Toronto Crowd Chants 'One More Time' After Kendrick Lamar Plays 'Not Like Us'
Kendrick and SZA played in Drake's hometown at Rogers Centre on Thursday night (June 12).
Kedrink Lamar is in the 6ix.
The Los Angeles rapper stepped onto Drake’s turf on Thursday night, playing his first show in Toronto since the beef between the rappers became inescapable last year.
Taking his and SZA‘s Grand National Tour to the Rogers Centre for the first of two nights, Lamar didn’t dish out any special treatment for Drake nor make any changes to his setlist — even if some concertgoers hoped he would add fuel to the fire.
As the first night neared its close, K.Dot performed his Grammy-winning, Billboard Hot 100-topping diss track “Not Like Us” to a euphoric reception inside the stadium. Fans put their phones up and shouted along to the taunting lyrics in Drake's hometown.
@rap #KendrickLamar performed "Not Like Us" during his first stop in Toronto‼️ #RapTV #Kendrick #Toronto
When the track was over, Lamar stood centre stage in the darkness. For the next two minutes, he took in the roaring crowd — many of whom were screaming, “One more time,” chanting for an encore by the end of the lengthy show.
@kendrickdotlamar nah this is crazyyyyy 🤣 #kendricklamar #toronto #gnx #grandnationaltour #rap #hiphop #gnt
While Lamar didn’t deliver the pleaded playback, he gave the crowd plenty of hits to dance to, including “euphoria” and “tv off” from his latest album GNX, and older favourites like “Alright” and “All the Stars,” which he performed with SZA.
This summer, the duo is making their way across the world with their joint tour, with their only Canadian dates are in Toronto.
As Billboard reports, there was also talk of beefed up security with rumors flying around about a 25-police escort according to Akademiks and footage of a line of cops outside of the venue being shared on social media. There’s also video of fans breaking out into song while dining at New Ho King — the Chinese restaurant that found itself in the middle of the rap battle last year and has embraced the publicity, offering fans a first round of drinks on the house. For those who remember, New Ho King made an appearance in the “Family Matters” video where an employee was seen wearing all of Pharrell’s chains that Drake bought in an auction.
While the feud seemingly remains ongoing, Drake pursues his defamation lawsuit against his label, Universal Music Group, over "Not Like Us.”
As for tonight’s Toronto show, we’ll have to wait and see what Lamar does when he graces the stage.
