Saturday (June 22), Kendrick Lamar shot his highly anticipated visual for his Drake diss, “Not Like Us.” The dynamic single was performed five times at his Juneteenth concert, “The Pop Out — Ken and Friends.”
Lamar teamed up with YG, Mustard, Ab-Soul, TDE and countless other relevant Los Angeles-bred artists to participate in the celebratory video for his Billboard chart-topping song.
As noted by TMZ on Friday (June 21), the “B**ch, Don’t Kill My Vibe” hitmaker’s production team obtained all the necessary permits and arranged for heightened security due to recent tensions stemming from his public feud with Drake.
Local law enforcement sources indicated to the outlet that the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department would provide deputies to ensure safety during the filming, with personnel purportedly being compensated at approximately $120 per hour.
After reports of this news came out, Founder and CEO of Free Lunch Agency, Tim Hinshaw, tweeted, “It’s bloods and crips out here on unity, patrolling ourselves! The only cops around are camera escorts and traffic control.” Hinshaw expressed gratitude to people who supported the live stream that he produced on Amazon Prime.
In a passionate post, he shared, “My kid’s first concert ticket says Free Lunch on it. Historic. I’m proud of my city. Booking 25+ artists is not easy. 25+ from LA from different hoods?? Even harder. Everybody had the same energy, though. ‘WE HERE FOR DOT, the CITY. It’s about UNITY.’ WESTSIDE. pgLang + FREE LUNCH.”
“Not Like Us” is one of the highest-performing songs of the year. Recently, The Game mentioned, “Kendrick [does] his s**t, and what he did last night was amazing for the West Coast. I sat back, and I watched it. I ain’t have to be there, you know what I’m saying? I think it’s a W for the coast,” he explained.
Amid speculation regarding his missing presence, especially given his past collaborations with Lamar, The Game emphasized his supportive stance: “I think what K. Dot did for a lot of West Coast n**gas last night was hard as f**k. I think it was dope of him and big-hearted of him to do that for n**gas.”