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For a few hours on Wednesday night, Kendrick Lamar was the most powerful man on earth as he held The Pop Out in Los Angeles. The whole thing was quite the spectacle, as it turned into one of the biggest nights in music even before Kendrick got on stage and started his performance.

And then, Kendrick tore the house down at The Forum in Los Angeles, which included Black Hippy reuniting and running through a medley of songs. The high point of the performance came at the very end, when he performed his Drake diss “Not Like Us.” Then he did it again, and then he did it again … and then, for good measure, he did it a fourth time, with the crowd losing its mind the entire time. During his final performance, a number of people joined him on stage, which included two of L.A.’s most beloved basketball players, Russell Westbrook and DeMar DeRozan.

They weren’t the only NBA players who made it out on Wednesday night, as a collection of players that included LeBron James were in attendance. And as he ran through “Not Like Us,” Donovan Mitchell was like many of us who sat at home and watched

Anyway, after Kendrick did his fourth performance of “Not Like Us,” he took a picture with the huge group that popped up on stage … before doing “Not Like Us” for a fifth time.

Kendrick Lamar opened his The Pop Out — Ken & Friends Juneteenth concert at LA’s Kia Forum by delivering the live debut of “Euphoria,” one of his Drake diss tracks from this spring, and adding another ruthless bar to it.

Somehow, The Pop Out got better from there.

Lamar staged a long-awaited Black Hippy reunion. One by one, he was joined on stage by Jay Rock, Ab-Soul, and Schoolboy Q. They performed a medley of songs, including “Money Trees,” “Win,” “King’s Dead,” “6:16 In LA,” “Collard Greens,” “That Part,” and “King Kunta.”

Black Hippy, a Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE) supergroup formed in the late 2000s, never released a full group LP, though it remained a vague possibility as of March 2023.

In February 2022, Terrance Louis “Punch” Henderson discussed Black Hippy never releasing an album during an interview with Mic.

“We definitely wanted to do a Black Hippy album,” Punch said. “But it was such a learning experience for us, everything was new. The timing never really panned out. When one guy would be recording his album, another guy would be on tour. Everybody was never in the same timeframe. So we didn’t want to hold back; we wanted to keep going and just push further into their individual careers. In hindsight, I wish I would’ve pushed the Black Hippy album more. That was always my goal, personally. You would have to ask everybody individually to see if that’s what their goal was.”

Kendrick Lamar has dominated the year in music, as he turned his beef with Drake into chart-topping tracks and a wave of momentum that has been nothing short of incredible.

His final Drake diss, “Not Like Us” produced by Mustard, became an instant L.A. anthem, and gave way to the idea to put on a show in L.A. called The Pop Out, referencing a line from the track. On Wednesday night at the Kia Forum, Kendrick, Mustard, and DJ Hed took the stage with various friends, bringing a ton of stars out both on stage and in the crowd.

Among those were a number of NBA stars with L.A. ties, as some of the biggest names in basketball weren’t going to miss this moment. LeBron James, Russell Westbrook, James Harden, and DeMar DeRozan were all on hand, with DeRozan arriving early to support his fellow Compton native.

The livestream showed LeBron and Westbrook vibing during Mustard’s set, as he brought out Tyler the Creator, YG, and more to the Forum stage.

Harden was also in the building with another beard enthusiast, Rick Ross, who had more fun dissing Drake than anyone else and wasn’t going to miss a chance to be at Kendrick’s show.

As plenty of people noted, James’ presence had to have hurt Drake a bit, as the two have been tight in the past, but there LeBron was on the Forum floor as Kendrick performed his “Euphoria” diss in its entirety — with some new lyrics — and the crowd went crazy.

Kendrick Lamar’s The Pop Out — Ken & Friends Juneteenth concert marks his first public appearance since he and Drake exchanged several vicious diss tracks. DJ Hed and Mustard delivered stacked opening sets featuring guest performances from the likes of Westside Boogie, BlueBucksClan, Tommy The Clown, Blxst, Ty Dolla Sign, Dom Kennedy, Steve Lacy, Tyler The Creator, Roddy Ricch, and YG.

Lamar immediately reminded everyone that he is and forever will be the main attraction when he began his set with the live debut of “Euphoria,” one of the aforementioned Drake diss tracks.

Lamar additionally proved that he still disdains Drake by adding a new bar to “Euphoria,” according to various publications like Complex and XXL Magazine. The line is, “Give me Tupac’s ring back, and I might give you a little respect.”

To make matters worse for Drake, the Kia Forum crowd chanted “OV-Hoe” before Lamar took the stage for his set.

Lamar released “Euphoria” on April 30. The six-plus-minute diss track is a total evisceration. “Don’t tell no lies about me, and I won’t tell no truths ’bout you” is a self-explanatory bar, but Lamar’s attacks throughout the song are nuanced — the embodiment of “it’s levels to this,” as explained by Uproxx’s Wongo Okon.

As of this writing, Kendrick Lamar has yet to take the stage for his The Pop Out — Ken & Friends set at Kia Forum in Los Angeles on Wednesday, June 19, but the Juneteenth celebration has already been a star-studded event. DJ Hed opened the show and welcomed out a slew of guests, including Ray Vaughn, Westside Boogie, Bino Rideaux, and BlueBucksClan. Mustard was up next and took it to another level.

The acclaimed DJ & producer brought out Blxst (“Overrated,” “Chosen”), Ty Dolla Sign (“Paranoid”), Dom Kennedy (“My Type Of Party,” “When I Come Around”), Steve Lacy (“Static,” “Bad Habit”), and Tyler The Creator (“WusYaName,” “Earfquake”) before taking a moment to honor the late Nipsey Hussle. The Jumbotron displayed a photo of the beloved rapper alongside “RIP NIP: THE MARATHON CONTINUES.” Mustard played “Perfect Ten,” the title track from his platinum-certified 2019 album. The song featured Hussle. The crowd predictably erupted, and Mustard said, “Make some noise so loud that Nipsey Hussle can hear you” before playing Hussle’s “Last Time That I Checc’d” featuring YG.

Kia Forum got even louder when Roddy Ricch joined Mustard on stage to perform “Racks In The Middle,” Hussle’s 2019 song featuring Ricch and Hit-Boy.

Hussle was fatally shot on March 31, 2019, while visiting his Marathon Clothing store in South LA. He was 33.

Ricch stayed around to additionally perform “Die Young,” “The Box,” and “Ballin’,” before the grand finale of YG running through “BPT,” “My N****,” “Toot It And Boot It,” “Who Do You Love?,” and “Big Bank.”

Watch clip from Mustard’s set below.

In late February, Hinds released “Coffee” as their first song in four years. The Madrid, Spain-bred duo of Ana Perrote and Carlotta Cosials last released The Prettiest Curse in June 2020, and their next album, Viva Hinds, is due out on September 6. After “Coffee,” Hinds shared “Boom Boom Back” featuring Beck from the album’s tracklist. On Wednesday, June 19, Hinds dropped “En Forma,” which stands apart from previous Viva Hinds singles simply because it is their first-ever entirely Spanish-language song release.

“This was the first song I could write after months of feeling absolutely devastated, immobile and pathetic,” Cosials said in a statement, according to NME. “I just wanted to get better, but I just couldn’t. I couldn’t cope with this eternal race of being happier and better and cleaner and healthier.”

Perrote added, “When I talk with my girlfriends, in the same afternoon we can chat about wars, philosophy, love, and clothes. I tried to reflect on this song the chaos and huge spectrum of what it’s like to be a young woman these days. How overwhelming it can be to juggle the news, politics, our bodies, relationships and laundry.”

The accompanying “En Forma” video illustrates Cosials and Perrote’s sentiments. Watch it above, and learn more about their Viva Hinds album below.

Hinds’ Viva Hinds Tracklist

1. “Hi, How Are You”
2. “The Bed, The Room, The Rain and You”
3. “Boom Boom Back” Feat. Beck
4. “Stranger” Feat. Grian Chatten
5. “Superstar”
6. “Mala Vista”
7. “On My Own”
8. “Coffee”
9. “En Forma”
10. “Bon Voyage”

Hinds’ Viva Hinds Album Cover Artwork

Viva Hinds is out 9/6 via Lucky Number. Find more information here.

Kendrick Lamar’s The Pop Out — Ken & Friends is the hottest ticket in Los Angeles on Wednesday night, June 19, to commemorate Juneteenth. Luckily, The Pop Out will be livestreamed on Amazon Prime Video and Twitch, so fans everywhere can follow whether Lamar debuts any one of his Drake diss tracks.

Here Are The Set Times For Kendrick Lamar’s The Pop Out — Ken & Friends Concert

On Tuesday, June 18, DJ Hed posted the lineup on X (formerly Twitter): DJ Hed & Friends (4 p.m. PT), Mustard & Friends (4:45 p.m. PT), and Ken & Friends (5:45 p.m. PT).

It remains to be seen who all of the friends will be joining DJ Hed, Mustard, and Lamar during their respective sets, but rap’s biggest names are presumably all possibilities — except for Drake, of course.

As of this writing, DJ Hed’s set is underway. TDE’s Ray Vaughn popped out to perform “Problems.” DJ Hed quipped, “They say the West Coast can’t rap? That’s crazy.” Then, he proceeded to welcome Cuzzos for a short stint on stage before Rucci and Azchike ran out to perform their collaborative track “Light It Up.” The revolving door of guest performers continued with Jay Worthy & Meet The Whoops.

You can watch the rest of The Pop Out — Ken & Friends here.

Kendrick Lamar has kept rap fans fed since late March, when his feature on Future and Metro Boomin’s “Like That” ignited a rap beef and diss track inferno (is that a phrase?) with Drake.

Peak excitement hit when Lamar, pgLang, and Free Lunch announced The Pop Out — Ken & Friends, a one-off concert at Los Angeles’ Kia Forum on Wednesday, June 19.

When Will Kendrick Lamar Be On Stage For The Pop Out — Ken & Friends?

On Tuesday, June 18, DJ Hed posted the show’s lineup on X (formerly Twitter).

DJ Hed & Friends is scheduled to kick the show off at 4 p.m. PT, followed by Mustard & Friends at 4:45 p.m. PT and Lamar at 5:45 p.m. PT. It appears that the “& Friends” part of DJ Hed, Mustard, and Lamar’s respective sets will remain a surprise until show time.

Mustard, Sounwave, and Sean Momberger co-produced “Not Like Us,” Lamar’s ether of Drake that became his fourth-career No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Earlier Wednesday, June 19, Mustard shared five facts about “Not Like Us” with Billboard, including that he “did not sample” Nas’ “Ether.”

“I heard the song when everybody else heard it,” he said. “I never heard it before. I wasn’t in the studio with him. I had never heard that song.”

Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us,” listed among Uproxx’s “Best Songs Of 2024 So Far,” might get its live debut during Lamar’s The Pop Out — Ken & Friends concert, presented by pgLang and Free Lunch, at Kia Forum in Los Angeles tonight (June 19). Regardless, “Not Like Us” is featured at Lamar’s The Pop Out merch table.

Here Is Kendrick Lamar’s Merch For The Pop Out Concert

Several outlets, such as Complex and XXL Magazine, have begun circulating photos of merch available for purchase at Kia Forum.

It cannot be definitively stated whether the photos capture all of the merchandise available, but this is what we have to go off of so far.

There is a black “Not Like Us” graphic tee available for $50, and a white pgLang graphic tee for $50. Another $50 “Not Like Us” graphic tee displays a bowl of New Ho King rice, a nod to the Toronto restaurant and unlikely beneficiary of the Drake-Kendrick beef. As relayed by The New York Times, New Ho King received “a flood of five-star reviews on Yelp and Google” after Lamar rapped on “Euphoria,” “I be at New Ho King eatin’ fried rice with a dip sauce and blammy, crodie.”

There is also a black pgLang graphic hoodie available for $120, and a $70 white long-sleeved shirt with a graphic displaying, “SOMETIMES YOU GOTTA POP OUT AND SHOW.”

The Pop Out — Ken & Friends will be livestreamed on Amazon Prime Video and Twitch.

Chick-fil-A has just launched a new chicken sandwich! It’s not often that Chick-fil-A adds something truly new to its menu so this is kind of a big deal. Sure, it has seasonal drinks, but drinks are relatively safe and risk-free for both the customer and restaurant. But new food? That’s a risk, and it doesn’t always pay off (just look at the KFC Chizza).

Last year, Chick-fil-A gave us the Honey Pepper Pimento Chicken Sandwich. And while it wasn’t for everyone — Pimento cheese is easily the most divisive cheese — we thought it was pretty tasty.

Now, in 2024, Chick-fil-A has something a bit more exciting in store for us — the Maple Pepper Bacon Chicken Sandwich. With all due respect to pimento cheese, this sounds a million times better. I mean it has “bacon” in the name and that alone is enough to pique our interest. And it’s grilled, which is exciting because it’s our opinion that we need more good grilled chicken sandwiches out there in the fast food landscape.

So is the Maple Pepper Bacon Chicken Sandwich any good? Here’s the verdict.

Maple Pepper Bacon Chicken Sandwich

Thoughts & Tasting Notes:

The build features grilled chicken breast on a toasted maple-flavored brioche bun, pepper jack cheese, green leaf lettuce, pickles, and bacon that is covered in brown sugar and pepper.

Holy shit is this sandwich good. The flavors work in perfect harmony with one another, the chicken breast is tender with a mix of charred, herbal, and slightly lemon-y flavors with pepper jack cheese bringing some mild heat, and a smokey sweet, fragrant peppery aftertaste courtesy of the maple bacon. The maple bacon is a definite highlight, it’s perfectly rendered with an addictive mix of smokey and sweet flavors. It’s crunchy, yet melts in your mouth.

I’m taken aback by how good this sandwich is. Before I tried it, I thought that on paper it would probably make sense to be made with a spicy fried filet rather than the grilled option because it would be a combination of spicy and sweet but having actually tasted the thing, I have to suggest that you resist the temptation to get the fried chicken.

The bacon already provides all the textural crunch that you need. I’d also like to highlight the brioche bun that this sandwich is served on, it’s light, airy, and buttery. It’s easily the best bun on any Chick-fil-A sandwich, and I hope they swap out the original white bread for brioche on all of their sandwiches.

My only gripe with this sandwich is the pickles. They seem out of place on this sandwich. Don’t get me wrong it didn’t ruin my experience, but there is so much flavor in this sandwich from the bacon and chicken filet alone that you don’t really need that briney-tang the pickles bring.

Still, this is currently my favorite grilled chicken sandwich in all of fast food and if it doesn’t earn permanent menu status then Chick-fil-A is making a huge mistake.

The Bottom Line:

A must-order. This is easily one of Chick-fil-A’s best chicken sandwiches and by far the best grilled chicken sandwich in all of fast food.