After witnessing an exceedingly high demand in tickets, Amazon Musiclive-streamed the Pop Out through Prime Video and Twitch. 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.
The Pop Out: Ken & Friends was surprise announced by Lamar on June 5, 2024, as his first major performance following the feud.[20][21] 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.[22] The promotional poster for the event, which premiered alongside the announcement, is a motor vehicle sporting an airbrushedmural depicting roses, a pair of dice, and praying hands; its license plate lists the show details.[23]
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.[24][25] 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.[26] Each opener was slated to follow the headlining act's lead and be accompanied a group of special guests.[27]
Ticket sales for the Pop Out were primarily handled by Ticketmaster, although some sales occurred on other ticketing agencies.[28] Cash App cardholders enjoyed presale access on June 6, due to Lamar's partnership with the payment service.[28] Met with a "staggering high" demand, tickets sold out instantly after they went on sale to the general public the following day.[29] Some social media users who waited in the queue area shared that they were in line behind over 100,000 prospective buyers.[29]
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.[29] Observers such as Complex's 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.[30]
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.[31]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.[32]
Production
E-40, who narrated the Pop Out, recorded his parts soon after arriving in Washington, D.C.
Amazon Music's broadcast was directed by Damien Gravois and Mike Carson.[30] Lamar, Dave Free and Hank Neuberger executive produced the program through PGLang and Springboard Productions.[30] Carson, Free and Lamar additionally served as the creative directors.[30]E-40 narrated the event.[36] 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.[36]
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".[37] He did not know that Lamar was already developing the Pop Out when he shared his strategy with him.[37] 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.[37]
PGLang and Free Lunch developed a list of artists they believed deserved to be spotlighted at the Pop Out.[38] Lamar then contacted each act to ask if they would like to perform.[38] Some artists, such as 03 Greedo and Vince Staples, declined due to scheduling conflicts.[39][40]The Game was also absent, which elicited social media rumors on his whereabouts and relationships with Lamar and Drake.[41]Roddy Ricch originally had plans to attend Paris Fashion Week, but canceled last minute to join the Pop Out.[42] 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".[43] 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."[43] This made some rehearsals tough because the sets were curated on-the-spot with a limited timeframe.[38] 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.[44]
Lamar wanted the impromptu event to feel like "some real hood shit," according to Jordan Rose.[30] 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.[30] "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."[30] 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."[38] 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."[38]
Media outlets took special interest in DeRozan's appearance, given his friendship with Drake.[46] Lamar's longtime partner, Whitney Alford, also attended the Pop Out with their two children and other family members.[47] She was seen smiling, dancing, and rapping along to her partner's music; Vibe's Marc Griffin noted that her presence squashed various amounts of misinformation generated by Drake's fans and DJ Akademiks.[47]
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.[48] Three necklaces hung around his neck, including a cross chain designed by Ben Baller that is worth about $600,000.[49] Spectators were quick to notice that Lamar donned an ensemble similar to the one Shakur wore during the 1994 Source Awards.[49]
Merchandise for the Pop Out were made available for purchase before the show commenced.[50] 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.[50] Many attendees opted to create their own merchandise for the show instead.[51]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.[51]
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.[52] 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.[53] Throughout his act, DJ Hed criticized the "straw men" who dismissed the West Coast's signature sonics.[53]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.[54]
Lamar's victory lap encompassed the third and final act. He began his portion with the first live performance of "Euphoria", which contained updated lyrics aimed at Drake's possession of Shakur's crown ring.[60][61] Sheldon Pearce of NPR Music noticed that as Lamar paraded the audience through a "tour past a corpse" using his greatest hits and career achievements, much of his lyricism now read as "prescient" disses towards Drake.[52] Many critics noticed that Lamar did not perform any songs from his most recent album, Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers (2022). Pearce respected the omission as he felt the album's energy would not have fit the Pop Out's message: sharing one's platform instead of avoiding one's onus.[52]Jay Rock joined Lamar to perform "Money Trees" while Ab-Soul accompanied him for the debut performance of "6:16 in LA".[52]Schoolboy Q completed the Black Hippy reunion when he appeared to perform "Collard Greens".[52] Lamar performed his verse on "Like That" for the first time before Dr. Dre made a surprise appearance to perform "Still D.R.E." and "California Love".[52]
"Not Like Us" performances
To conclude the Pop Out, Lamar performed "Not Like Us" five times back-to-back with different elements infused in each iteration.[52] He asked Dr. Dre after they finished performing "California Love" if he had anything he wanted to tell the crowd before he exited the stage. Dre said "yes" and asked for a moment of silence from the crowd before whispering the opening lines from "Not Like Us": "Psst, I see dead people."[62] The debut performance of the song stopped once Lamar reached the line, "Why you trollin' like a bitch? Ain't you tired? / Tryna strike a chord and it's probably A minor".[62]
Lamar let the crowd hold on to the last note before asking them, "Y'all ain't gonna let anyone disrespect the West Coast, huh? Oh, y'all ain't gonna let nobody mock and imitate our legends, huh?"[62] He played "Not Like Us" a second time, but let the audience rap the song to him until the aforementioned line.[63] The entire song was played for the third pyrotechnics-enhanced performance, which featured appearances by dancers Charm La'Donna—who is also Lamar's longtime choreographer—and Storm DeBarge.[64] Mustard led a majority of the featured artists to return to the stage for the fourth installment. They were also joined by the basketball players Russell Westbrook and DeMar DeRozan, as well as members of several Los Angeles street gangs.[54]
Group photograph
Before "Not Like Us" was played once more, Lamar organized a group photograph with all of the artists onstage. None of the special guests knew that he planned to take the picture.[65] Lamar grew emotional as he gathered all of the participants, admitting that he and other Los Angeles residents have been struggling to cope with the deaths of Hussle and Kobe Bryant.[66] "Let the world see this!" he exclaimed. "You ain't seen this many sections on one stage keeping it together and having peace."[66] He asked everyone to take up the entire stage so everything would be shown.[66] As Armen Keleshian captured the scene, Lamar proudly declared the Pop Out as "unity at its finest."[66] "We done lost a lot of homies to this music shit, lot of homies to this street shit," he explained. "And for all of us to be on this stage together. Unity from each side of motherfucking L.A. Crips, Bloods, Pirus, this shit is special, man."[66]
"Everybody on this stage got fallen soldiers," Lamar continued. "But we right here, right now, celebrating all of them, all talented individuals. This shit ain't got nothing to do with no motherfucking song at this point. Ain't got nothing to do with no back-and-forth records. It got everything to do with this moment right here. That's what this shit is about: bringing all of us together."[66] Pearce compared Keleshian's photograph to Art Kane's A Great Day in Harlem (1958) and its 2005 Atlanta recreation assembled by T.I.[52][67] "Not Like Us" was then performed for the fifth time.[63] Its instrumental played in the background as everyone exited the stage.[63]
Reception
Critical response
The Pop Out concert, especially the ending, was a moment for [Lamar] and the entire West Coast to remind us that they are bigger than their tragedies. They're resilient in their peace. Unyielding in their happiness. They're unwavering in their love of the culture and unabashed in their willingness to dance when joy is at their feet. These are the things they popped out and showed us.
— David Dennis Jr., Kendrick Lamar’s 'The Pop Out' concert turned hate into love, Andscape[68]
The Pop Out: Ken & Friends was met with widespread acclaim from contemporary critics, who praised the production quality, inclusion of underground talent, versatile performances, Lamar's showmanship, and cultural significance to the West Coast.[69] Aaron Williams for Uproxx stated that the event was a "testament" to Los Angeles' legacy of contrarianism, contradiction, and rejection of "external" definitions.[70]Pitchfork's Paul A. Thompson dubbed the "unforgettable haters' ball" as one of the most electric concerts in hip hop history.[53] Ryan Pearson of the Associated Press hailed the livestream as a "cathartic celebration,"[71] while Andscape's David Dennis Jr. called it the best hip hop concert he has ever enjoyed through a television screen.[68]
Several journalists, including Billboard's Angel Diaz, believed that the Pop Out cemented Lamar's legacy as one of the greatest rappers of all time and the new "King of Rap".[72][73]Snoop Dogg crowned him the "King of the West" and praised his ability to unite the hip hop community.[74] Frazier Tharpe of GQ felt that the "love letter" to Los Angeles placed Lamar within the "wider tapestry" of its rap mythology.[75] Mya Abraham, in a review for Vibe, commended him for turning Juneteenth into a "cultural reunion" and reminding viewers why Los Angeles hip hop is "essential" to music, culture, and beyond.[64]Variety's Shaheem Reid claimed the event could serve as the opening of a "major resurgence" of West Coast hip hop under Lamar's leadership.[76]Ice-T applauded Lamar's attempt at a "potential gang truce", which he considered to be a "cure for cancer" for those who grew up around Los Angeles' gang culture.[77]
Dr. Dre's appearance, however, generated controversy due to his extensive history of violence against women. Dennis called his inclusion the Pop Out's "only blemish" and another example of "alleged abusers being platformed in moments that are supposed to promote ideas of Black unity, again putting all of us, especially Black women, in a place of having to overlook harm to get to the enjoyment."[68] Kaitlyn McNab expressed similar sentiments in an op-ed for Teen Vogue. She found that Dr. Dre's presence left a "painfully ironic" stain on an otherwise "triumphant" concert.[78]
Ratings and impact
The Pop Out: Ken & Friends broke the record for the most minutes watched of any Amazon Music video production across Prime Video and Twitch.[79] Lamar, Black Hippy, Mustard and other surprise performers enjoyed a significant increase in on-demand streams in the US.[80] Led by PGLang and Free Lunch, all of the participating artists collectively donated $200,000 to 20 charities and community initiatives based in Los Angeles.[81]
Keleshian's group photograph was instantly hailed as a memorable image.[82] Amazon Music plastered his photo on a celebratory billboard outside of the Kia Forum with the caption "Us." and subtitled with the concert details.[83] Another version of the signage, subtitled "Thank You KDot", emerged on Compton's Rosecrans Avenue and Avalon Boulevard.[83]