If you’re in LA, odds are, you’re going to want tickets to Kendrick Lamar’s upcoming concert at the Forum. “The Pop Out — Ken & Friends” concert is slated for June 19 at 4 PM with PgLang and Free Lunch. You can find out how you can get tickets to the show below.
If you have a Cash App Card, you will have access to an exclusive presale on June 6, beginning at 10 AM. If not, you can participate in the general sale on Friday, June 7 at 10 AM. Of course, you can always try your luck after that on resale sites like SeatGeek, StubHub, and VividSeats.
You can find more information about the sales on Ticketmaster.com.
The Ken & Friends concert is the culmination of a strong year for Mr. Duckworth, as he secured his second solo Hot 100 No. 1 with the Drake diss track “Not Like Us.” The song also reportedly pulled in a little over a quarter of a million dollars, validating its status as one of the few times rap beef actually paid off for a participant.
Before that, Kendrick nabbed his third overall No. 1 with “Like That,” another song calling out Drake (I’m sensing a theme here), which appeared on Future and Metro Boomin’s joint album, We Don’t Trust You. So yeah, I’d say it’s been a good year all around for Kendrick Lamar, and now, he’s sharing the wealth with his hometown show.
That’s exactly what Kendrick will do, announcing a new show, “The Pop Out — Ken & Friends,” at LA’s Kia Forum on June 19. Tickets go on sale on June 7 at 10 AM, with a Cash App Card Pre-Sale Thursday, June 6 at 10 AM. The show will feature Kendrick’s PgLang cohorts, which currently include Baby Keem and Tanna Leone, and Free Lunch. You can find more information here.
The announcement arrives as fans can’t help speculating about whether Kendrick has a new album planned for release in 2024. Frequent production collaborator Terrace Martin threw fuel on those flames during a recent livestream in which he expressed excitement for a new project from Kendrick that appears to be in the works.
“Let me tell y’all the records I’m excited for,” Martin told fans. “I’m excited for YG’s album, I’m excited for Mustard’s album. I’m excited for a lot of people, but there’s two albums, I’m going crazy, I can’t wait ’til they drop: Roddy Ricch album and whenever Kendrick drops his album. I’m excited for those two. Those two Compton artists is like, I’m excited.”
Kendrick Lamar is fresh off of his beef with Drake and fans have been waiting for him to offer some sort of announcement. Overall, most fans have been hoping for some kind of album or perhaps even a new song. However, Kendrick has decided to announce something else entirely. On June 19th, he will be hosting a massive show at The Forum simply called “The Pop Out: Ken & Friends.” There are going to be some unique guests although they have yet to be officially announced.
The show is being presented by pgLang and Free Lunch, with the Cash App card presale going live as of tomorrow, June 6th. Meanwhile, if you just want to cop tickets with everyone else, you will be able to do so as of June 7th. Overall, there are very few details regarding the show right now. However, as you can imagine, there is a lot of excitement around it. Kendrick is coming off of a huge win against Drake, and the fans want to hear from him.
Kendrick Lamar With His First Post-Beef Announcement
Image via Kendrick Lamar
A live show could prove to be a huge platform for him to address his supporters and perhaps give his take on what went down. Furthermore, this is also a place where he could potentially preview some new music or even make an album announcement of sorts. There is lots of anticipation surrounding what is going to happen next, and we are certainly excited. However, fans should not get their expectations too high. Kendrick is someone who likes to keep things under wraps. Consequently, you may only know his true intentions once you get into the stadium.
Let us know if you will be attending the show, in the comments section down below. Who would you like to see on the lineup? Do you believe Kendrick will say anything about the beef? 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.
Kendrick Lamar’s long-time business partner Dave Free has been trending quite a bit lately, as Drake repeatedly mentions him in the ongoing brutal rap feud between himself and Kendrick. An Inglewood, California native, Free goes back many years with Kendrick, both in a professional capacity and as a deeply-rooted friend. The exec has served as one of the key figures in Kendrick’s musical catalogue, helping to construct most of the visual releases which accompany projects such as To Pimp A Butterfly, Damn, and Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers. Free also co-directed the concert film Kendrick Lamar Live From Paris: The Big Steppers Tour, which is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video. Let’s take a moment to examine what Drake said about the record executive, check the validity of these claims, and highlight the bond shared between Kendrick Lamar and Dave Free.
Free Is Partially Responsible For Kendrick’s Career
INGLEWOOD, CA – AUGUST 27: (L-R) Kendrick Lamar and Dave Free accept the Video of the Year award for ‘Humble’ onstage during the 2017 MTV Video Music Awards at The Forum on August 27, 2017 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
Right around the time Kendrick Lamar was first getting buzz for his ability to write rhymes, Dave Free was working as a computer technician. Kendrick and Dave are childhood friends who go all the way back to high school. After meeting TDE founder and CEO Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith through a work connection, Dave showed the label head Kendrick’s music, and the rest is history. Top signed Kendrick Lamar to TDE in 2005, and brought Dave Free along shortly thereafter as an in-house producer.
From there, Dave linked with Sounwave, Tae Beast, and Willie B, creating a production team known as Digi+Phonics. The team were responsible for handling most of the production needs of TDE acts such as ScHoolboy Q, Ab-Soul, Jay Rock, and others, and were even named on BET’s list of the top 10 producers of 2013. Free received numerous accolades for his work with the Digi+Phonics, solidifying his position at the label as he transitioned into an executive role.
He Became Co-President Of TDE & Co-Founder Of PGLang
While crafting beats and working the boards with Digi+Phonics, Dave Free was promoted up through the TDE ranks, eventually becoming the label co-president alongside Punch. During this time, Kendrick Lamar hired Dave Free as his manager, and the pair worked closely co-directing music videos and other works. Dave and Kendrick have won MTV Video Music Awards, Grammy Awards, and numerous other accolades for their work, strengthening their creative bond. Free eventually parted ways with TDE in 2019, and served as a free agent before linking with Kendrick for their latest and greatest business venture.
In March 2020, Kendrick Lamar and Dave Free officially launched PGLang. Kendrick has been working with the independent multimedia company exclusively since leaving TDE after the release of Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers in 2022. The company also serves as the base for Kendrick’s cousin and protege Baby Keem, and has even released their own cell phone. Through PGLang, Dave Free has gone on to work with brands such as CashApp, Calvin Klein, and Converse, and even inked a deal to produce a feature film with the creators of South Park.
The heated exchange between Kendrick Lamar and Drake has resulted in nearly a dozen scathing records hitting the streets, each with ad-hominem attacks and unsubstantiated rumors. On tracks such as “Family Matters” and “The Heart Part 6,” Drake makes specific mention of Dave Free, claiming that the music exec carried out an affair with Kendrick Lamar’s long-time fiancé Whitney Alford, and may even be the biological father of Kendrick Lamar’s son Enoch. On “Family Matters,” Drake raps “I heard that one of ’em little kids might be Dave Free/ Don’t make it Dave Free’s/ ‘Cause if your GM is your BM secret BD/ Then this is all makin’ plenty f***in’ sense to me.”
Despite Drake’s insistence on these claims, there seems to be literally nothing linking this rumor to reality, as the best evidence the OVO camp could provide was a comment containing a heart emoji that Dave left on one of Whitney’s Instagram posts. A screenshot of the comment was used as the cover art for the diss track “The Heart Part 6,” though the track has largely been overshadowed by Kendrick’s smash-hit banger “Not Like Us.” At this time, neither Kendrick Lamar, Dave Free, or Whitney have come forward to discuss the drama.
By now, so many shots have been fired in the brutal rap beef between Kendrick Lamar and Drake that some of the disses have been completely buried. Kendrick’s “6:16 In LA” has been largely overlooked due to the track not being available on streaming platforms, though the song does have some incredibly scathing lyrics. The track premiered exclusively through Kendrick Lamar’s official Instagram account in the early morning hours of Friday, May 3, and ultimately served as the calm before the storm, with the harshest diss tracks of the entire feud releasing back to back later that very evening.
Now that the Kendrick Lamar and Drake beef seems to have at least slowed down, it’s worth revisiting “6:16 In LA” and discussing some of the best bars on the song. Without any further preamble, here are a few of the strongest lyrical showings on the diss.
Kendrick Prays & Comes From Love
Unlike some of the other tracks to come out of this feud, Kendrick Lamar opens up “6:16 In LA” with a few bars that aren’t direct insults or ad hominem attacks. Instead, “6:16 In LA” begins with the Compton rapper offering something of an explanation to both Drake and his fans as to why he’s engaging in this beef to begin with. He states, “Three angels watchin’ me all the time/ Put my children to sleep with a prayer, then close my eyes/ Definition of peace Tell me who gon’ stop me? I come from love/ Estelle cover my heart, then open me up.” Through these bars, Kendrick asserts that he has found peace within his life and enjoys quiet luxury and family values.
Familial and spiritual relationships rapidly became a focal point of the feud between Kendrick and Drake, as the PGLang founder has accused Drake of being a deadbeat father with no spiritual connection to god. Kendrick centers this lack of godliness with Drake’s many flaws and alleged lifestyle missteps and later commands the Toronto artist to seek therapy and look within.
Kendrick responds to some foul play within the music media industry in this track, arguing that Drake has streamers and podcasters on his payroll, including DJ Akademiks. He raps, “Yeah, somebody’s lyin’, I can see the vibes on Ak/ Even he lookin’ compromised, let’s peel the layers back/ Ain’t no brownie points for beating your chest, harassin’ Ant/ F*ckin’ with good people make good people go to bat.” Kendrick also takes this opportunity to defend his manager Anthony Saleh, whom Drake shaded multiple times on social media following his release of the track “Push Ups.” This lyric seems to be the last warning shot to Drake that things are about to escalate far beyond a simple showing of rap skill, as Kendrick takes issue with his opponent making the beef personal by calling out the people in his corner.
Kendrick first alluded to his willingness to take things further with lyrics such as “you a master manipulator and habitual liar too. But don’t tell no lie about me and I won’t tell truths ’bout you” on “Euphoria.” Kendrick later reiterated this position in the explosive song “Meet The Grahams,” where he raps, “This supposed to be a good exhibition within the game. But you f***ed up the moment you called out my family’s name. Why you had to stoop so low to discredit some decent people? Guess integrity is lost when the metaphors doesn’t reach you.”
Kendrick Claims To Have A Mole In The OVO Camp
Kendrick continues on the scathing record, “Are you finally ready to play have-you-ever? Let’s see/ Have you ever thought that OVO is workin’ for me?/ Fake bully, I hate bullies, you must be a terrible person/ Everyone inside your team is whispering that you deserve it.” This is one of the most fascinating bars in the entire beef, as Kendrick claims to have multiple moles within Drake’s camp who are only pretending to like Drake for his money and popularity.
At first, fans assumed this lyric was in place just to stoke Drake’s paranoia. Of course, the release of “Meet The Grahams” later that very evening seemed to confirm what Kendrick had to say in “6:16 In LA.” Kendrick seems to have had insider information regarding Drake’s next moves, as he was able to drop a diss record responding to Drake’s “Family Matters” in less than an hour’s time, with direct rebuttals to lyrics from the brand new song.
Kendrick caps this bar off with a flat and absolutely scathing “you must be a terrible person” which cuts directly to the core. Here, the former TDE signee confirms once again that this beef goes much deeper than rap and stems from his unabashed purported hatred for Drake as a man, an artist, and everything Drake represents.
Kendrick Is Too Boring In His Personal Life To Get Cancelled
By now, both sides have accused the other of scrounging around in the streets to dig up dirt. Kendrick and Drake have both levied some incredibly serious accusations at one another, though neither of them have provided receipts to fully back up the claims that they have made. Regarding this, Kendrick preemptively raps, “It was fun until you started to put money in the streets/ Then lost money ’cause they came back with no receipts/ I’m sorry that I live a boring life, I love peace/ But war-ready if the world is ready to see you bleed.” On these bars in “6:16 In LA,” Kendrick seems to confirm that Drake offered money to people who know him in his personal life in return for salacious gossip. Kendrick claims that Drake came up short on this front, as no such dirt exists.
Fans can assume that this is at least partially true, as Drake famously executed this strategy back in 2018 while trying to get back at Pusha T for the groundbreaking release of the diss record “The Story of Adidon.” Ultimately, Drake never managed to find any scathing dirt on Pusha T and never crafted a response to the record, essentially conceding the win to Push. Kendrick lives an incredibly private life and often refuses to make any of his personal business public, meaning it would likely be even more difficult to get any inside info on him.
In perhaps the most scathing bars of the entire track, Kendrick nears the conclusion of “6:16 In LA” with the lyrics, “Your entourage is only to hustle you/ A hundred n****s that you got on salary, and twenty of ’em want you as a casualty/ And one of them is actually next to you/ And two of them is practically tired of your lifestyle, just don’t got the audacity to tell you.” Here, he suggests that Drake’s camp is full of disloyal opportunists, secretly rooting for his downfall. Kendrick takes things a step further, arguing that a large percentage of Drake’s so-called friends actually want him to outright die. The cover art of “Meet The Grahams” also confirms the suggestion that some of Kendrick’s moles are in extremely close proximity to Drake, featuring some of Drake’s personal belongings and even a few of his prescription medications.
While no hip hop fan wants to see this battle escalate into physical violence, Kendrick seems to be offering a stern warning to Drake throughout all of his diss records. The warning asks that Drake change his lifestyle and find god before something unfortunate happens to him, whether that means a possible assault from a rival rapper or even a loss of life.
Lamar’s subsequent silence has supporters intrigued. But all this time, the Grammy Award-winner musician might’ve been in the recording booth creating a new body of work, according to a viral rumor online.
So, Did Kendrick Lamar Just Release A New Album Through pgLang?
If you were waiting for Lamar’s follow-up to 2022’s Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers, you aren’t in luck. Today (April 28), an anonymous report began to circulate across X (formerly Twitter) that Lamar used his creative company, pgLang, to drop his new project.
Users online claimed to have found a leaked file of Lamar’s new album. Quickly after the post went live, others began to repost the link to the unauthorized project.
For pretty obvious reasons, fans are always foaming at the mouth for new Kendrick Lamar music, but the Drake beef has really amped that sentiment up to peak levels. While we’re still waiting on a response to “Push Ups” and “Taylor Made Freestyle,” it seems like die-hards have found something else to build hype around. Moreover, 15 unreleased leaks from him have apparently appeared on the [untitled] streaming app under the pgLang name. For those unaware, [untitled] markets itself as “a sacred place for your work-in-progress music,” and it’s unclear at press time whether this was legitimately posted by pgLang or if these tracks were uploaded by a fan.
Either way, there’s a lot of conversation around this on social media right now, as accounts are quickly clarifying that this is not new Kendrick Lamar music. In fact, many online have pointed out how a lot of this material had previously leaked in the past couple of years, so this technically isn’t anything new at this point. Still, to see these songs compiled in this way, under this name, and with all the context surrounding K.Dot right now is a pretty exciting moment. After all, there are rumors that we might actually get an album soon, although fans are pretty split on what that represents.
Kendrick Lamar Leaks Appear On [untitled] App Under pgLang Name
A bunch of unreleased Kendrick Lamar tracks just appeared under a “pgLang” titled project on the [untitled] app.
The project appears to be throwaways that may not have been completed, with features from André 3000, Brent Faiyez, Sampha, Baby Keem, N.E.R.D & more pic.twitter.com/oQMiLKmEd9
Yes, new music from Kendrick Lamar will likely be something special, but does it mean that “Like That” was just a promo move to get the conversation rolling? Or to incentivize fans even further to tune in by teasing a response to Drake, who’s already taken down one of his two diss tracks against him? It’s something that a lot of folks on both sides are doing mental gymnastics with, and something so shrouded in mystery that we’ll never really know until we know. That’s a big part of the reason as to why leaks like this impacted audiences in the way that they have.
Regardless, if you want to check out some of this unreleased material, then we’d recommend you look into [untitled] or dig for the OG leaks. Do you think they will ever officially come out, and what are your other predictions for the Compton lyricist’s next moves? Whatever the case, drop your thoughts down in the comments section below. Also, come back to HNHH for more news and the latest updates on Kendrick Lamar.
Kendrick Lamar usually waits a few years between releasing new work. But thanks to the “Rich Spirit” rapper’s creative service company, PgLang, which he runs with Dave Free, he’s making an exception. On January 20, in a joint upload to Instagram, the company unveiled their latest creative endeavor with high-fashion house Chanel.
Chanel shared the official trailer for their forthcoming short film, The Button, starring Margaret Qualley, Anna Mouglalis, and Naomi Campbell, which is written and directed by Free. The ad features what seems to be an unreleased track from Lamar.
As Qualley searches for her missing fastener, Lamar’s record hypes up the viewer as they prepare to join the actress in her quest. On pgLang’s official Instagram, the company provided a synopsis of the collaboration:
At the invitation of Virginie Viard, Kendrick Lamar, and Dave Free meet the world of Chanel Haute Couture for the first time, bringing to life a story about time and transmission. Actress and House ambassador Margaret Qualley plunges us into the tale ‘The Button’ alongside actress and House ambassador Anna Mouglalis, as well as friend of the House, Naomi Campbell.
According to a note posted online, the film will be revealed in its entirety during Chanel’s spring/summer 2024 haute couture show on Tuesday, January 23, at 2 p.m. Paris time. View the full trailer below.
Baby Keem, whose real name is Hykeem Jamaal Carter Jr., is an American rapper and record producer worth an estimated$2 million in 2024. Born on October 22, 2000, in Carson, California, Baby Keem has rapidly gained popularity in the hip-hop community since the release of his second mixtape Die for My B*tch in 2019.
Early Life And Journey To Stardom
(Photo by Jason Koerner/Getty Images)
Relocating to Las Vegas, Nevada at a young age, Baby Keem found musical inspiration in artists like Lil Wayne, Kanye West, and Eminem. His family, which includes his cousin and renowned rapper, Kendrick Lamar, encouraged him to pursue a rap career. He released his first song, “Come Thru” at the tender age of 15. However, he adopted his moniker “Baby Keem” in 2018, giving him the cover of having two different aliases.
In 2018, Baby Keem’s first EP Midnight, as Hykeem Carter, was released, featuring nine tracks he recorded from his apartment. His next EP, No Name, was released the same year. However, it was the release of his album Die For My Bitch in 2019, with its hit single “Orange Soda,” that catapulted him into mainstream success. The song became a viral hit and was later certified Platinum by the RIAA in August 2020.
Continued Success and Collaborations
ATLANTA, GEORGIA – OCTOBER 01: Baby Keem performs onstage during the 2021 BET Hip Hop Awards at Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre on October 01, 2021 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Aaron J. Thornton/Getty Images)
Baby Keem’s career continued to soar with the release of more tracks like “Hooligan,” “Sons & Critics Freestyle,” and “No Sense.” He also collaborated with artists like Travis Scott and Kendrick Lamar. His debut studio album The Melodic Blue which included these tracks, arrived in September 2021, with a deluxe edition following in October 2022.
Alongside his solo career, Baby Keem also contributed to the Black Panther soundtrack and produced several tracks for TDE artists. His co-signs include high-profile artists such as Drake, and he has worked with Kanye West on his album Donda.
US rapper Baby Keem accepts the Best Rap Performance award for “Family Ties” during the 64th Annual Grammy Awards at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on April 3, 2022. (Photo by VALERIE MACON / AFP) (Photo by VALERIE MACON/AFP via Getty Images)
Baby Keem’s brief yet impactful career boasts several highlights. These include the hit song “Orange Soda,” his debut album The Melodic Blue, and winning the 2022 Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance and the 2022 BET Award for Video of the Year.
Sources Of Income And Current Net Worth
Baby Keem’s impressive net worth mainly comes from releasing his own tracks, collaborations, live concerts, and streaming platforms. He also earns income from producing tracks for other artists and from his eponymous YouTube channel, which garners millions of views every month. As of 2024, Baby Keem’s net worth is estimated to be $2 million.
With his continued musical endeavors, Baby Keem’s net worth is expected to rise, reflecting the successful career he has already carved out for himself in the music industry at such a young age. His story serves as an inspiration for emerging artists around the world.
Baby Keem‘s debut album The Melodic Blue continues to stand the test of time. Though it was released back in 2021, the PGLang signee just announced a hotly-anticipated companion project for the album. This week, Keem will drop a film called The Melodic Blue to accompany his critically-acclaimed album. He first showed the trailer at Camp Flog Gnaw earlier this month, but today (November 28), Keem dropped the trailer online.
With so many music-related films arriving on different formats this winter, fans are excited to tune in for this one.
Will Baby Keem’s The Melodic Blue movie be on streaming?
The Melodic Blue will be available to stream next month via Prime Video. A trailer reveals that Keem will star in the film, alongside Amandla Stenberg, Shakira Ja’nai Paye, Francis Lovehall, and Séréna Sy. Keem serves as an executive producer on the film, as well as his cousin Kendrick Lamar, and Dave Free. The film was directed by Savannah Setten.
“Keem’s internal battle leads us through fragments of memory and temptation as he navigates the depths of The Melodic Blue,” said a press release describing the film.
Watch the trailer for Baby Keem’s The Melodic Blue movie
You can see the trailer for The Melodic Blue below.
The Melodic Blue will be available to stream on Prime Video beginning 12/5.
