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Kendrick Lamar Joins Protesters at Compton Peace Walk
Protests continued throughout the country and the world over the weekend in the wake of George Floyd’s death.
Many celebrities were seen hitting the streets on Sunday. In Los Angeles, Kendrick Lamar made a rare public appearance at a peace walk in his hometown of Compton. Wearing a black hoodie, mask, and sweatpants, K-Dot marched with protesters including DeMar DeRozan, Russell Westbrook, and the Compton Cowboys from Gateway Towne Center to the Martin Luther King Jr. monument by City Hall.
The reclusive rapper kept a low profile, but stopped for photos with fans. “All I did was say hello. Without asking, he stopped and posed. I gladly photographed him,” wrote photographer Sau Lopez.
Mayor Aja Brown also addressed protesters at Sunday’s demonstration. “One of Compton’s greatest strengths is our love for our city,” she said, according to Complex. “I firmly believe that we will emerge from this time more united and stronger than ever.”
Kendrick’s music has seen a surge in streams since the protests. “Alright” soared to No. 26 on the global Spotify chart, its highest rank ever, while his 2015 album To Pimp a Butterfly reentered the Billboard 200 at No. 153.
Other artists also joined protests across Los Angeles. YG shot a video for his song “FTP” while marching in Hollywood, while Usher and Trey Songz rode their bikes from Hollywood to Venice as part of “Black Rides for Black Lives.”
Peaceful protest in Hollywood with @YG #BlackLivesMatter ✊🏻✊🏼✊🏽✊🏾✊🏿 pic.twitter.com/sc657NnXyR
— Soto23⚾️ (@Psoto_23) June 8, 2020
Trey Songz & Usher at protest in LA pic.twitter.com/MsoiL11sdh
— 2Cool2Blog (@2Cool2BIog) June 8, 2020