The Pop Out: Ken & Friends was a one-off concert by American rapper Kendrick Lamar. It was held at the Kia Forum in Inglewood, California, on June 19, 2024. The Juneteenth and Black Music Month celebration marked Lamar's first major performance following his highly publicized feud with Canadian rapper Drake.
Lamar unexpectedly announced the Pop Out two weeks prior to the event. Its set list consisted of about 60 songs predominantly conceived by musicians based in the Greater Los Angeles area. Spanning over three hours, over 25 West Coast artists were featured during the event, including opening acts DJ Hed and Mustard, Ty Dolla Sign, Dom Kennedy, Steve Lacy, Tyler, the Creator, Roddy Ricch, YG, Schoolboy Q, Jay Rock, Ab-Soul, and Dr. Dre. Lamar performed four of his five Drake-aimed diss tracks, "Like That", "Euphoria", "6:16 in LA" and "Not Like Us", for the first time during his headlining set; the latter track was performed five consecutive times.
After witnessing an exceedingly high demand in tickets, Amazon Music live-streamed the Pop Out through Prime Video and Twitch. A total of 16,000 fans were in attendance for the event. The impromptu concert received widespread acclaim from critics, who hailed it as a cultural landmark for West Coast hip-hop and Lamar's legacy. It currently holds the record for the most minutes watched of any video production distributed by Amazon Music.
Background
On March 22, 2024, American rapper Kendrick Lamar reignited his decade-long feud with Canadian rapper Drake. Lamar unexpectedly appeared on Future and Metro Boomin's single "Like That" to diss Drake and J. Cole for their 2023 single "First Person Shooter". A critical and commercial success, "Like That" topped the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart for three consecutive weeks.
Throughout April and May, Lamar and Drake exchanged various diss tracks aimed at the opposing party and other artists who were involved in their conflict, such as Future, Metro, ASAP Rocky, Rick Ross, and The Weeknd. Drake's arsenal included "Push Ups", "Taylor Made Freestyle" (which has since been removed), and "Family Matters", while Lamar's featured "Euphoria", "6:16 in LA", and "Meet the Grahams". As time passed, the allegations both rappers utilized against their opponent grew more severe. After Lamar released "Not Like Us", which marked his second Hot 100 chart-topper of 2024, Drake reportedly conceded with "The Heart Part 6". Rap analysts reached a unanimous verdict in Lamar's favor.
The Pop Out: Ken & Friends was surprise announced by Lamar on June 5, 2024, as his first major performance following the feud. Described by publications as a "victory lap" celebration, the concert is titled after a lyric from "Not Like Us"—"Sometimes you gotta pop out and show niggas"—and coincides with Juneteenth. Its sponsors include Cash App, Gin & Juice, and Visa. The concert's Juneteenth date also played into the irony of Drake's intended Family Matters diss line "Always rapping like you 'bout to get the slaves freed". The promotional poster for the event, which premiered alongside the announcement, is a motor vehicle sporting an airbrushed mural depicting roses, a pair of dice, and praying hands; its license plate lists the show details.
At the time the Pop Out was formally announced, no special guests were named. It elicited a range of speculation amongst media outlets as to who would join Lamar during his performance. On the eve of the concert, DJ Hed revealed on social media that he and Mustard would be the opening acts and shared the program itinerary. Each opener was slated to follow the headlining act's lead and be accompanied a group of special guests.
Ticket sales
Ticket sales for the Pop Out were primarily handled by Ticketmaster, although some sales occurred on other ticketing agencies. Cash App cardholders enjoyed presale access on June 6, due to Lamar's partnership with the payment service. Met with a "staggering high" demand, tickets sold out instantly after they went on sale to the general public the following day. Some social media users who waited in the queue area shared that they were in line behind over 100,000 prospective buyers. An estimated 16,000 total fans were in attendance for the concert.
Confirmed prices were reportedly affordable; however, scalpers and bots purchased tickets in bulk and listed them on resale platforms, resulting in exacerbated fees. On Ticketmaster, resale options ranged between $350 to $1,500 for a single seat. Observers such as Complex Jordan Rose grew skeptical about how the concert's intentions would be accurately translated on-air. He assumed that the majority of attendees would be White Americans, instead of Black Americans or other persons of color, but found that at least two-thirds of the actual audience were Black or Brown.
Broadcasting Hours after the general sale commenced, Amazon Music announced that the Pop Out will be live-streamed on Prime Video and the music streaming platform's Twitch channel from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. PT. The livestream was part of the streaming service's "Forever the Influence" initiative, which celebrates the contributions of Black artists, producers, and songwriters who have "shaped cultural landscapes" throughout Black Music Month. Power 106, the premier hip hop and rhythmic contemporary radio station in Greater Los Angeles, temporarily rebranded as "Kendrick 106" and exclusively played Lamar's discography from 6 a.m. to midnight on Juneteenth to commemorate the concert.
Production
The Pop Out was presented by PGLang—Lamar's creative company—and Free Lunch. Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG) promoted the event under their AEG Presents banner. Lamar previously worked with Tim Hinshaw, the founder and chief executive officer of Free Lunch, on the concert film Kendrick Lamar Live: The Big Steppers Tour (2022) during Hinshaw's tenure as Amazon Music's head executive of hip hop and R&B.
Amazon Music's broadcast was directed by Damien Gravois and Mike Carson. Lamar, Dave Free and Hank Neuberger executive produced the program through PGLang and Springboard Productions. Carson, Free and Lamar additionally served as the creative directors. E-40 narrated the event. After touching down in Washington, D.C. from Aspen, Colorado, he quickly rushed to his hotel to "answer the call" and contribute some "authentic game" to what he already knew would be a "monumental night" for the West Coast.
Development As Lamar and Drake's feud began dwindling down, DJ Hed proposed a plan to hold a concert at Inglewood's SoFi Stadium that could also serve as a music video for "Not Like Us". He did not know that Lamar was already developing the Pop Out when he shared his strategy with him. Although DJ Hed believed that he could have performed a successful show at SoFi, Lamar chose to hold the event at the Kia Forum due to the arena having his preferred environment.
PGLang and Free Lunch developed a list of artists they believed deserved to be spotlighted at the Pop Out. Lamar then contacted each act to ask if they would like to perform. Some artists, such as 03 Greedo and Vince Staples, declined due to scheduling conflicts. The Game was also absent, which elicited social media rumors on his whereabouts and relationships with Lamar and Drake. Roddy Ricch originally had plans to attend Paris Fashion Week, but canceled last minute to join the Pop Out. There were a few rehearsals held a week prior to the concert; however, DJ Hed told Los Angeles that he would not call them "rehearsals". He was given a game plan and a task to curate his set in a way that "makes sense from a DJ perspective and make it flow like it's supposed to." This made some rehearsals tough because the sets were curated on-the-spot with a limited timeframe. All of the participating artists were affiliated with opposing gangs and sections, but were able to get along with each other throughout the entire production.
Lamar wanted the impromptu event to feel like "some real hood shit," according to Jordan Rose. He witnessed several intimate and "energizing" moments backstage, such as Tommy the Clown practicing his routine side-by-side with YG and Dom Kennedy, or artists and their crew enjoying each other's company outside of the arena instead of staying siloed in their trailers. "I've never seen something like this in my lifetime, especially in the music space," Kennedy told him. "It just shows the power of being an artist." Although the event occurred on the heels of the feud, none of the artists said anything negative about Drake. "This was a pro us," DJ Hed explained to XXL. "It wasn't anti-anybody." Before the show started, he reminded Lamar that the event "ain't about nobody else. It's not about me, this is your moment," and encouraged him to "own" and enjoy it. Lamar simply replied with, "Say less."
Notable attendees A litany of celebrities attended the Pop Out, including Top Dawg Entertainment founder and CEO Anthony "Top Dawg" Tiffith, Rick Ross, The Weeknd, LeBron James, Russell Westbrook, DeMar DeRozan, James Harden, Coby White, LaKeith Stanfield, Ayo Edebiri, Lauren London, SZA, Hit-Boy and his father Big Hit, Rapsody, Rosalía, Chloe Bailey, Chika, North West and Mark Phillips of RDCWorld. Instead of installing elevated risers on the general admission floor, special guests and artists who were not performing either sat in the arena seats or stood with each other on the floor.
Media outlets took special interest in DeRozan's appearance, given his friendship with Drake. Lamar's longtime partner, Whitney Alford, also attended the Pop Out with their two children and other family members. She was seen smiling, dancing, and rapping along to her partner's music; Vibe Marc Griffin noted that her presence squashed various amounts of misinformation generated by Drake's fans and DJ Akademiks.
Fashion Lamar worked with his frequent stylist Taylor McNeill to pay homage to his biggest influence, Tupac Shakur, through his wardrobe. On stage, he wore a crop red hoodie with a white t-shirt underneath, wide-leg jeans, a red custom-made 59Fifty with his company's name placed around the Los Angeles Dodgers' letters, and a pair of Nike Shox R4. Three necklaces hung around his neck, including a cross chain designed by Ben Baller that is worth about $600,000. Spectators were quick to notice that Lamar donned an ensemble similar to the one Shakur wore during the 1994 Source Awards.
Merchandise for the Pop Out were made available for purchase before the show commenced. One of the designs featured a plate of fried rice with the phrase "Not Like Us" below it, a reference to the "Euphoria" line that mentioned the Toronto-based Chinese restaurant New Ho King. Many attendees opted to create their own merchandise for the show instead. Reedley, California native Nicole Flemate used an application software to paste Drake's face onto a box of Ozempic that Lamar accused him of using in "Meet the Grahams" for weight loss.
Concert synopsis
The Pop Out was over three hours long. It consisted of three acts, each subtitled "& Friends", that built upon one another as the show progressed. DJ Hed's opening act commenced the show. For over 45 minutes, he brought out over a dozen up-and-coming talent from Los Angeles one at a time to paint a "rough outline" of the city's current hip hop scene. Throughout his act, DJ Hed criticized the "straw men" who dismissed the West Coast's signature sonics. Remble, Westside Boogie, Ray Vaughn, Jay Worthy and Meet the Whoops, RJMrLA, OhGeesy, and Fenix Flexin were among the artists who performed during the first act. After JasonMartin closed out DJ Hed's set with "Like Whaaat", Tommy the Clown and the Hip Hop Clowns performed a dance number.