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.
Roger Goodell praises 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.
Kendrick Lamar dropped a surprise track, using an eBay listing of beat-up black Air Force Ones as the cover art. Drake’s friend and OVO artist Baka Not Nice has not forgotten about that “Not Like Us” bar of: “And Baka got a weird case, why is he around?”
On Instagram, Baka hopped in DJ Akademiks comments to shade the new single: “Shit sound like how them shoes look lil n***a [trash emoji].”
In case you haven’t heard Kendrick’s single, “Time to Watch the Party Die,” you can hear it below.
Lil Wayne has made his first statement after not being selected to headline the Super Bowl. Appearing in a video, Weezy F Baby thanked his fans for supporting him.
“First of all, I wanna say forgive me for the delay,” Wayne said. “I wanna say, first of all, I had to get strength. I had to get strength enough to do this without breaking. I wanna say thank you. I wanna say thank you to every voice, every opinion, all the care, all the love and the support out there. Your words turned into arms and held me up when I tried to fall back. That hurt. Hurt a lot. You know what I’m talking about. It hurt a whole lot.
“I blame myself for not being mentally prepared for a letdown and for just automatically mentally putting myself in that position like somebody told me that was my position. So I blame myself for that.”
With widespread support that Lil Wayne should have the Super Bowl stage in NOLA, Drake posted images online. It is worth noting that Drake’s current foe, Kendrick Lamar, has the Super Bowl spot.
Kendrick Lamar’s selection as the Super Bowl halftime performer has rubbed members of the Hip-Hop community the wrong way. Many, including Wayne’s engineer, Marasciullo, believe it should have been Lil Wayne.
“Confused. Disappointed. Angry. But most of all, inspired,” Marasciullo wrote. “Will never again be in a position or have the in a position where we are at the mercy of someone else’s decision. We will make the decisions.”
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 today, 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.
PgLang will creatively direct Lamar’s Super Bowl performance, which will be produced by DPS. Roc Nation’s Jesse Collins will serve as executive producer, and Hamish Hamilton will serve as director.
Apple Music’s ongoing partnership with the NFL and Roc Nation has already produced record-breaking halftime shows. With Kendrick Lamar at the helm, this year’s performance is set to be another groundbreaking moment in Super Bowl history.
Lil Wayne is one of the most legendary artists in the history of hip-hop. Overall, he has an extensive catalog of music and fans believe he may be one of the GOATs. However, many were disappointed over the weekend when it was revealed that Kendrick Lamarwould be headlining the Super Bowl. The Super Bowl is taking place in New Orleans, which is where Wayne is from. Many felt like it was a guarantee that Wayne would end up getting the nod, but he was snubbed.
This has subsequently led to a lot of discourse. Stan wars on Twitter have gotten out of hand, and it is hard to discern what really went behind the decision to pick K. Dot over Wayne. Either way, there is no doubt that Wayne is disappointed right now. We know this because he took to Instagram Live last night where he offered his true feelings on the situation. As you will hear, this whole situation has left him broken and it was hard for him to speak at first.
“That hurt, it hurt a lot… I thought there was nothing better that spot, on that stage, on that platform,” Wayne said. The legendary artist also noted how he thought it was a given that he would get the gig. However, he believes he should have mentally prepared himself for the rejection. “It broke me, but I’m just trying to put myself back together,” Wayne concluded. These are heartbreaking words, especially from a legend of Wayne’s caliber.
Let us know your thoughts on all of this, in the comments section down below. Do you believe that Lil Wayne was snubbed by the NFL and Jay-Z? Or do you think it was smart to give Kendrick Lamar the platform after the year he has had? Additionally, stay tuned to HNHH for the latest news and updates from around the music world. We will continue to keep you informed on all of your favorite artists and their upcoming projects.
If you thought Kendrick Lamar was done releasing music for the year, think again. Lamar released a new track, his first since “Not Like Us” settled his feud with Drake for good, on Wednesday night.
The song doesn’t have an official title (fans have taken to calling it “Watch The Party Die”), but Lamar uploaded the track to Instagram with artwork showing a pair of dirty Nike Air Force Ones. It didn’t take long for internet sleuths to track down where the image seemingly came from: an eBay listing for “Vintage Nike Air Force 1 ‘82’ Low ‘Black Black 315122-001 Men’s Size 12.”
The Nike Air Force Ones, the “universal symbol of true goon-like activity,” cost $70 (plus $9 in shipping) and were located in North Little Rock, Arkansas from seller Good2BYou. The past tense is intentional, because they sold to someone in area code 94118 (San Francisco) on Wednesday, September 11, the day the song dropped. It’s unknown who the buyer is, but they made a wise investment. Meanwhile, “Good2BYou” must be kicking themselves over how much they could have sold the shoes for now.
But why shoes? One theory is that it’s Lamar retaliation for Drake mocking shoe size on “Push Ups.” You can see the listing for yourself here.
The Super Bowl halftime show is causing a stir as some segments of Hip-Hop and its fans think Lil Wayne should take the stage instead of Kendrick Lamar in Wayne’s hometown of New Orleans.
With some pointing the finger at JAY-Z, Fat Joe offers a different take.
“Years ago the beef with the NFL was Black people weren’t represented,” Fat Joe said. “”They brought out Dr. Dre, Eminem, everybody, number one ratings. Yeah JAY-Z’s a big voice but he has to go through the NFL ranks, Roger Goodell, and all that. It ain’t just one man’s decision.
“How about if he wasn’t doing these shows it would be no Hip-Hop. It never was Hip-Hop.”
With widespread support that Lil Wayne should have the Super Bowl stage in NOLA, Drake posted images online. It is worth noting that Drake’s current foe, Kendrick Lamar, has the Super Bowl spot.
Kendrick Lamar’s selection as the Super Bowl halftime performer has rubbed members of the Hip-Hop community the wrong way. Many, including Wayne’s engineer, Marasciullo, believe it should have been Lil Wayne.
“Confused. Disappointed. Angry. But most of all, inspired,” Marasciullo wrote. “Will never again be in a position or have the in a position where we are at the mercy of someone else’s decision. We will make the decisions.”
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 today, 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.
PgLang will creatively direct Lamar’s Super Bowl performance, which will be produced by DPS. Roc Nation’s Jesse Collins will serve as executive producer, and Hamish Hamilton will serve as director.
Apple Music’s ongoing partnership with the NFL and Roc Nation has already produced record-breaking halftime shows. With Kendrick Lamar at the helm, this year’s performance is set to be another groundbreaking moment in Super Bowl history.
Kendrick Lamar like to do things in one fell swoop. Drake, his enemy throughout 2024, likes to do a lot. Memes, IG Stories, AI diss songs, etc. Lamar will go silent for weeks, maybe even months, then drop an absolutely devastating track. He did it again on September 11. The rapper came out of his “Not Like Us” hiatus and dropped a five minute epic on his Instagram. There’s no title or mention of Drake’s name, but there are plenty of bars that are clearly aimed at the 6 God throughout. Let’s unpack them.
Let’s start with the opening verse. The first line Kendrick Lamar utters is “I think it’s time to watch the party die.” This is a direct reference to a line in Lamar’s scathing “Meet the Grahams” diss. Towards the end of the song, he mentions crashing Drake’s “party” by uncovering all of the rapper’s flaws. The next few bars also seem squarely aimed at Drizzy. “This sh*t done got too wicked to apologize,” Lamar raps. “It’s different, get him whacked and disqualified.” The first part seemingly references the fact that kids and significant others were dragged into the Drake battle. The second part doubles down on the idea that Drake shouldn’t have a seat at the table when it comes to the all time greats.
The song functions as a broader take on what Kendrick Lamar was rapping about on “Euphoria” and “Not Like Us.” He’s effectively taking the rap game to task for allowing Drake to take over. He hates what the genre has become, and wants to start over. In this sense, the song is both a Drake diss and a diss to the industry (i.e. the “party”) that made Drake. The rest of the first verse makes this abundantly clear. “Why argue with these clowns if the circus is well at work,” he asks. “Just walk that man down, that’ll do everyone a solid. It’s love but tough love, sometimes gotta result in violence.”
A full breakdown of the song would balloon this article to dissertation length. Kendrick Lamar seemingly throws digs at Drake’s past courtesy of a “Star67” reference. He also asks Drake where his soldiers are at, after the Toronto rapper made reference to being a general in the song “The Heart Part 6.” Kendrick is taking a different approach here, but it’s no less cutting. He’s got a lot more to get off his chest when it comes to Drake, and this new song proves it.
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 
in a position where we are at the mercy of someone else’s decision. We will make the decisions.”
