This, the waning Year of Our Lord 2024, is when Kendrick Lamar singlehandedly transformed Drake from being one of the biggest hitmakers in music into a punchline. But, because he was selfless, K. Dot used the platform this year provided him to put the West Coast in the center of Black culture.
It all started inconspicuously: In October 2023, J. Cole suggested that he, Drake and Kendrick were the “Big Three” in modern Hip-Hop. A seemingly kind-hearted thing to say given rap artists usual hesitancy to share the spotlight with anyone.
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Kendrick didn’t take too kindly to Cole’s generosity. He didn’t think either of them dudes were on his level.
In March, while Future rapped inconsequentially over a Metro Boomin produced track (remember when GQ had the unmitigated gall to say that Future was the greatest rapper alive?) Mr. Lamar set the world on fire with nine words: “mother*ck the big three, n*gga, it’s just big me.”
This prompted J. Cole to release a diss track that he has since apologized for. (Still a sucka move, tbh. It’s understandable why he did it, but don’t throw punches and then run away when none of them land.)
Then Drake entered the chat with “Push Ups” (a decent if unfocused track) and “Taylor Made Freestyle” (one of the corniest, lightskint Kappa-adjacent things I’ve ever heard in my life.)
Kendrick dropped unquestionably the best, most nuanced and lyrically dense track of the beef with “Euphoria,” but, because it was not a banger, Drake was able to sneak in “Family Matters.” Aubs was then obliterated with the song of the summer of 2024 that had white babies and Black grandmas saying OV-Ho: “Not Like Us.”
The beef was over, but Kendrick wasn’t done.
On Juneteenth, he had the Popout Concert where he centered Los Angeles artists and producers, highlighting what the West Coast had contributed to Black culture. The night ended with the now iconic photograph that symbolized a united L.A. and nearly brought Kendrick to tears.
“We done lost a lot of homies to this music shit, lot of homies to this street shit…for all of us to be on this stage together,” he said. “Unity [between] Crips, Bloods, Pirus, this sh*t is special.”
With this concert, he shifted the focus away from Drake and away from himself, he put it squarely on L.A. (To be sure, he played “Not Like Us” five times at the concert, so he didn’t miss his chance to take shots at Aubrey…but he didn’t make it all about the emotionally unstable man from Toronto.)
Kendrick could have made this year all about himself, but he didn’t. Even with the “GNx” album that dropped in November, the most memorable moment is on the track “TV Off,” when the beat switches and Kendrick gives shine to DJ Mustard, his frequent collaborator, the producer of “Not Like Us” and an LA native.
The West Coast won 2024 because K. Dot. made it about his city, not about himself.
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