The West Coast, particularly Los Angeles, made a powerful statement on Juneteenth at Kendrick Lamar’s The Pop Out concert. Held at the Kia Forum in Inglewood, the event drew massive crowds eager to witness a historic moment in music and culture.
E-40 set the tone for the evening, emphasizing the celebration of the West Coast’s unity. The show was divided into three acts, with DJ Hed kicking things off. He brought out a slew of special guests, including Remble, Ray Vaughn, Cuzzos, Rucci, AzChike, Jay Worthy & Meet The Whoops, Wallie The Sensei, Westside Boogie, Zoe Osama, Kalan.FrFr, G. Perico, Bino Rideaux, BlueBucksClan, RJMrLA, Ohgeesy, JasonMartin, and the legendary Tommy The Clown with his T-Squad.
Despite each act performing only one song to stay on schedule, the crowd’s energy was palpable as they awaited Kendrick Lamar’s set.
Mustard then took the stage, ready to party. He played hits like Tyga’s “Rack City,” 2 Chainz’s “I’m Different,” Kid Ink and Chris Brown’s “Show Me,” and Big Sean’s “I Don’t F**k With You.” He was joined by 310babii, Blxst, Ty Dolla $ign, Roddy Ricch, and Steve Lacy. For the first time, Mustard and Dom Kennedy performed “When I Come Around,” and the crowd went wild when Tyler, The Creator made a surprise appearance. Tyler later tweeted about the event, expressing his joy at seeing the city come together.
Mustard also paid tribute to the late Nipsey Hussle before YG closed out the second act.
The crowd chanted “OVH*E” as the arena went dark, signaling Kendrick’s arrival. He began his nearly 90-minute performance with an altered version of his diss track “euphoria,” referencing Drake’s recent purchase of Tupac’s custom crown ring. Kendrick’s outfit mirrored Tupac’s look from the 1994 Source Awards.
As he performed songs from his discography in reverse order, Kendrick brought out Jay Rock for “Money Trees” and “Win,” followed by Schoolboy Q for “Collard Greens” and “That Part.” Ab-Soul’s appearance completed the long-awaited Black Hippy reunion, thrilling Hip-Hop fans.
Dr. Dre was the final guest, performing “Still D.R.E.” and “California Love.” He introduced the night’s last song, “Not Like Us,” which Kendrick performed six times, restarting the track three times after the first verse.
The concert’s production was top-notch, with the director, camera operators, sound engineers, and lighting technicians all delivering an exceptional performance.
Kendrick was joined by dancer Storm DeBarge and choreographer Charm La’Donna. The highlight of his set was the gang unification, which Kendrick emphasized was more important than any song or back-and-forth record. He expressed his emotions, mentioning the losses of Nipsey Hussle and Kobe Bryant, and declared, “Let the world see this.”
The event not only united different sets onstage but also brought out Hollywood’s elite, including Rick Ross, James Harden, Chika, Kayla Nicole, LeBron and Savannah James, Chlöe, The Weeknd, Malcolm Mays, Russell Westbrook, DeMar DeRozan, and more.
Kendrick turned Juneteenth 2024 into a cultural reunion, reminiscent of Jadakiss’s performance at The Lox/Dipset VERZUZ in 2021. He reminded the world of Los Angeles Hip-Hop’s significance to music and culture, making it a night to remember.
