Kendrick Lamar plays Drake diss track Not Like US five times at LA concert

Kendrick Lamar hosted a star-studded live performance in Los Angeles’ Kia Discussion board on Wednesday, supposed as a present of unity for the West Coast rap fraternity.

Greater than 20 musicians made visitor appearances, together with Dr Dre, Roddy Ricch, Ty Dolla $ign, Tyler The Creator and Steve Lacy.

However the spotlight of the night time was the reside debut of Lamar’s track Not Like Us – an eviscerating take-down of Canadian star Drake, which introduced their long-running feud to a decisive finish final month.

Inspired by the gang, Lamar performed the track 5 occasions, with every efficiency extra explosive than the final.

“Y’all ain’t gonna let no one disrespect the West Coast, huh?” he requested, because the set drew to a detailed.

“Oh y’all ain’t gonna let no one mock or imitate our legends, huh?”, he added, referring to Drake’s choice to make use of AI variations of Tupac and Snoop Dogg’s vocals on his track, Taylor Made Freestyle.

Lamar’s feud with Drake goes again years, but it surely escalated to new ranges in April in Could, as the 2 rappers traded insults in a flurry of recent songs.

Drake, who has develop into the face of mainstream pop-rap, accused Lamar of promoting out and mocked his peak, whereas additionally levelling extra critical allegations of home violence (the star has by no means confronted such a declare).

Lamar, some of the critically-acclaimed lyricists of his era, known as Drake’s music “predictable” and advised he was hooked on playing and medicines.

However Not Like Us took issues a step additional.

Within the track, Lamar accused Drake of “colonising” Southern rap tradition for private acquire and made (unsubstantiated) claims about his conduct with younger girls, which Drake later denied.

Powered by an irresistible DJ Mustard beat, Not Like Us broke Spotify information, turning into the hip-hop track with probably the most performs in a single day.

It went on to high the US charts, and reached quantity six within the UK – making it Lamar’s greatest hit as a solo artist.

The star introduced his Junteenth live performance simply two weeks in the past, but it surely bought out immediately.

Titled The Pop Out: Ken And Mates, it opened with units by DJ Hed and DJ Mustard, who held a second in reminiscence of LA rapper Nipsey Hussle, who was murdered two years in the past.

Lamar took to the stage shortly earlier than 6:30pm, opening with one other Drake diss monitor, known as Euphoria.

The track included a brand new line, during which Lamar rapped: “Give me Tupac’s ring again and I would provide you with a bit of respect.”

The lyric referred to a hoop, beforehand owned by the late Tupac Shakur, that was bought at public sale by an nameless bidder for over $1 million final 12 months. The client was later revealed to be Drake.

Lamar went on to play hits together with DNA, Alright, Swimming Swimming pools (Drank) and King Kunta.

He was joined in the course of the set by Schoolboy Q, Ab-Soul and Jay Rock, with whom he fashioned the hip-hop supergroup Black Hippy, to carry out M.A.A.D. Metropolis and That Half.

Lamar additionally carried out his verse from the Future and Metro Boomin’ track Like That, which ignited this 12 months’s disagreement.

In direction of the top of the present, which was streamed reside on Amazon, Lamar introduced out West Coast rap legend Dr Dre, appearing as his hype-man on raucous variations of Nonetheless D.R.E. and California Love.

Dre then teed up the primary efficiency of Not Like Us by whispering the opening line, “I see lifeless folks”.

Pleasure for the track had been constructing all through the night time, with the gang chanting its lyrics at varied factors in Lamar’s set.

With every repeat, Lamar was joined by an increasing number of friends.

By the top of the night time, there have been virtually 30 folks on stage, together with YG, Steve Lacy, Schoolboy Q, Large Boy, G Perico, DJ Mustard, and basketball stars Russell Westbrook and Demar Derozan.

The gathering marked a uncommon second of solidarity from Los Angeles’ typically fractured hip-hop scene.

Pausing to take a gaggle photograph, Lamar informed the gang: “That is unity, y’all simply don’t know man”.

He devoted the present to the musicians and associates that they had misplaced to violence, saying: “Everyone on this stage bought fallen troopers.

“For all of us to be collectively, that [expletive] is particular,” he continued.

“We put this along with peace… I promise this received’t be the final of us.”]

The present ended with a sixth, instrumental, model of Not Like Us, performed as followers left the world.