Black Hippy

Kendrick Lamar’s The Pop Out: The 5 Best Moments

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The Drake and Kendrick Lamar beef has been heavy on our minds this year. Perhaps, it’s largely because everyone is being forced to pick a side. Impassioned fans are glued to Instagram and YouTube comments where they attempt to discredit the other artist for one reason or another. Mind you, this battle was only about numbers because one of the participants happened to be the most streamed artist in the world. At its core, it boiled down to the music.

We’re at an interesting crossroads in the music industry where streaming numbers don’t translate to ticket sales. Several reports emerged recently about some of the top streaming artists struggling to sell tour tickets, raising concerns surrounding the authenticity of streaming numbers. Earlier this week, an individual appeared on DJ Akademiks’ stream where he alleged that Anthony Saleh, Kendrick Lamar’s manager, hired him to inflate the number of views on “Not Like Us,” the rapper’s chart-topping song that disses Drake, using bots. Joe Budden stated that he was aware (and doesn’t care) of the alleged bot scandal. Meanwhile, several fans attempted to debunk the claim. But, with Kendrick Lamar’s The Pop Out – Ken & Friends concert, it became apparent that the hype was far from fabricated.

The incredible event hosted by pgLang and Free Lunch unified the West Coast. Kendrick reunited Black Hippy on stage for the first time in years and shared the stage with dozens of L.A. rappers. While the majority of viewers didn’t get the opportunity to witness history made inside of the Kia Forum in person, we all tuned in from the comfort of our homes to find out exactly what Kendrick Lamar and co. had up their sleeves. So, without further ado, we’re diving into our five favorite moments from last night’s event.

5. Tommy The Clown

If the point of Kendrick Lamar’s The Pop Out was to honor the legacy of the West Coast, it wouldn’t have been complete without a staple in the city: Tommy The Clown. DJ Hed introduced the pioneer of clowning to the stage where Tommy brought along his dance crew for an electrifying performance. 

The Los Angeles-based dancer played a key role in the evolution of hip-hop dance. More importantly, he established a dance crew titled Hip Hop Clowns which offered an outlet for kids in the city. “No gangs, No drugs, Do well in school (grades, attendance, and behavior), and be a role model by living a positive lifestyle at all times” are the rules that Tommy established. Decades later, his legacy as a community leader became as important as his impact on dance. During his performance last night, he empowered the youth and allowed them on one of the biggest stages to get a glimpse of where hard work can lead. It was a perfect performance that underlined the significance of the event; yes, it was a victory lap for Kendrick Lamar but it was also a showcase of the raw talent in Los Angeles. 

Read More: Tommy The Clown Receives His Flowers After Pulling Up To Kendrick Lamar’s “Pop Out” Concert

4. Dr. Dre’s Cameo

Nearly thirteen years ago, Dr. Dre sat in the crowd of the Music Box Theatre in Los Angeles as The Game, Snoop Dogg, Kurupt, Daz, and Warren G passed the West Coast torch to Kendrick Lamar. It’s a moment that lived on in history together, and felt even more important when they joined the stage at Coachella in 2012 to perform “The Recipe.” However, after over a decade of working together closely, Dr. Dre’s appearance at the Kia Forum for The Pop Out felt like an even more significant milestone in Kendrick Lamar’s career.

Performing “Still D.R.E.” felt appropriate for the venue but the inclusion of “California Love” in the setlist was a direct message to Kendrick’s opponent, who he told, “Give me 2Pac ring back and I might give you a little respect” in a lyric change on “Euphoria” at the beginning of the set. Drake might be flaunting a piece of American history on his finger, but the collective West Coast resentment toward “Taylor Made Freestyle” felt palpable at that moment. So, when Dr. Dre helped introduce “Not Like Us,” it became clear that the West Coast is unified, from the OGs who broke down the doors to the young L.A. artists who are carrying on the tradition. 

Read More: Kendrick Lamar Really Popped Out: The West Coast Is Back On Top

3. DJ Mustard’s Set – YG, Roddy Ricch, Tyler, The Creator, Steve Lacy, Dom Kennedy & More

DJ Hed and DJ Mustard set the tone for Kendrick Lamar’s The Pop Out show but the latter truly gave us a history lesson on the last decade-plus of Los Angeles’ sound. Mustard has undoubtedly been an architect evolving the West Coast and his set certainly reflected his impact. Collaborators like YG and Roddy Ricch turned out the Kia Forum with the intensity of hit records like “BPT” and “The Box,” respectively, while understated Los Angeles legends, JasonMartin (F.K.A. Problem) and Dom Kennedy glided through the stage in a cool-and-calm fashion while igniting the crowd with L.A. Pride. However, the versatility of Mustard’s set with the inclusion of Tyler, The Creator, Ty Dolla $ign, and Steve Lacy further embodied the West Coast’s impact outside of California, too.

Read More: Tyler The Creator Almost Starts An Earthquake After Surprising Fans At Kendrick Lamar’s “Pop Out” Show

2. Black Hippy Reunites On Stage

Listen, we’ve basically been left hanging on the possibility of a Black Hippy album. Plus, Kendrick’s departure from Top Dawg Entertainment left little hope of the project ever happening. In the past few years of Kendrick launching pgLang and embarking on a journey outside of the label that he launched his career with, many wondered where exactly he stands with Jay Rock, ScHoolboy Q, and Ab-Soul. It’s been a minute since we’ve seen them together.

For the sake of the evening, Jay Rock, ScHoolboy, and Soulo appeared on stage one-by-one to reunite Black Hippy for the first time in a long time. Though Kendrick performed songs like “Money Tree” with Jay Rock and “Collard Greens” with ScHoolboy Q, it felt a tad disappointing that he limited Ab-Soul’s appearance ad-libs on “6:16 In L.A.” Regardless, it was an important moment, one that we’ve been waiting on for years but what could’ve elevated it even further was if they performed “Vice City,” “Black Lip Bastard,” or even “THat Part (Remix)” together.

Read More: Kendrick Lamar & Black Hippy Finally Give Fans The Reunion They Dreamed Of At “The Pop Out”

1. Unifying L.A.

The most important part of the evening came at the end of the show after Kendrick had already performed “Not Like Us” three times in a row. Yes, it was a spectacular moment to hear the song live for the first time, whether in the venue or at home. However, it became a critical piece to Kendrick’s thesis for the night: bringing Los Angeles together.

When “Not Like Us” first came out, rumors emerged that its infectious production and chorus had practically created an unspoken ceasefire in the city – members of all gangs unified to celebrate a victory on the West Coast. However, it became true as all the performers, hailing from different sections of the city and claiming various sets, emerged on stage together to celebrate the success of the event. From Bloods to Crips, Kendrick stood alongside each as equals, shaking hands as he performed his hit single and grinning from ear-to-ear.

“This shit making me emotional. We been fucked up since Nipsey [Hussle] died. We been fucked up since Kobe [Bryant] died. This is unity at its finest,” Kendrick said on stage as he attempted to gather everyone together for what will certainly be regarded as an iconic photo. “We done lost a lot of homies to this music shit, to this street shit. For all of us to be together on stage, that shit is special. Everybody on this stage got fallen soldiers.”

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Kendrick Lamar & Black Hippy Finally Give Fans The Reunion They Dreamed Of At “The Pop Out”

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TDE supergroup Black Hippy finally fulfilled fans’ dreams and hit the stage together for the first time in a long time at member Kendrick Lamar’s “The Pop Out” concert last night (Wednesday, Juneteenth). Of course, the team behind the show promoted it as an event “with friends,” so guest appearances and special performances were par the course. Still, a lot of folks assumed that Ken would bring out Baby Keem and recent collaborators as well, but a more skeptical buzz when it came to whether Black Hippy would reunite. In retrospect, assuming that Mr. Morale wouldn’t capitalize on this opportunity with his L.A. brothers sounds outright ridiculous.

Moreover, here’s how it all went down. First, Jay Rock emerged during Kendrick Lamar’s performance of “Money Trees” to deliver one of his best verses ever. Then, Ab-Soul came out to sing the beginning of Kendrick’s “6:16 In LA” Drake diss, which he had posted a notable video of doing back when the beef was at a more heightened tension level. Finally, ScHoolboy Q came out to his K.Dot collab “Collard Greens.” The quartet stuck around to vibe out to Q’s “THat Part” (no Black Hippy remix verses, sadly) and to Ken’s “King Kunta.”

Read More: Kendrick Lamar & His Explosive “Pop Out” Show Have Fans Hilariously Speculating On Drake’s Reaction To It

Black Hippy Returns At Kendrick Lamar’s “Pop Out”

Obviously, they all popped out for the multiple performances on “Not Like Us,” which was another heartening moment to see. If you remove the context of a Drake diss (a near-impossible task, as the setlist opened with “Euphoria” and also included the “Like That” verse), “The Pop Out” seems like a wholly positive and unitary event. It certainly was so, but Kendrick Lamar made it clear that it wasn’t all fun and games, either. After all, duality is a Gemini’s best friend.

Also, it was amazing to see some love and renewed respect for Los Angeles legends that the newer generation might be less familiar with. The biggest non-musical example of this is the appearance of Tommy The Clown, an L.A. dance legend that invented the “clowning” dance style that led to “krumping” during the 1992 Rodney King riots. Surely more info and West Coast history will emerge as a result of Kendrick Lamar’s “Pop Out.” Hopefully more celebrations of the culture can happen throughout the year that aren’t tied to PDF file-downloading allegations.

Read More: Kendrick Lamar “The Pop Out:” Full List Of Guests And Performances

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Here Are All Of The Surprise Performers From Kendrick Lamar’s ‘The Pop Out’ Concert

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Kendrick Lamar concluded his sensational The Pop Out — Ken & Friends Juneteenth concert at Kia Forum in Los Angeles on Wednesday night, June 19, by welcoming all of the night’s surprise performers — the “friends” in the billing — to dance while he ran through “Not Like Us,” his masterclass Drake diss track that hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, five times in a row.

Below, check out all of those surprise performers from DJ Hed, Mustard, and Kendrick Lamar’s respective sets.

Here Are All Of The Surprise Performers From Kendrick Lamar’s ‘The Pop Out’ Concert

DJ Hed

Remble (“Touchable”)
Ray Vaughn (“Problems”)
Cuzzos (“Goldmembers”)
Rucci & AzChike (“Light It Up”)
Meet The Whoops (“Meet The Whoops”)
Wallie The Sensei (“03 Flow”)
Westside Boogie (“Silent Ride”)
Zoe Osama (“Underrated”)
Kalan.FrFr & G Perico (“Right Wit It”)
Bino Rideaux (“Bozo”)
BlueBucksClan (“Walkin’ In”)
RJMrLA (“Get Rich”)
OhGeesy (“Geekaleek”)
Jason Martin (“Like Whaaat”)
Tommy The Clown

Mustard

310babii (“Soak City [Do It]”)
Blxst (“Overrated” & “Chosen”)
Ty Dolla Sign (“Paranoid”)
Dom Kennedy (“My Type Of Party” & “When I Come Around”)
Steve Lacy (“Static” & “Bad Habit”)
Tyler The Creator (“WusYaName” & “Earfquake”)
Roddy Ricch (“Racks In The Middle,” “Die Young,” “The Box,” “Ballin’”)
YG (“BPT,” “My N****,” “You Broke,” “Toot It And Boot It,” “Who Do You Love?” & “Big Bank”)

Kendrick Lamar

Jay Rock (“Money Trees,” “Win,” “King’s Dead”)
Ab-Soul (“6:16 In LA”)
Schoolboy Q (“Collard Greens” & “THat Part”)
Dr. Dre (“Still D.R.E.” & “California Love”)

Here Is Kendrick Lamar’s ‘The Pop Out — Ken & Friends’ Concert Setlist

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Kendrick Lamar was a man on a mission tonight (June 19). His The Pop Out — Ken & Friends concert at Los Angeles’ Kia Forum featured DJ Hed and Mustard as openers, and their sets were each stacked with guest appearances, but Lamar exceeded all expectations once his set began. The bar was set extremely high from the jump, as Lamar opened with the live debut of “Euphoria,” one of his recent Drake diss tracks, but he cleared it with ease by punctuating the night with “Not Like Us” five times in a row. Five!

Check out Lamar’s full The Pop Out setlist below.

Kendrick Lamar’s ‘The Pop Out — Ken & Friends’ Concert Setlist

1. “Euphoria” (Live debut)
2. “DNA.”
3. “ELEMENT.”
4. “Alright”
5. “Swimming Pools (Drank)”
6. “Money Trees” (With Jay Rock)
7. “Win” (Jay Rock cover) (With Jay Rock)
8. “King’s Dead” (Kendrick Lamar, Jay Rock, Future, James Blake cover) (With Jay Rock)
9. “6:16 In LA” (With Ab-Soul) (Live debut)
10. “Collard Greens (Schoolboy Q cover) (With Schoolboy Q, Ab-Soul, and Jay Rock)
11. “THat Part” (Schoolboy Q cover) (with Schoolboy Q)
12. “King Kunta”
13. “m.A.A.d city”
14. “HUMBLE.”
15. “Like That” (Future and Metro Boomin cover) (Live debut)
16. “Still D.R.E.” (Dr. Dre cover) (With Dr. Dre)
17. “California Love” (2Pac cover) (With Dr. Dre)
18. “Not Like Us” (Live debut)
19. “Not Like Us”
20. “Not Like Us”
21. “Not Like Us”
22. “Not Like Us”
23. “Not Like Us” (Instrumental)

Kendrick Lamar Delivered The Long-Awaited Black Hippy Reunion At ‘The Pop Out’ Concert, Where They Performed A Medley Of Songs

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Kendrick Lamar opened his The Pop Out — Ken & Friends Juneteenth concert at LA’s Kia Forum by delivering the live debut of “Euphoria,” one of his Drake diss tracks from this spring, and adding another ruthless bar to it.

Somehow, The Pop Out got better from there.

Lamar staged a long-awaited Black Hippy reunion. One by one, he was joined on stage by Jay Rock, Ab-Soul, and Schoolboy Q. They performed a medley of songs, including “Money Trees,” “Win,” “King’s Dead,” “6:16 In LA,” “Collard Greens,” “That Part,” and “King Kunta.”

Black Hippy, a Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE) supergroup formed in the late 2000s, never released a full group LP, though it remained a vague possibility as of March 2023.

In February 2022, Terrance Louis “Punch” Henderson discussed Black Hippy never releasing an album during an interview with Mic.

“We definitely wanted to do a Black Hippy album,” Punch said. “But it was such a learning experience for us, everything was new. The timing never really panned out. When one guy would be recording his album, another guy would be on tour. Everybody was never in the same timeframe. So we didn’t want to hold back; we wanted to keep going and just push further into their individual careers. In hindsight, I wish I would’ve pushed the Black Hippy album more. That was always my goal, personally. You would have to ask everybody individually to see if that’s what their goal was.”

Chuck D Asks Kendrick Lamar For A Black Hippy Reunion Now That The Drake Beef Is Done

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Kendrick Lamar has been at the heart of the biggest story in rap music for weeks now. While his beef with Drake dates all the way back to the release of Future & Metro Boomin’s album WE DON’T TRUST YOU back in March. But it was the explosion of rapid fire diss tracks aimed back and forth that kept everyone on the edge of their seats as the pair dropped four songs in the span of just a few days. Now fans have finally exhaled and started to unpack the beef as a whole. But Public Enemy rapper Chuck D is ready for Kendrick to move on to something else.

In a recent tweet, Chuck made a request of Kendrick for his next venture. “I’m still waiting for #BlackHippy.. loved the name mcs and the music. I dig rap groups and collectives that is no secret. I would love to see. @kendricklamar give it life again..” his tweet reads. Black Hippy is a supergroup of sorts made up of TDE rappers Ab-Soul, Jay Rock, ScHoolboy Q, and of course, Kendrick Lamar. The group only ever collaborated a handful of times but it was clearly enough to make fans remember and Chuck D is no different. Despite his request, the likelihood of a reunion doesn’t seem particularly high given that Kendrick has since moved on from the Top Dawg Entertainment label. Check out the tweet Chuck made and the fan responses to it below.

Read More: Chuck D Reacts To Joe Biden’s State Of The Union Address: “Pay Attention”

Chuck D Wants A Black Hippy Reunion

This isn’t the first time Chuck D has chimed in on Kendrick Lamar recently. Just after the beef with Drake wrapped up Chuck suggested that the two bury the hatchet and go on tour together. The comment was probably made jokingly but fans couldn’t help but imagine the can’t-miss event that would result.

What do you think of Chuck D’s request for Kendrick Lamar to re-form Black Hippy and release new material now that his Drake beef is over? Do you think there’s any chance the four will actually record new material any time soon? Let us know in the comment section below.

Read More: Chuck D Net Worth 2024: What Is The Public Enemy Icon Worth?

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Black Hippy: Where Are They Now?

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Despite never releasing a full-length project as a group, Black Hippy is one of the most revered hip hop brands of the 2010s. The rap supergroup, composed of Compton-based artists Jay Rock, ScHoolboy Q, Ab-Soul, and Kendrick Lamar, was active from 2008 until 2016. The members met and began collaborating after signing to the independent music label Top Dawg Entertainment. There, each of their solo careers would flourish, making most of the members household names in the hip hop community.

Though the four members have never officially announced a breakup, they have not released a joint effort in over six years, leaving many fans to assume that Black Hippy will never drop a debut album. Additionally, Kendrick Lamar’s split from the TDE label in 2022 likely means the quartet will not reunite for any new tracks in the coming years.

ScHoolboy Q

ScHoolboy Q is the artist primarily credited with the formation of Black Hippy. Q has admitted that, as the last of the four to sign with Top Dawg Entertainment, he was intimidated by the roster of top-tier lyricists on the label. Once he began recording sessions with his labelmates, Q quickly determined that their chemistry would flourish in collaborations. He noted that rapping within a group would afford him the luxury of penning only one verse for each track.

In the years since Black Hippy informally disbanded, ScHoolboy Q has released solo albums, including the 2019 effort CrasH Talk. Though the album received positive reviews from fans and critics, hip hop heads noted a mysterious lack of features and inclusions from his Black Hippy peers. Kendrick Lamar features in several minor uncredited appearances on the album. However, other TDE signees, Jay Rock and Ab-Soul, are nowhere to be heard on the record.

Further, ScHoolboy Q has been vocal about his difficulty creating music in the years since Mac Miller’s death. The rapper was incredibly close with Mac, both musically and personally. Q also credits Miller’s passing as a key influence in his decision to get sober in 2019. Outside of music, the rapper has become an avid golfer. Q has appeared in advertisements for TopGolf and participating in the 2022 PGA tour.

Ab-Soul

Ab-Soul appeared alongside ScHoolboy Q on the 2013 XXL Freshman cover. Similar to many TDE artists, Soul’s output has seemingly come to a halt in recent years, with only one project released since 2016. The album, titled Herbert, features a host of features from his TDE label mates, though none of his Black Hippy affiliates are among the credits. Herbert was released in December of 2022. The album serves as one of the rapper’s most revealing and introspective pieces yet.

In 2022, Ab-Soul opened up about his struggle with drugs and mental health, revealing that he had attempted suicide earlier that year. In an interview with Charlamagne Tha God, Soul stated, “I jumped off a freeway overpass, man, it was about 50 feet. I think a car broke my fall. No brain damage. It’s God. That was, ‘Alright bro, now sit down and shut up. Take it all in. Relax. You blessed, man.’”

Luckily, the rapper has assured his fans that he is mentally in a much better place following the event. Ab-Soul performed an NPR Tiny Desk concert in February of 2023, highlighting some of his biggest songs and newly released pieces from his latest album.

Jay Rock

In 2016, Jay Rock experienced a serious motorcycle accident that resulted in a number of broken bones and required extensive surgery. Though he recovered well, the healing process served as a long and arduous journey for the rapper. This incident became the focus of Jay Rock’s most recent solo album, Redemption. Redemption was released in 2018, with several features from Kendrick Lamar but no Black Hippy reunion tracks.

Jay Rock won his first-ever Grammy award in 2019 for the song “King’s Dead,” which featured Kendrick, Future, and James Blake. The track originally appeared on the soundtrack for the film Black Panther, with each of the four Black Hippy artists featured on separate songs. An abridged version of the track, without James Blake and Kendrick, appeared as a rerelease on Rock’s Redemption album.

Additionally, Jay Rock continues to tease an upcoming release titled Eastside Johnny, which is expected to drop in 2024. One of the lead singles for the album, “Blowfly,” was released in October 2023 and features a lively performance from Ab-Soul.

Kendrick Lamar

Kendrick Lamar is the Black Hippy alumnus, which likely requires the least introduction. The multi-platinum-selling rapper has achieved massive critical and commercial success in recent years, including a Pulitzer Prize, 17 Grammy awards, and the highest-grossing headline tour of all time by a rap artist. Kendrick has released two studio albums since the last Black Hippy collaboration, 2017’s Damn and 2022’s Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers.

His latest album marked an end to his contractual obligation with TDE, resulting in the “Humble” rapper departing the label. Kendrick has since founded PGLang alongside Dave Free, which serves as a multimedia and creative communications company. Under the PGLang banner, Lamar has collaborated closely with his cousin, Baby Keem, and signed on to produce a feature film with the team behind South Park. In 2023, Kendrick made waves by appearing on a remix of Beyoncé’s “America Has A Problem.”

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Anthony ‘Top Dawg’ Tiffith Teases That A Black Hippy ‘Album Or EP’ Could Be In The Works Soon

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Top Dawg Entertainment has come a long way since 2012 when the above photo was taken at SXSW. Kendrick Lamar has since won a few Grammys and a Pulitzer Prize, Schoolboy Q has taken up golf, Ab-Soul has survived depression and anxiety, and Jay Rock… is still Jay Rock, I guess. He keeps to himself a lot.

But collectively, there’s one thing we never really got from Black Hippy: A full group project. That may change soon, despite their vocal reticence throughout the years, if the man who started their label has his way. Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith teased a potential project from them during a Twitter Q&A session with fans.

When one fan asked whether the group would ever do a remix of “Vice City,” Top’s favorite Black Hippy track per a previous answer, the label head went one step further. “I think they will…” he replied. “They owe y’all an album or EP.”

Now, whether such a thing will come to fruition remains to be seen. As mentioned above, it seems very much like at least two (maybe three) members of the collective are halfway retired as it is, Kendrick is busy with PgLang and his cousin Baby Keem’s career, and three-quarters of the group have kids — which can really change the calculus for album release strategies. Hopefully, they can carve out some time to get into the studio together, though, because as a group, their chemistry was always unmatched and extremely enjoyable.