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Key Takeaways
- Kendrick Lamar’s Toronto performance of “Not Like Us” reignited buzz around his feud with Drake.
- Fans at Rogers Centre demanded an encore, showing overwhelming support for Lamar.
- Drake’s livestream with Kai Cenat was postponed the same night, sparking fan speculation.
If anyone is still unconvinced that Kendrick Lamar definitively won last year’s rap feud with Drake, just look at how Toronto welcomed him performing “Not Like Us” in the Canadian hitmaker’s hometown. On Thursday (June 12) night, the Compton rapper and SZA pulled into Toronto’s Rogers Centre for the first of two packed-out stops on their “Grand National Tour.”
It marked Lamar’s first time in Toronto since he and Drake exchanged diss tracks, and plenty of fans had the date circled, patiently waiting to see how he’d acknowledge the moment. Interestingly, the GNX artist didn’t rely on theatrics and, from the looks of it, didn’t say a word about the beef while performing on stage. Instead, the only thing echoing through the venue after the Mustard-produced track wrapped was the crowd chanting, “One more time.”
It goes without saying, “Not Like Us” had a massive run in the year after its initial release. The track spent three weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100 chart and went on to win five Grammys at the 67th annual ceremony: Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Rap Performance, Best Rap Song, and Best Music Video.
Meanwhile, Drake was scheduled to livestream with Kai Cenat on Thursday to review video treatments for “SOMEBODY LOVES ME.” Maybe it was just coincidental timing, given Lamar’s Toronto stop on that same night, but some fans speculated the “God’s Plan” rapper was trying to deflect attention. Either way, the broadcast ended up being postponed.
The “Grand National Tour” is set to return to Toronto’s Rogers Centre on Friday night (June 13). After that, Lamar and SZA will head back stateside for two more stops before crossing over to Europe through August. The “Alright” rapper will ultimately close out the trek solo in Australia this December.
