Tam’s Burger

Kendrick Lamar Now Has An All-You-Can-Eat Lifetime Pass At Tam’s Burger, Thanks To The ‘Not Like Us’ Video

by
kendrick lamar
Getty Image

Kendrick Lamar’s chart-topping Drake diss track, “Not Like Us,” has earned some impressive co-signs (most recently Serena Williams). In the same breath, it has seemingly forced others to pick a side in the lyrical battle (hello, Los Angeles Public Library).

Yesterday (July 11), a company the Compton native is all too familiar with came forward to thank him for his service to the city. During a chat with TMZ, the owner of Tam’s Burgers, Spiro Vovos, promised Kendrick an all-you-can-eat lifetime pass at the establishment after being featured in the song’s official music video.

“Anything he wants it is on the house,” he said. That surely includes Kendrick’s usual bacon cheeseburger.

Although Vovos’ cooking didn’t jump-start Kendrick’s love for the restaurant, he does have the family recipe. “My grandfather probably was the one feeding him growing up,” he said. “We’re [just] so lucky and very thankful for him and his team.”

As for how the scenes came to be, Vovos shined light on that too. “Kendrick’s team [called] and asked if he could come back and film a music video,” he said. “He’s been here before, and [so] of course, I’m going to say yes. He’s such a big icon to Compton and to this whole community. So, we didn’t think twice.”

Following Kendrick’s video, which featured multiple shots at the restaurant, Vovos said they show a 40% sales increase. Now, should Kendrick wish to drop in for burgers, a breakfast combo, or any other side dishes, he won’t have to worry about a thing (not that he had to before but still).

Kendrick hasn’t responded to the public declaration, but it seems too finger-licking good to pass up.

Kendrick Lamar & Tam’s Burgers: How ‘Not Like Us’ Boosted A Longtime Relationship

by
kendrick lamar compton tam's not like us
YouTube

Kendrick Lamar‘s “Not Like Us” video may have ruined Drake’s holiday, but according to TMZ, it certainly helped boost the local economy in Kendrick’s hometown. Tam’s, the greasy spoon takeout restaurant that features prominently in the video — and in Kendrick’s life and music — reported a boost in sales at its Rosecrans location in Compton (there are several other Tam’s restaurants dotted throughout LA County) picked up by 30 to 40 percent, with a large influx of tourist interest in the location.

(This is all well and good, thank you for your support, but speaking as a local… please do not get y’all selves in trouble trying to play tourist. For one thing, you’re missing the point of the song.)

So, what is Tam’s, and how has it played a role in Kendrick Lamar’s art and life?

The first Tam’s was opened in 1971, selling not just burgers and fries, but also Mexican staples like tacos, burritos, quesadillas, and the like. Kendrick’s Tam’s is located at the corner of Rosecrans and Central (mine was on Alameda between Rosecrans and Compton) and K Dot has mentioned it in songs like “Element,” where he raps, “I be hangin’ out at Tam’s, I be on Stockton.”

In a 2012 interview with Nardwaur, Kendrick says his order at Tam’s is chili cheese fries, although TMZ notes he also orders the bacon cheeseburger:

Kendrick also mentioned Tam’s in a 2012 interview with Complex, where he compared it to the more well-known West Coast staple In-N-Out: “Everybody loves In-N-Out, but it’s a very clean-cut burger,” he said. “Tam’s is street-sloppy, burgers and shakes. It’s a chain, but it’s still hood.”

Kendrick Lamar & Tam’s Burgers: How ‘Not Like Us’ Boosted A Longtime Relationship

by
kendrick lamar compton tam's not like us
YouTube

Kendrick Lamar‘s “Not Like Us” video may have ruined Drake’s holiday, but according to TMZ, it certainly helped boost the local economy in Kendrick’s hometown. Tam’s, the greasy spoon takeout restaurant that features prominently in the video — and in Kendrick’s life and music — reported a boost in sales at its Rosecrans location in Compton (there are several other Tam’s restaurants dotted throughout LA County) picked up by 30 to 40 percent, with a large influx of tourist interest in the location.

(This is all well and good, thank you for your support, but speaking as a local… please do not get y’all selves in trouble trying to play tourist. For one thing, you’re missing the point of the song.)

So, what is Tam’s, and how has it played a role in Kendrick Lamar’s art and life?

The first Tam’s was opened in 1971, selling not just burgers and fries, but also Mexican staples like tacos, burritos, quesadillas, and the like. Kendrick’s Tam’s is located at the corner of Rosecrans and Central (mine was on Alameda between Rosecrans and Compton) and K Dot has mentioned it in songs like “Element,” where he raps, “I be hangin’ out at Tam’s, I be on Stockton.”

In a 2012 interview with Nardwaur, Kendrick says his order at Tam’s is chili cheese fries, although TMZ notes he also orders the bacon cheeseburger:

Kendrick also mentioned Tam’s in a 2012 interview with Complex, where he compared it to the more well-known West Coast staple In-N-Out: “Everybody loves In-N-Out, but it’s a very clean-cut burger,” he said. “Tam’s is street-sloppy, burgers and shakes. It’s a chain, but it’s still hood.”