Kendrick Lamar pulled out all the stops. The Compton rapper made his "Pop Out" concert an LA event for the ages. Part of the reason it was so memorable was because he showed love to all of the artists that he's worked with over the years. DJ Mustard and Dr Dre showed up, but TDE fans were especially hyped to see Lamar link back up with Ab-Soul. It's wasn't clear which song Soulo would perform, but Kendrick Lamar decided to bring him on to debut his Drake diss, "6:16 In LA." The results were spectacular.
"6:16 In LA" is the most obscure and dense Drake diss that Lamar dropped. It's still not on streaming platforms. This made it the perfect song to perform with TDE's most esoteric rapper. Ab-Soul walked onstage and immediately hyped up the crowd. "I guess somebody lied," he said. "Smells like somebody lied. I don't see no muthaf*cking fire!" Soul and Lamar then linked up and the Al Green sample for "6:16 In LA" kicked in. The two rappers bobbed and put an arm over each other while they rapped the diss. K. Dot handled most of the bars (no surprise), but Ab-Soul served as the perfect hype man. He provided ad-libs and cheered his fellow Black Hippy member on.
Ab-Soul Hyped Up Kendrick Lamar's Performance
This is the first time Kendrick Lamar and Ab-Soul have performed together in years. There was some confusion as to their relationship in the months leading up to the "Pop Out" show. Ab-Soul dropped a guest verse on J Cole's Might Delete Later album, which contained a Lamar diss. Ab-Soul also went through a turbulent period behind closed doors. He attempted to end his own life in 2022, which he detailed on his most recent album, Herbert. Despite the perceived distance between him and Lamar, Soul always spoke highly of the latter.
"We’re brothers first and, you know," the rapper told XXL. "He’s still somebody that I can call on and vice versa. I support him in whatever. He’s incredible. He’s an incredible artist. I’m behind it 100 percent." Ab-Soul obviously made good on his word by making an appearance at the "Pop Out" show. Long live Black Hippy.
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