Snoop Dogg calls Kendrick Lamar the “King of the West”
Kendrick Lamar made hip-hop history with The Pop Out: Ken & Friends, a show that took place on Juneteenth, bringing together a number of conic rappers and even members of rival gangs. Subsequently, Snoop Dogg has taken to social media to praise the rapper, calling him the “King of the West”.
The show featured many beloved rappers, from Dr Dre to Tyler the Creator and Schoolboy Q, with Lamar creating an atmosphere of community and togetherness. It was Lamar’s first show since his feud with Canadian rapper Drake. The pair released a series of diss tracks during the start of the year, with Lamar coming out on top.
At the Pop Out, Lamar performed four of these diss tracks. The show reinforced Lamar’s victory, and other rappers were clearly impressed. Notably, members of the Crips and Bloods also stood on stage together, despite their long history of rivalry.
Snoop took to Instagram to express his admiration for Lamar, stating, “Sending a big shout out to K.dot and all the homies from the West that stood together unified, organized in peace, love.”
He added, “That was beautiful. That was fun to watch. Beautiful to see all my peoples come together. And K.dot – you are the King of the West.”
Elucidating on Lamar’s royal status, Snoop said, “That’s the kind of shit kings do. We unite. We bring our peoples together.”
On stage, Lamar took the time to bask in the atmosphere he’d created, telling the audience, “For all of us to be on this stage together, unity, from East side mother-fucking LA, Crips, Bloods, Pirus, this shit is special, man. We put this shit together just for ya’ll.”
He continued, “This shit ain’t got nothing to do with no song at this point, ain’t got nothing to do with no back and forth records, it’s got everything to do with this moment right here. That’s what this shit was about, to bring all of us to-mother-fucking-gether.”
The Pop Out was streamed on both Twitch and Amazon Prime Video, with the actual event taking place at the Forum in California.
Watch Snoop’s message below.