roddy Ricch, Dom Kennedy, and DJ Hed.
DJ Mustard energized the crowd with a medley of his hits, including Tyga’s “Rack City” and 2 Chainz’s “I’m Different.” He was later joined on stage by Dom Kennedy, Ty Dolla $ign, Steve Lacy, Tyler, the Creator, Roddy Ricch, and YG, each delivering standout performances of their biggest hits like Tyler's “Earthquake,” Lacy's “Bad Habit,” and Roddy Ricch's “The Box.” Mustard also paid tribute to the late Nipsey Hussle with their collaboration “Perfect 10.”
The night, however, belonged to Kendrick Lamar. He captivated the audience with performances of “DNA,” “Alright,” and “Euphoria.” Lamar's former TDE label mates and Black Hippy comrades Jay Rock, Ab-Soul, and ScHoolboy Q joined him for a special segment, featuring songs like “Money Trees,” Jay Rock’s “Win” and “King’s Dead,” Ab-Soul's verse on the Drake diss track “6:16 in LA,” and collaborative performances of ScHoolboy Q’s “Collard Greens” and “That Part.”
The highlight of the evening was a surprise appearance by Dr. Dre, who performed “Still D.R.E.” with Lamar taking on Snoop Dogg’s parts. Kendrick closed the night with an explosive performance of the Drake diss “Not Like Us,” delivering a powerful message about the losses endured in the music and street life.
“We done lost a lot of homies to this music shit, a lot of homies to this street shit,” Lamar said, acknowledging the show's diverse lineup, which included artists from various gang affiliations coming together for the celebration.
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