Kendrick Lamar once again stunned everyone this year with another out-of-the-blue track. “The Day The Party Died” saw the Compton marksman take aim at a lot of people across the hip-hop industry, particularly Drake and DJ Akademiks. It was essentially a commentary on the current state of the genre and that he’s wanting to change it for the better. Presumably, one of those steps was exposing artists like Drizzy for not making substantial music. However, he was wrestling with how to exactly go about this as he says in his third verse. “Sometimes I wonder what Lecrae would do / F*** these n****s up or show ’em just what prayer do? / I want to be empathetic, my heart like Dee-1“.
It’s safe to say he chose the former, but Lecrae and Dee-1 were both appreciative of the shout out, nonetheless. Recently, the former responded to the name drop with “Die For The Party”. His track similarly touches on those themes about the landscape of rap. Now, as of yesterday, the Louisiana native, Dee-1, has done the same with “Call It Like It Is”. While K. Dot and Lecrae’s shots were more subtle, Dee takes a more up front approach. Joe Budden catches one to the dome in clever fashion, and he also addresses the noise around him supporting Lamar over Lil Wayne for the Super Bowl by shouting out the fellow NOLA icon. “And we gon’ be alright, that’s what Kendrick Lamar said / And in the words of Lil Wayne, the sky is the limit, yeah“. Like the others, Dee brings a lot of passion and it’s worth a listen.
I don’t care if they sold millions, are you hearin’ their message? Poisonin’ our whole community, everybody hypnotized Why you think nobody respect black people? No big surprise (Call it like it is) and I love New Orleans, my city But I love God way more, I don’t care if none of y’all with me We celebrate bein’ stupid and everybody so gangster
While some in hip-hop were adamant that Lil Wayne should perform at the Super Bowl Halftime Show in New Orleans next year, Snoop Dogg — who actually did perform in LA in 2022 — was more measured in his response to the controversy over the NFL booking Kendrick Lamar instead. Appearing on Nightcap with hosts Shannon Sharpe and Chad Johnson, Snoop addressed fans’ concerns while offering up a perspective some might not have considered.
“I don’t really have no opinion,” he said. “But what I do wanna say is that, just remember where the NFL was 15 years ago when it comes to hip-hop. How many hip-hop artists was able to grace that stage 15 years ago? So, I understand both sides of the coin and I understand how people feel.”
However, he acknowledged his own performance two years ago, noting, “I didn’t do any Snoop Dogg songs. I was up there helping Dr. Dre and it became a great moment for all of us.” Then, he reminded viewers that “it’s a 12-13-minute performance and you’re not getting paid. It’s more or less you have to spend money to upgrade your show to make it mass appealing for the audience that’s home watching.”
And that, more than anything, might be the reason for Kendrick’s selection over Wayne. Totally separate from the conversations we’ve already discussed here and here, what are the odds Wayne — who spent 15 years fighting Birdman for the rights and royalties to his music — would have the budget for a Super Bowl-level show? We’ve seen Kendrick do it time and time again, whether on tour for Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers or on the Grammy stage.
While it would have been cool for the local act to get some shine in his hometown, the fact is, the show isn’t about the venue — it’s about keeping 100 million people from changing the channel between halves of The Big Game (true story; the Super Bowl Halftime in its current incarnation is the result of a ratings war with In Living Color). Those brands pay a lot of money for those Super Bowl ads, and they want people to see ’em. If the NFL feels that’s more likely with a contemporary superstar like Kendrick than a cult favorite like Wayne, then that’s just how it’s going to be.
The UFC organization is being called everything from insensitive to racist after they aired a broadcast where boxer Terence Crawford was mistaken for famed Compton emcee Kendrick Lamar.
The “Not Like Us” lyricist spit this verse on “Euphoria”, saying, “I’m Terence Crawford, yeah, I’m whooping feet.” Many people laughed at the coincidence of his predictions, but they still launched a campaign accusing the UFC of racism, which is understandable. Crawford and Lamar are in two different forms of entertainment, and no insult to either, but the two personalities do not look alike at all.
Conversations surrounding the Super Bowl halftime performance continue. This time, 50 Cent is weighing in.
Appearing on The Talk, 50 cosigned the selection. “I mean, it was a choice. As a solo artist right now, he’s the guy,” 50 said.
Roger Goodell praised the selection of Kendrick Lamar as the Super Bowl halftime performer.
Speaking with TMZ Sports, Goodell revealed he is “feeling great” about taking the spot and he is a fan of the rapper.
Kendrick Lamar will take center stage at the Apple Music Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show at The Caesars Superdome in New Orleans on February 9, 2025. Roc Nation, Apple Music, and the NFL made the announcement, sparking excitement for the globally anticipated performance.
Shawn “JAY-Z” Carter, founder of Roc Nation, praised Lamar’s influence: “Kendrick Lamar is truly a once-in-a-generation artist and performer. His deep love for hip-hop and culture informs his artistic vision… His impact will be felt for years to come.”
Seth Dudowsky, Head of Music at the NFL, echoed this sentiment, saying, “Few artists have impacted music and culture as profoundly as Kendrick Lamar… Kendrick has proven his unique ability to craft moments that resonate, redefine, and ultimately shake the very foundation of hip-hop.”
Apple Music’s Oliver Schusser emphasized the excitement: “Apple is thrilled to bring this show, starring the absolutely incomparable Kendrick Lamar, to fans worldwide with Apple Music’s industry-leading Spatial Audio quality.”
Lamar, a Grammy and Emmy-winning artist and co-founder of pgLang, continues to redefine hip-hop, earning accolades like a Pulitzer Prize for his 2017 album DAMN. and his chart-topping collaborations earlier this year.
Lamar’s Super Bowl performance will be creatively directed by pgLang and produced by DPS, with Roc Nation’s Jesse Collins as executive producer and Hamish Hamilton as director.
Apple Music’s ongoing partnership with the NFL and Roc Nation has already produced record-breaking halftime shows, and with Kendrick Lamar at the helm, this year’s performance is set to be another groundbreaking moment in Super Bowl history.
What happens in Sin City is supposed to stay there. Well, unless it is broadcasted to millions of viewers around the world. Professional boxer Terence “Bud” Crawford found himself in the middle of a viral joke due to an error by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).
Yesterday (September 14), the UFC mistakenly identified Terence Crawford as Kendrick Lamar during the broadcast of the Saul “Canelo” Alvarez vs Edgar Berlanga fight. Those in attendance at T-Mobile Arena might not have caught the flub, but viewers at home sure did.
Immediately after supporters of the “Not Like Us” rapper took to X (formerly Twitter) with an endless amount of meme swapping out Kendrick for Crawford on album covers and more.
In a post shared to Crawford’s official Instagram page (viewable here), he laughed off the misidentification, writing: “Damn, Kendrick Lamar .”
Crawford went on to use Kendrick Lamar’s song “Euphoria” to soundtrack the image captured during the event. Crawford is no stranger to the world of sports (despite the botched identification) having secured several titles in the ring. Nor is Crawford a hip-hop novice. Back in July 2023, Crawford had Eminem perform “Lose Yourself” as his ring walk out track.
Fans now know of Crawford’s lighthearted sense of humor.
To borrow a phrase from Uproxx cover star Latto, get in the booth. Kendrick Lamar and Drake’s heated track-for-track beef surely inspired a lot of spin-off records. Yesterday (September 14), the latest arrived courteous of Lecrae.
On Kendrick Lamar’s “Watch The Party Die” song, he named dropped the Christian rapper, asking: “What would Lecrae do?” Now fans know exactly how Lecrae would’ve handled the feud thanks to his response record, “Ain’t Watch The Party Die,” which was shared to Instagram.
“I was wrestlin’ like, should I write a verse? / The culture got enough clout-chasin’ vultures out here / Tryna prove they worth, they need attention / They can’t imagine me not tryna make myself look bigger off of this Kendrick mention / I can’t imagine his position / Before I got on my mission I was a party victim,” raps Lecrae.
Throughout the record, Lecrae advocates for unification. But he was sure to address the narrative that he turned his nose up at secular hip-hop artists after a clip of his Deep End with Lecrae podcast went viral.
“I use my trauma, my single mama, to justify commas to pay the devils wages / That probably went over they heads / Basically what I said is I was government fed / Bred for doin’ time in the feds, but Jesus bled / Instead of puttin’ dents in they head, He turned His / My cup runneth over with nonsense / They hearts grow colder, they love to do evil, they burn they conscience / I want the dealer’s head who gave my cousin fentanyl / Labels exploitin’ rappin’ addicts, man, I’m sick of y’all / My daddy ran with Compton Crips, my uncles Piru / Stuck in the middle of this madness, what should I choose? / I should be choosin’ between Howard and Hampton / I love the people that I ran with but look at the damage / You want me put you on, but I know you still with the scammin’,” raps Lecrae.
Listen to Lecrae’s song “Ain’t Watch The Party Die” above.
For weeks Drake fans have been waiting for the Kendrick Lamar’s public favor to expire. Yesterday (September 14), it appeared that it finally had. In an exclusive report from the LA Times, business owners from the “6:16 In LA” rapper’s hometown expressed their frustration with Kendrick over his “Not Like Us” video shoot.
However, after the piece was published, one of the Compton, California entrepreneur came out against the story. Over on Instagram, Corina Pleasant of Alma’s Food For The Soul claimed to have been “misquoted.” Initially it was believed that Pleasant and others held Kendrick, his production company pgLang, and the city officials responsible for thousands in lost revenue during the video’s filming.
“This entire post is misquoted and pushing a narrative that we do not represent,” wrote the business’ official Instagram page. “Please, please do not believe everything you read. Words have been twisted, and it’s not right.”
The account then went to clarify their feelings, writing: “The city should have made better decisions with notification to tax paying business owners. We, in no way have any negative commentary for Kendrick. This was a city issue.”
To close, the page also slammed internet personality Akademiks for his commentary on the matter. “And Akademiks you better be careful about misquoting people and twisting words,” they wrote. “We never spoke to you, so how are you misquoting verbiage as fact.”
Despite Pleasant’s updated statement, the business appeared to still receive negative attention. So, in their Instagram Stories they tried to make the best of their new-found infamy.
Instagram
Kendrick Lamar, pgLang, nor have Compton, California city official publicly addressed the statement.
Kendrick Lamar has been a long victory lap since his win in the Drake beef. The “Meet The Grahams” rapper’s eye are set on New Orleans thanks to him securing the coveted Apple Music Super Bowl 2025 Halftime Show slot. However, business owners in Compton, California are urging him to handle a mess he supposedly made back home.
According to LA Times’ recent report, Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” video cost several local staples, thousands in lost revenue.
Corina Pleasant of Alma’s Place a popular local establishment, told the outlet that on June 22 she noticed that business slowed down despite having an overflowing parking lot. Pleasant claims that the spectators gathered at the strip mall and nearby courthouse to watch the video being film, which took away slot for potential patrons.
Due to the pandemonium, several business owners argue that they were “forced to shut down operations.” Despite temporarily closing their doors, they were still required to pay staff for their unprofitable shifts. Now, they are requesting that Kendrick Lamar, his production company Pglang, or the city of Compton reimburse them for the day, which they say could’ve been avoided if city officials provided them with advance notice about the music video shoot.
Hip-hop has been in a frenzy this week ever since Jay-Z and Roc Nation announced Kendrick Lamar as the Super Bowl Halftime show headliner in New Orleans next year – a slot that many suspected would’ve been handed to Lil Wayne. Weezy, an unequivocal legend, has been the flagbearer for NOLA for the entirety of his career. However, he hasn’t had the same motion as Kendrick Lamar in the past few months in terms of mainstream attention. On the heels of defeating Drake in their back-and-forth, Dot confirmed that he would be headlining the Super Bowl in an announcement video that seemingly stepped on the idea of a second round, something that Drake has hinted at since early August, at least. However, even though the Pop Out was deemed a victory lap, Kendrick’s mission statement appears to be much larger than simply toppling one of the most commercially successful artists of all time.
On Wednesday night, Kendrick Lamar surprised the masses by releasing his new untitled single on Instagram, tentatively titled “Watch The Party Die.” It’s a 180 from “Not Like Us,” the upbeat West Coast anthem carried throughout the summer. This one is much more somber in tone with its drumless soul sample and deadpan delivery, where Kendrick addresses the culture, similar to other installments in the “The Heart” series. He seemingly steps on Drake’s grave one last time, shuts down the media and influencers whose bias is reflected in their reporting and agenda, and expresses not just disdain but a vitriolic hatred towards the hip-hop industry as a whole. In some senses, he’s envisioning what hip-hop and humanity look like after a destroy-and-rebuild process. Clearly, there are others in hip-hop who he acknowledges as those who could similarly help lead this movement, specifically LeCrae and Dee-1.
Released on September 11 when the VMAs began, Kendrick Lamar’s latest single marked his first song since dropping “Not Like Us” earlier this year. The record finds Kendrick reflecting on the feud (“This shit done got too wicked to apologize/ It’s different, get him whacked and disqualified” and “Just walked that man down, that’ll do everyone a solid.”) He also reflects on the state of the media, targeting unnamed individuals that people believe to be Akademiks, Gillie Da Kid, Cam’ron and Gillie (“Influencers talked down ’cause I’m not with the basic shit/ But they don’t hate me, they hate the man that I represent/ The type of man that never dickride ’cause I want a favor” and “I think it’s time to watch the party die/ Street niggas and the corporate guys, the rappers that report the lies/ I need they families mortified.”)
The song tackles the music industry at large, retreading and expanding on concepts mentioned in songs like “Euphoria” and “Not Like Us” (“It’s time to get these devils out the way, heavy metals on my sword… Say hello to your future fate, the culture bred with carnivores” and “They wonder why I’m not enthused to drop/ The more visible you get, the more your spiritual is tried”). Considering that “Euphoria” marked the first release post-TDE from Kendrick Lamar where he explicitly states, “F*ck the industry,” “Watch The Party Die” is less of a nail-in-the-coffin of his feud with Drake and more of a new beginning to this new chapter in his career, one that appears rooted in his frustrations with the exploitation and commodification of the culture.
“I Wonder What Lecrae Would Do?“
The song’s third verse contains two shout-outs to Lecrae, a Christian rapper who often doesn’t get his flowers due to the content of his music. “I wonder what LeCrae would do? F*ck these n***as up or show ‘em just what prayer do?” Kendrick asks at the top of the verse, repeating the first part towards the end of the verse. This particular shout-out isn’t a coincidence in this chapter of Kendrick’s career, especially considering the lyrical themes on Dot’s new single.
In a 2023 interview, Lecrae revealed that his relationship with Kendrick dates back to The Kendrick Lamar EP. On the project, the rapper has a song titled “The Faith,” where he opens up about his issues with his belief in God. Kendrick Lamar was hardly a name back then, but when Lecrae heard the song, he reached out.
“I had more Twitter followers than him at the time, so I DM’d him, and I was like, ‘Bro, I heard this song. What are you wrestling with?’ I said, ‘Cause maybe I can send you some stuff,’” LeCrae recounted on the YTH Nation Podcast. Kendrick explained that he had several questions about his faith. “And we started going back and forth, and we just developed a relationship. From there, it just became a dope relationship where I never wanted to abuse it or be like ‘Yeah, let’s do music together’ but it was more like, let’s be friends.’”
Even more interesting about this podcast segment is that Lecrae said he turned down a feature from Kendrick before. “He actually asked to do music with me first and I was like, ‘Nah, let’s chill because I don’t want you to ever feel like I’m only in this for what you have going on,’” he said.
A more minor component to consider in Kendrick’s shout-out is how Lecrae framed the Compton native’s place in the culture compared to Drake. In an interview clip from Mr. Jay Hill Network that has circulated recently, Lecrae explained, “Ghostwriters aside, [Drake]’s a great rapper…but Drake is a fan of the culture. Kendrick is a product of the culture. It’s a difference.”
“I Wanna Be Empathetic, My Heart Like Dee-1”
Similar to Lecrae, Dee-1’s Christian values have often been at the fore of his artistic output. The New Orleans-based rapper, interestingly enough, gained fame with the release of his single, “Jay, 50, and Weezy,” a song calling out three of the biggest rappers of the time for the messages they put out in his music. Ultimately, the song led to a deal with RCA Inspiration.
While the Super Bowl announcement has turned into a nonsensical Kendrick vs. Lil Wayne debate, it’s important to note that Dee-1’s had his issues with Cash Money and Weezy in the past. A project he was supposed to be put out titled Separated At Birth was heavily inspired by Lil Wayne and Cash Money but the NOLA-based label blocked it from dropping, as explained on Sway’s Universe.
His issues with the music industry made headlines earlier this year after criticizing rappers like Rick Ross, Meek Mill, and Jim Jones for the content in their music. Urging each of them to “do better,” he took particular issue with the content in Meek and Ross’s Too Good To Be True project. Dee-1 suggested that it was hypocritical of Meek to rap about murder and violence while simultaneously being a the face of prison reform. “But this man glorifying getting people killed as of a week ago!’ Like, what are you doing, bro? Lil’ Snoop really got killed, that broke your heart. You wear him around your neck,” he said. “Why are you glorifying the same thing? The rap game, the hip-hop industry is great at cooking up some delicious poison. I don’t call you out because I got a problem with you, man.”
Ultimately, it turned into a back-and-forth between himself and the aforementioned artists including vague alleged threats from the Dipset member. Still, Dee-1 made it clear that he never had any personal issues with any of the parties he called out. That became especially clear when he refused to make light of Rick Ross’s altercation in Canada and praised Meek for his unfiltered take on the reality of the streets when he wrote, “Being gangsta will get you hurt put in jail or killed… Being smart will get you out of poverty and your family and friends living better.”
The brief shout-out captured hip-hop fans attention, especially as an anticipation for a new wave of Christian rap makes a path for itself. Both LeCrae and Dee-1 kept their responses brief at first. The former wrote, “Love you Dot….Always here,” along with a prayer hand emoji. Dee-1 offered a more extensive response over the past few days since the song was released.
“i appreciate the shoutout brother. @kendricklamar More than you’ll ever know. A shift is happening. The time is now!” Dee-1 wrote on Twitter after the song was released. However, he went on to address some of the backlash he faced over siding with Kendrick over Wayne in the Super Bowl debacle, particularly because he’s a New Orleans native. But in an interview with TMZ, Dee-1 recalled a conversation he was having at the time the song dropped. “I’m not afraid to go against the whole culture. I love New Orleans, but I love God more than I love New Orleans. What I stand on has nothing to do with loyalty to my city, loyalty to the hip-hop industry. All this stuff is fickle, and it comes underneath my loyalty to my creator.”
i appreciate the shoutout brother. @kendricklamar More than you’ll ever know.
If you’ve followed Kendrick’s career, these flashes of his spirituality have been scattered across his discography. good kid, m.A.A.d city opens up with his childhood friends reciting a prayer and repenting for their sins, and comes first circle by the end of “Sing About Me/Dying Of Thirst” when a woman (voiced by Maya Angelou, per BET) helps lead “Sinner’s Prayer.” The religious allusions and imagery continued throughout projects like To Pimp A Butterfly, DAMN., and Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers. However, Kendrick appears to be more outward with his faith and using it as a guide to spark change. So when Kendrick rapped, “I wanna be empathetic, my like Dee-1 but I will–,” it demonstrates the Pulitzer Prize winner’s quandary: gear up for another aggression or use spirituality and faith to rise above the conflict for a bigger purpose.
This debate between Kendrick Lamar and Lil Wayne for who deserved Super Bowl honors is starting to get a little too serious. We say that because New Orleans, Louisiana native Dee-1 is getting a lot of hate for his support of the former. As you are all aware by now, the city has been extremely upset with their hometown hero not receiving the honors. Obviously, no one likes seeing Weezy upset as he was in his first public address since the announcement. But some people are taking their anger too far to where they want to ban and warn residents of NOLA like Dee-1 to never come back home.
That’s just some of the backlash the Christian rapper has been receiving, according to HipHopDX. Dee-1 shared a compilation accompanied by a voice-over detailing what he’s been dealing with since showing K-Dot love. “This is why you should never love your city more than you love God. So, Kendrick Lamar shouted me out in his new song and honestly, it’s been life-changing already in the past 24 hours. That’s the elevation. At the same time comes the condemnation”, he begins.
“So now they got people – because they mad at my opinion at who should perform at the Super Bowl – so now they making diss tracks about me. They got people saying I’m canceled from the city. They got people saying I better not come back to the city. People I’m cool with making videos mad at what I’m standing on, when it’s the same thing I been standing on since y’all met me”. However, even though Dee-1 is being bombarded, he’s not going to let that change him. “Thankfully, I’m just gon’ keep being me, keep serving God. That’s what got me here. And Imma just be thankful for every part that comes along with this journey, no matter what it entails”.
What are your thoughts on Dee-1 getting all of this backlash for supporting Kendrick Lamar during the Super Bowl debate? Who was more valid, Dee-1 or the city of New Orleans? Do you think people are blowing this out of proportion overall? We would like to hear what you have to say, so leave your thoughts in the comments. Additionally, always keep it locked in with HNHH for all of the latest news surrounding Dee-1, Kendrick Lamar, and the Super Bowl. Finally, stay with us for everything else going on in the music world.
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More than you’ll ever know. A shift is happening. The time is now!” Dee-1 wrote on Twitter after the song was released. However, he went on to address 