kendrick lamar drake beef

Charleston White Picks Drake Over Kendrick Lamar As A “Way Better” Rapper

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Some people are very tired of the Drake and Kendrick Lamar beef, but others are just getting around to commenting on it. Of course, debate over this clash of the titans has raged heavily online even before things really took a turn with the “Like That” verse and the ensuing lyrical chaos. Moreover, fans continue to argue for their winner across different metrics, and one of the Internet’s most controversial and incendiary cultural commentators threw his hat into the ring. During a recent interview with Say Cheese!, Charleston White explained why he thinks the 6ix God is a more worthy MC than Mr. Morale.

“They ain’t going nowhere,” Charleston White said of the Los Angeles artists that Kendrick Lamar brought out at his “Pop Out” concert. “Ain’t nobody finna listen to no bunch of up-and-coming L.A. artists but L.A. people in their neighborhood. Don’t nobody want to hear that s**t. N***a, Kendrick, n***a, listen. Let me just say this: Drake way better. N***a, Drake way better rapping.

Read More: Charleston White & Tia Kemp Go To War As Blocks And Account Restrictions Run Amok

Charleston White Speaks On Kendrick Lamar Versus Drake

“N***a, I know Drake songs,” Charleston White continued. “I ain’t never heard a n***a in Texas pull up bumping Kendrick’s s**t, nothing! N***a, we like -– as much as I don’t like that n***a. N***a, you heard me who I -– come on, my n***a. I was just going against the grain. But come on, let’s be fair and clear. Man, Kendrick can’t compare. Unless you like twisting your fingers up like the r***rded people. That’s the only way you gon’ like Kendrick. You got to be r***rded [mocking gang signs]. Sensible people don’t gravitate to that bulls**t.

“So so what he gave these up-and-coming artists a spotlight for the day?” Charleston White concluded. “Most of them will be dead by tomorrow, due to the gang politics. California, Compton, or whatever you want to call it. Homie, it’s not vibrant. So why would you go shoot something where… N***a, nothing grows here, everything dies.” It’s clear that there are still many angles through which to analyze this Kendrick Lamar and Drake beef. But to outright diminish either artist’s efforts in this battle or their career achievements seems like a short-sighted endeavor.

Read More: Charleston White’s Insensitive Reaction To Foolio’s Tragic Death Goes Viral

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DJ Akademiks Claims Kendrick Lamar’s Camp Told Him About Stream Botters

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A lot of ink, stream time, and podcasting hours have been dedicated to stream botting accusations against both Kendrick Lamar and Drake amid their beef and diss track exchanges. Moreover, DJ Akademiks is one of the main people pushing this narrative against the Compton lyricist, although he stands by his sources. In fact, he recently claimed that K.Dot’s own camp was the one who came forward with these accusations, or at least, that Ak found this connection through that group. Of course, this is all highly speculative and largely unconfirmed in a truly verifiable manner, but there are deeper things to address.

For one, no accusations of stream botting can be attributed directly to Kendrick Lamar or Drake at press time. It’s the Internet: pretty much every engagement opportunity will fall victim to at least some fake streams or overzealous Twitter bots. But it’s impossible to pin these on either artist, and the more likely scenario is that this is the result of obsessive fans trying to send their GOAT to the top. Whether or not we ever get a final word on this debate, it’s clear that it’s an un-winnable battle either way.

Read More: Joe Budden Claims He “Passed The Baton” To Pusha T & Kendrick Lamar To Take Down Drake

DJ Akademiks Speaks On Kendrick Lamar Stream Bot Accusations

Furthermore, a lot of folks think that the battle is already over no matter what, and don’t really care about stream bots either way. After all, Kendrick Lamar will drop his “Not Like Us” music video soon, and Drake will deliver a few summer bops on Camila Cabello’s upcoming album. Both MCs will likely move on to their next endeavors after this while fans continue to debate and fight. But the warring Stanbases are fighting for their own dignity, pride, and credibility, and are no longer fighting for their leaders.

Meanwhile, these next moves from two of “The Big Three” should be very exciting nonetheless, and we’re ready to speak on them outside of the beef’s context. Kendrick Lamar and Drake are two generational titans that, stream bots or not, would still be making massive numbers with their releases. What remains is whether or not either artist will dare to speak on these or other allegations at some point. That might be the only way in which we can all finally shut up about this kerfuffle once and for all.

Read More: DJ Akademiks Claps Back At Joe Budden For Telling Him To Stop Covering Drake & Kendrick Lamar

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Kendrick Lamar Causes Debate As Folks Criticize His Increased Security For Music Video Shoot

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Kendrick Lamar’s rumored upcoming music video, which might be for “Not Like Us,” is catching some apparent flack from Drake fans and general detractors. Moreover, reports recently indicated that he hired sheriff deputies for heightened security at the shoot, which some corners of social media thought was hypocritical, cowardly, unnecessary if his connects are as deep as he says, and other conspiratorially negative descriptors. However, many online were quick to retort with the loss of Nipsey Hussle years ago and plenty of other examples of violent escalations and situations when it comes to rappers out in public. All in all, the common Internet sentiment reflects an understanding that this is nothing special or condemnable, and that haters are missing the point.

Still, if that’s not an angle about this supposed Kendrick Lamar music video that you subscribe to, there are many others to consider. For example, new footage recently emerged of Bobbi Althoff in Compton with YG and others, which many took to mean that she’s either on set for this visual or will straight-up appear in it. Of course, if this ends up being for “Not Like Us,” it would seem like a very ironic cameo that could easily blow back in folks’ face. We’ll have to understand more of the context behind this to see what it all means.

Read More: Kendrick Lamar & Dave Free Appear To Be On Good Terms At “The Pop Out”

Kendrick Lamar Catches Flack For More Security: See Replies To Tweet Below For More Fan Debates

Speaking of security, though, Drake recently sent a celebratory message to his main bodyguard, OVO’s Chubbs, via his Instagram Story. While it didn’t outright reference the Kendrick Lamar beef or any associated topics, it is one of his first public statements after “The Pop Out.” As such, many folks took Drizzy’s acknowledgement of “that s**t coming back around” as a subliminal allusion to the feud. Whether or not that’s true is for the tinfoil hat crew to determine, because either way, it’s not the response many anticipate.

Meanwhile, considering that Kendrick Lamar’s Juneteenth concert included a tribute to Nipsey Hussle, it’s no surprise that he would be so cognizant of staying safe and up-keeping proper and necessary security protocol. This is much bigger than macho tendencies of rap beef. Hopefully everything turns out great for the visual or whatever Compton’s getting up to this weekend. After all, this social media debate can’t be all for nothing.

Read More: Snoop Dogg Crowns Kendrick Lamar “The King Of The West”

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Bobbi Althoff Seemingly Pulls Up To Kendrick Lamar’s Music Video Shoot In Compton

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There are a lot of rumors surrounding a Kendrick Lamar music video shoot in Compton this weekend, and there’s very little concrete information to go by. The big assumption is that this will be for “Not Like Us,” but it’s also possible that it’s for another project or track entirely, so we’ll have to wait and see. However, if it is for the Mustard-produced Drake diss track, it will be one heck of an ironic shoot from what the shindig’s rumored guest list indicates. Moreover, new clips of Bobbi Althoff with YG and a big crowd emerged online which placed her in Compton for this video shoot.

Furthermore, she obviously sticks out like a sore thumb in the clips below, and if she really is going to be in a Kendrick Lamar music video, we’re sure that “Not Like Us” would point out this contrast in quite the ironic or playful manner. But it still seems pretty bizarre, so we’ll need more context by the time (or if) this rumored visual drops. For those unaware, Bobbi Althoff rose to fame as a social media personality and interviewer with an awkward humor and casual demeanor to her. It got her both love and hate all over the Internet, and also landed her an interview with none other than Drake that then resulted in an allegedly soured relationship with a lot of salacious and odd claims emerging about them.

Read More: Snoop Dogg Crowns Kendrick Lamar “The King Of The West”

Bobbi Althoff In “Bompton,” Possibly For Kendrick Lamar Music Video Shoot

As such, this all sounds like a recipe for a master Drake troll if this is really Kendrick Lamar’s move and plan for it, albeit one that could blow up in his face easily. Like we mentioned before, we’re going to need to understand the context behind this in a pretty crystal clear manner. Regardless, this is part of the massive hype that “The Pop Out” reignited on Juneteenth in Los Angeles, so we’ll see what happens with the alleged music video. Maybe there’s an inside joke here that we can’t understand yet.

Meanwhile, Drake hasn’t said much about Kendrick Lamar’s recent moves, except a potential message in an IG Story message to his head of security and OVO member Chubbs. The thought of his reaction to Bobbi Althoff possibly linking up with K.Dot is quite comical. Does Drizzy want some due credit for putting Althoff on, or does he expect loyalty from her? Either way, we’d expect a subliminal about her being “not like” them at some point.

Read More: Bobbi Althoff Gets Kicked Out Of Drake’s SXSW Party After Arriving Uninvited, Sources Claim

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Snoop Dogg Crowns Kendrick Lamar “The King Of The West”

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Kendrick Lamar’s “Pop Out” concert on Juneteenth in Los Angeles will likely go down as one of the biggest hip-hop-adjacent events of 2024. Frankly, the reaction to it on the West Coast might cement it as one of the biggest cultural moments of the year at large, and one of L.A.’s most iconic figures recently gave his stamp of approval. Moreover, Snoop Dogg relayed a message to the Compton lyricist for his show, but ironically enough, he said that he was out in Canada, the territory of Kendrick’s current rival Drake. We’ll get to that soon enough, but Tha Doggfather did not focus at all on that conflict and instead stressed the much more meaningful importance of what went down that night.

“Top of the morning, Big Snoop Dogg coming at you live from Canada,” the Long Beach native began his message to Kendrick Lamar. “Sending a big shoutout to K.Dot and all the homies from the West that stood together, unified, organized, in peace [and] love. That was beautiful, that was fun to watch. Beautiful to see all of my peoples coming together. And, um, K.Dot… you are the king of the west. That’s the kind of s**t kings do: we unite. We bring our peoples together.”

Read More: Kendrick Lamar Criticized For Inviting Dr. Dre To “The Pop Out” Despite Abuse Allegations

Snoop Dogg’s Proud Message To Kendrick Lamar After “The Pop Out”

Furthermore, this is all very interesting because of the mixed signals that Snoop Dogg has sent in the midst of the Kendrick Lamar and Drake beef. You probably recall that Drizzy used an A.I. Snoop verse on the “Taylor Made Freestyle” diss, and that Death Row now falls under the OVO-affiliated Gamma. However, other social media posts, public statements, and verse shoutouts indicated that the Cali legend was sticking to his roots. It’s a pretty complicated subject to theorize on, but at the very least, we know that he likely has a lot of love for both sides.

After all, Snoop Dogg was featured on Drake’s most recent album For All The Dogs, and there hasn’t been much that indicates he thinks there’s a “winner” or a right side. Rather, he focused on praising both. This time around, though, it was great to see the emphasis fall on West Coast unity rather than rap beef. Even though there are still some question marks here and there, it’s clear that there are much more important things than whose “side” someone’s on.

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

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Charlamagne Tha God Bestows Hip-Hop’s Crown On Kendrick Lamar: “It’s Not Even Close”

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Live shows aren’t often a part of hip-hop’s GOAT conversation, but then again, not many live shows are as meaningful as Kendrick Lamar’s “The Pop Out” in Los Angeles on Juneteenth. Moreover, media outlets, critics, and fans alike all rejoiced in reacting to the West Coast spectacle, with The Breakfast Club reopening a conversation on K.Dot’s dominance and skill level in the game. Specifically for Charlamagne Tha God, he believes that the Compton lyricist fully claimed the crown with this concert. Not only did he attribute this to his talent, catalog, and overall artistic impact, but also for making this performance a victory lap of sorts that continued to pressure the competition.

“Kendrick set the tone,” Charlamagne Tha God remarked during his virtual hosting of The Breakfast Club. “He let us know that this was a victory lap, and he came there to blood and crip-walk on his enemy’s head-top. And to me, the show wasn’t about Drake as much it was about Kendrick Lamar becoming the undisputed heavyweight champion of hip-hop. Like, when it comes to this new generation we’ve been watching over the last 15 years, Kendrick is the king of hip-hop, and it’s not even close. And I’m not talking about charts, I’m not talking about streaming records, I’m not talking about, you know, pop songs, singing on songs. I’m talking about bars, rap, hip-hop, culture. Kendrick wears that crown, and it’s not even close.”

Read More: Charlamagne Tha God Reacts To Kendrick Lamar’s Juneteenth Concert Announcement

The Breakfast Club Speaks On Kendrick Lamar’s “Pop Out”

“I agree,” DJ Envy chimed in after Charlamagne Tha God’s Kendrick Lamar comments. “It was bigger than the Drake beef and all of that. Just what he did for L.A. and the fact that he unified so many different hoods, so many different communities, so many different gangs. Had them all on one stage and what he did for hip-hop last night was simply amazing.”

Meanwhile, a lot of folks wonder how other rappers must be feeling amid all this, especially those that involved themselves in the Kendrick Lamar and Drake beef. Drizzy himself is the subject of much fan speculation, and there’s also The Game’s absence to consider. Is J. Cole feeling survivor’s guilt right now? Perhaps time will tell…

Read More: Charlamagne Tha God Reveals How People Tried To Influence His Opinion On Kendrick Lamar’s “Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers”

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SZA Looked Unrecognizable At Kendrick Lamar’s “Pop Out” Show

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Even though he’s no longer on the label, Kendrick Lamar’s “Pop Out” concert on Juneteenth in Los Angeles was still very much a TDE affair. Black Hippy treated fans to a long-awaited reunion, and SZA donned a convincing disguise to attend the show in peace and turn up with the rest of the crowd. Moreover, new clips emerges on social media of the St. Louis superstar posing for the camera while showing off her fit, which included a cloth wrapped around her head, baggy jeans, and a green shirt. Also, some footage shows her in the crowd during the show itself, and we can only assume she had a great time.

Furthermore, it seems almost corny to tie everything about “The Pop Out” to the Kendrick Lamar and Drake beef, but… I mean, the madman opened with “Euphoria.” As such, SZA’s appearance can’t help but evoke a particular line on Drizzy’s “Push Ups” for many fans, in which he says that she “wipes down” K.Dot. This mention was also notable due to her collaborations with the Toronto superstar last year, and their previous romantic relationship. However, the “Doves In The Wind” singer made it clear via an Instagram Story that she wanted no part in that feud, and it looks like now she’s the one sliming Aubrey out.

Read More: DJ Akademiks Claims Drake Tried To Mediate SZA Beef

SZA Pops Out At The Kendrick Lamar Show

Jokes aside, SZA’s also got a lot more stuff to focus on and spend her energies living with, such as her Songwriters Hall Of Fame honors. “As an artist, I’ve been a lot of different people,” she said of her Hal David Starlight award. “I’ve been 200 pounds; I’ve been 130 pounds. I’ve been someone who doesn’t dance at all on stage… to someone who is dancing and trying their best and I think, ‘Oh man, I struggle with the artist thing,’ but writing was where I felt like a person, and I had value and showed that I was smart.

“It was beyond ‘Am I pretty?’” SZA continued. “‘Am I liked?’ And that meant everything to me. It made me feel like a person that was doing something worth something. Basically, receiving this award validates my entire career… Thank you for seeing me.” We might not have seen you this time, Solana (at least, not immediately), but no matter what disguise you don, your talents shine through.

Read More: SZA’s Dreamy “Lose Yourself” Cover Leaves Eminem Shocked

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Whitney Alford’s Attendance At Kendrick Lamar’s “Pop Out” Show Has Fans Calling Drake A Liar

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Kendrick Lamar fans have a lot to digest from “The Pop Out” last night (Wednesday, Juneteenth), whether it’s concerning the Drake beef or just celebrating the West Coast. On the former point, arguably the less impactful of the two, there was one particular attendee in the stands that caught many fans’ attention… to be more specific, multiple concert-goers. K.Dot’s partner Whitney Alford was there to watch the whole thing go down, seemingly with their children together as well. Given all the things that the Toronto superstar said about their relationship, a lot of fans now think that his words don’t ring as true as he or anyone else thought.

Moreover, if you forgot, Drake claimed that Kendrick Lamar is actively cheating on Whitney Alford, physically abused her, and that he barely sees his kids after moving to a Brooklyn apartment. Of course, the Compton lyricist already spoke on the strain of his bond with Whitney on Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers, so chastising an imperfect relationship didn’t become that surprising or notable. What did shock listeners was Drizzy’s claim that one of their children is actually Dave Free’s, who is a close collaborator and business partner of Kendrick’s. To be fair, OVO Stans also jumped to conclusions much in the same way that pgLang affiliates are now when Whitney’s IG account was silent on Father’s Day. No party has responded to the Toronto superstar’s allegations.

Read More: The Game Skips Kendrick Lamar’s “Pop Out” Show & Leaves Fans Wondering Why

Whitney Alford & Kids At Kendrick Lamar’s “Pop Out”

However, it’s also arguable that physical presence speaks louder than online ones, and either way, we don’t really know for sure what their relationship looks like, nor should we. The important thing is that she and presumably thier family were there to support Kendrick Lamar. Still, this isn’t the only way in which this show seemed to represent a direct response to that rumor. Dave Free produced the show, and his inclusion at the very top of that credits list meant for many Mr. Morale fans that he was actively combating Drake’s narrative of division or tension between them.

Meanwhile, fans speculated quickly on what Drake’s thoughts on all of this are, and reached some interesting conclusions. Obviously, that depends a lot on which “side” they chose to support in this Kendrick Lamar battle. We’re sure that many other elements of “The Pop Out” will continue to fuel this post-beef discussion. But on the family front, things seem more tranquil than these back-and-forths led on.

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

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The Game Skips Kendrick Lamar’s “Pop Out” Show & Leaves Fans Wondering Why

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Kendrick Lamar’s “Pop Out” concert boasted a lot of special guest performers and attendees, but there’s one particular exclusion that has many fans speculating on potential explanations. Moreover, the show was a celebration of all things West Coast, but some rappers that have repped Los Angeles all the way did not appear for unknown and likely innocent reasons. However, one MC who didn’t attend might have more reason to avoid an appearance, and that’s The Game. Social media began to theorize on why he wasn’t there, especially considering that he and K.Dot have had a pretty good and stable relationship over the years.

Still, some factors have always interfered with this perception, such as past claims of jealousy and, most notably and recently, The Game’s apparent support of Drake during the latter’s beef with Kendrick Lamar this year. In fact, he even dissed Rick Ross, who supported Ken against his formerly close colleague Drizzy, so a lot of fans assumed that the Los Angeles spitter sided with his city’s opposition this time around. Regardless of whether this was intentional or not, there honestly aren’t a whole lot of solid indicators that he actually picked a side. The closest thing we got to that was a social media post playing The Boy’s “Energy,” which was enough confirmation for many.

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

Kendrick Lamar With A Sea Of West Coast Artists & Fans At “The Pop Out”

Meanwhile, this is what The Game had to say a few years ago about his exclusion from 2022’s Super Bowl halftime show, which hosted many Los Angeles artists including Kendrick Lamar. “I was hurt by that,” he told I Am Athlete‘s Brandon Marshall. “The real reason I wasn’t on the Super Bowl is because I’m not a ‘safe’ artist. You don’t know what the Game gon’ do when he get up there. So, it’s just like, ‘He not safe,’ so they went with the safe artists.

Fans React To & Speculate On The Game’s Absence

“We, on the West Coast, are the only motherf***ers who have this crab-in-a-barrel mentality, where we wanna keep n***as down,” The Game claimed. “Snoop Dogg is icon. Dre is icon [he popped out for the Kendrick Lamar show, too]. Em is an icon, but Em is not from L.A. 50 is not from L.A. I’m not taking away from the fact that they were on the Super Bowl, but L.A. [artists] wouldn’t have been in the Detroit Super Bowl or New York Super Bowl. It just wouldn’t have happened… L.A., L.A., L.A. all around the Super Bowl and I didn’t get the call.”

Read More: The Game Sparks Heated Debate Online After Posting Photos With His Daughter

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The Weeknd Pops Out At Kendrick Lamar’s Juneteenth Show In Los Angeles

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Kendrick Lamar sure popped out last night on Juneteenth at Inglewood, California, and both the crowd and the stage held some very special guests for the occasion. Moreover, a new video emerged on social media of The Weeknd partying with Big Hit during the show, particularly at the moment in which ScHoolboy Q came out to perform “Collard Greens” and complete the long-awaited reunion of Black Hippy alongside K.Dot, Ab-Soul, and Jay Rock. It seems like the two were having a great time, and we can only wonder what other celebrities and musicians were also in attendance for the concert.

Furthermore, The Weeknd’s appearance is particularly interesting, since he most likely has more than one reason to show his support. Not only is Kendrick Lamar a former collaborator (see Starboy‘s “Sidewalks”), but Abel Tesfaye also dissed Drake during the WE (STILL) DON’T TRUST YOU collaborative album series from Future and Metro Boomin. OVO and XO’s beef took center stage after years of speculation and rumored tension, and The Boy clapped back with some bars for his Canadian rivals on his “Push Ups” and “Family Matters” disses. For what it’s worth, the “Gasoline” superstar didn’t really respond much to any of this drama besides his subliminal shots on “All To Myself.”

Read More: The Weeknd Shares Ominous Message Possibly Alluding To His Final Album

The Weeknd At Kendrick Lamar’s “Pop Out”

Elsewhere in the crowd, other notable names that popped out at Kendrick Lamar’s show included NBA superstars like James Harden and LeBron James. In fact, DeMar DeRozan (who caught a lyrical nod from Kendrick on “Not Like Us” for leaving the Toronto Raptors) and Russell Westbrook went onstage to dance to this diss track and rep their Los Angeles roots. Some of these guests and invitees were expected; others were complete surprises. All in all, it made for a pretty grand moment to witness.

Meanwhile, a lot of folks are now wondering what Drake must think of all these folks who went to Kendrick Lamar’s show. Maybe he’s not that surprised at The Weeknd’s appearance, or doesn’t really care altogether that much. Either way, there are probably still some more names that we’ll see attached to this event that will emerge in the coming days. Fans of these artists can only hope that The Idol creative’s attendance means that there’s another Ken collab in the cards.

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

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