On Juneteenth (June 19), Kendrick Lamar brought together the West Coast for his “The Pop Out — Ken and Friends” concert. Although several frequent and former collaborators were in attendance, The Game was notably absent.
On Thursday (June 20), the Compton rapper shared his reasons for not showing up during a detailed Instagram Live Session. “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.”
The “Hate It Or Love It” artist also addressed his relationship with Drake, whom Lamar took shots at throughout the concert with renditions of “euphoria” and “Not Like Us.” The Game said, “As far as my relationship with Drake? Drake is my brother. I f**k with Drake.”
“The Pop Out — Ken and Friends” had a stacked list of attendees and performers. Artists like Dr. Dre, Steve Lacy, YG, Roddy Ricch, Mustard, DJ Hed, ScHoolboy Q and Tyler, The Creator took the stage. Meanwhile, The Weeknd, Rick Ross, LeBron James, SZA and North West were spotted in the crowd.
It’s also worth mentioning that Drake shouted The Game out on May’s “Family Matters”: “You know who really bang a set? My n**ga YG/ You know who really bang a set? My n**ga Chuck T.” The two artists previously teamed up for “100,” which appeared on The Documentary 2.