Before Lamar’s Juneteenth show ‘The Pop Out’ in Inglewood, we spoke to fans in the parking lot about why they wanted to attend the show.
Thousands of Kendrick Lamar fans from across the country congregated Wednesday afternoon at the Forum in Inglewood for the hometown rapper’s only recently announced “The Pop Out — Ken & Friends” show, which took place roughly one month after his epic rap feud with Drake.
The concert, which was held on Juneteenth (an annual commemoration of the day in 1865 in which enslaved African Americans in Texas were told they were free), featured lively performances from dozens of L.A. artists including DJ Mustard, Ty Dolla Sign, Blxst, Steve Lacy, Westside Boogie, Dom Kennedy, RJMrLA, Tommy the Clown (along with his talented crew of child krumpers) and Tyler, the Creator. Lamar also surprised fans with a Black Hippy reunion by bringing Jay Rock, Ab-Soul and Schoolboy Q to the stage.
While many of Lamar’s supporters came to experience his Drake diss records — “Not Like Us” and “Euphoria” — performed live for the first time, others thought of the concert as the best way to celebrate Juneteenth, given the topics that Lamar regularly discusses in his music.
Before the event, we spoke to fans in the parking lot about why they wanted to attend the show, how Lamar’s music embodies the spirit of Juneteenth and why the event was a significant cultural moment in hip-hop history. Their responses have been lightly edited for length and clarity.
“There’s nobody, honestly, better than Lamar to bring out the community who actually know the history and purpose of Juneteenth and to get people more aware of Juneteenth and its importance.” — Omarri Veck, 24, of Los Angeles
“There’s been community representation, but hip-hop icon has taken Juneteenth as their celebration date and utilized it for something that speaks for the community.
