I Took My Compton A** To Toronto For The Kendrick Lamar Concert. Here's What Happened

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15 hours ago

Considering Kendrick and Drake's epic 2024 feud, I thought it would be poignant for a fellow Compton native, someone who walked the same streets as Kendrick, to pound the pavement in Toronto as he brings over a decade's worth of hits to the city, one year after obliterating Drake via their rap battle.
Does obliterate sound too strong? Maybe it is, considering Drake was still the highest-selling rapper of 2024, despite the narrative surrounding his L in the K. Dot battle. But are we really going to lie and say that King Kunta didn't come out on top?
In addition to sharing my perspective as a West side native, I wanted to see how Toronto the city reacts to Kendrick in person. Is there still animosity? Was there ever animosity, or was this 'beef' purely between the artists? Was the battle as big a deal in Toronto as it was perceived to be by the rest of the world?
I can tell you one thing, Compton took full pride in Dot's triumph, as demonstrated in the 'Not Like Us' music video that brought the whole city out. However, there is no true document of how that feud was perceived by Drake's fellow countrymen. Yes, some folks in Vancouver pressed Rick Ross for playing 'Not Like Us' during the initial back-and-forth, but then Toronto sold out two massive shows at Rogers Centre to see the man who called their savior a pedophile do so live.
This is not to downplay singer SZA's ability to draw a crowd, as the tour's co-headliner also has a massive fan base, many of whom don't give AF about Dot and Drizzy's 2024 tussle either way. Still, it was the talk of the year and continues to stir conversation.
I'm not here to give you a peek inside of the concert itself, as VIBE dropped our official review of the GNX show following Lamar's Los Angeles stint. Instead, I'm here to share my own observations regarding the crowd before and after the show, as I was fortunate enough to chop it up with – and eavesdrop on – Toronto natives as they discussed Kendrick, Drake, and why they did – or didn't – choose to pay top dollar to see Mr. Duckworth tear down the stage in Aubrey's hometown.
My first observation was that I was far from the only Californian to cross the border in support of Kendrick, with many Los Angeles natives making their presence known IRL and on social media.
Two couples who seemingly traveled together – one rocking matching Dodgers jerseys and the other wearing Shaq & Kobe Lakers jerseys – spotted me in my Compton fitted and threw up the W ('Four fingers up, two twisted in the middle' – Mack 10) as they entered the building via Gate 3, with plenty others also making it known that they came a long way to show up for Dot. It was also evident that several New Yorkers, Bostonians, and other American North-easterners made the trek for the show. While this is a sign of Kendrick's immense lock on the culture, it may also be comforting for those taking issue with the idea of Torontonians 'betraying' Drake with their attendance. While residents undoubtedly made up the majority of attendees – as would be the case in any city – it was by no means a night fueled purely by local support.
As for the Torontonians that did show up, I observed a distinction that women of the city, quite frankly, couldn't care less about a rap beef, with Camille, a young woman who drove down from Markham, telling me, 'I was playing 'Nokia' on the way here. I love them both. But thinking I'm not going to see Kendrick out of loyalty to someone I've never met is kind of silly to me. Doesn't mean I don't like or respect Drake and what he's done, but Kendrick has, like, a bunch of hits that have nothing to do with that.'
This echoes the sentiment of a young woman whose day-of interview went viral on social media, where she stated, 'These are two grown men. Their beef has nothing to do with me. I didn't start it, I didn't have nothing to do with it, it doesn't change my life any which way, I'm still gonna come to this concert.'
This isn't to say that only women felt this way, as Jameson, a young man from Toronto, told me, 'Music goes beyond rap beef. I came for a good show from a great artist.'
'The internet and podcasts make that sh*t seem deeper than it is,' added Chris, another attendee and Toronto resident. 'In real life, people are not clocking the beef that closely. It's summertime, people want to be outside, one of the biggest rappers ever comes, you buy a ticket and you go. All this trying to shame people for enjoying themselves is dumb. High school sh*t.'
This was the overall vibe of both nights outside of Rogers Centre. Fans, essentially, just wanted to see two of the world's biggest artists hit the stage live, and refused to let a year-old rap battle — and all the drama it spawned — stop them from doing so. As far as they're concerned, the 'they' of 'they not like us' are Hip-Hop 'culture vultures' and OVO specifically, not the whole city.
That's not to say that there weren't some straight-up Drake haters in the building, with one concert goer being spotted in his own custom 'Real Canadiens Hate Drake' shirt during both concert nights. There were also plenty of Toronto attention seekers going out of their way to rub Dot's victory in Drizzy's face, busting out the most trash crip walks I've ever seen. The majority, however, attended out of sincere interest and fandom, not to spite the $ome $exy $ongs 4 U artist.
Drake did, however, have more than a few loyalists show up on his behalf, with one group, The 6 Takeover, attempting to organize a party outside the venue, bumping Drake classics while handing out free pizza and hoodies. As you may have heard, things didn't quite work out, as venue security immediately broke up anything resembling a mob forming both nights.
Still, the few who showed up before the rebellion was shut down proudly rocked their OVO and Drake merch while lambasting their fellow Toronto natives for 'crossing' the man who put the city on.
These loyalists have a sports team mentality when it comes to Drake. You root for the home team, period. I don't care how sh*tty the season was, you don't switch up the first year they don't bring home a chip. And you damn sure don't pay to see their biggest rival host an All-Star game in your city. And to this I say, fair!
However, I think the disconnect happens when you expect an entire culture (or city) to abide by this expectation, especially one year removed from the peak of their rivalry. This isn't a LeBron James situation where Drake has every right to feel betrayed due to their personal relationship. And yes, while hearing Rogers Centre go off to 'Not Like Us' might feel personal, it was also an undeniable hit, meaning it will get the hit-treatment when performed live. Now, as for the fans in the crowd begging for an encore? Tough break, kid.
At no point did I feel uncomfortable or out of sorts in my Compton garb. In fact, hospitality was on ten my entire trip. Even those who spoke in passionate defense of Mr. Graham did so with an undercurrent of respect.
One question I can't answer, however, is how exactly Drake will be received when he finally makes his way out west again. Los Angeles is a far more unpredictable environment, so it's trickier to assess. It's also important to distinguish Compton from Los Angeles (proper), two different cities that will likely react to Drake's presence differently. As for Toronto, however, the beef simply isn't as serious to the average resident as it seems on the 'net, and that might just be the biggest takeaway from Dot's time in the city.
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