KEN & FRIENDS FILL THE FORUM

Photos by Timothy Norris/Getty Images for pgLang, Amazon Music and Free Lunch

Described by one pundit as "We Are the World" but "for hating a guy," Kendrick Lamar’s "Juneteenth Pop Out Show" Wednesday (6/19) at the Forum was about celebrating Los Angeles rap, bringing rival L.A. gangs together in peace and unity, honoring fallen loved ones, including Nipsey Hussle and Kobe Bryant, and, yes, sharing hatred of K.Dot's rap rival, Drake.

The instantly sold-out, AEG-promoted show, which was streamed live on Amazon Prime and Twitch—breaking the record for the most minutes watched of any Amazon Music production ever—was Lamar’s first live performance since his highly publicized beef with the Canadian hip-hop star. The back-and-forth culminated in the diss track “Not Like Us,” which has rung up nearly 300m streams in six weeks and was performed five—you heard that right, FIVE—times in a row to close out the evening. Watch the first one here.

The 22-song set list began with another anti-Drake tune, "euphoria," and featured a wealth of guests, including Dr. Dre, who joined the fun on "Still D.R.E.," "California Love" and the first of the five airings of "Not Like Us."

Tyler, the Creator, Steve Lacy, Roddy Rich, ScHoolboy Q, YG, Jay Rock, Ab-Soul and Mustard were also onstage at various points during the evening.

“This shit making me emotional," Lamar confided. "We been fucked up since Nipsey died. We been fucked up since Kobe died.” For him, the moment was about more than just a rap beef as he danced with rival members of the Crips and Bloods, then brought them together for a photo on the Forum stage.

Tyler later weighed in on the experience, writing on X, "it was beautiful to see the whole city come together last night. my first raps were written at home off crenshaw dr and 82nd, right down the street from the fourm. thank you. shoutout FREE LUNCH." Check out the video below.

it was beautiful to see the whole city come together last night. my first raps were written at home off crenshaw dr and 82nd, right down the street from the fourm. thank you. shoutout FREE LUNCH https://t.co/aoPmNqmcsO

— T (@tylerthecreator) June 20, 2024