Snoop Dogg Declares Kendrick Lamar ‘King of the West’
Snoop Dogg has officially anointed Kendrick Lamar as the ‘King of the West’ following Lamar’s highly acclaimed ‘Pop Out’ concert in Los Angeles.
The ‘Pop Out’ event took place on Juneteenth at The Forum, featuring a star-studded lineup including Dr. Dre, ScHoolboy Q, Jay Rock, Tyler, the Creator, YG, and Roddy Ricch. In a notable display of unity, Kendrick Lamar brought together members of the Crips and Bloods on stage, a moment that deeply impressed Snoop Dogg.
“Sending a big shout-out to K.dot and all the homies from the West that stood together unified, organized in peace, love,” Snoop Dogg said in an Instagram video from Toronto. “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. That’s the kind of shit kings do. We unite. We bring our peoples together.”
Kendrick Lamar expressed his emotional reaction to the unity displayed during the concert. As the event concluded, he addressed the crowd, saying, “This shit making me emotional. We been fucked up since Nipsey [Hussle] died. We been fucked up since Kobe [Bryant] died. This is unity at its finest.”
He continued, “We done lost a lot of homies to this music shit, to this street shit. For all of us to be together on stage, that shit is special. Everybody on this stage got fallen soldiers.”
Fans celebrated the historic moment on social media, with one commenting, “Kendrick really uniting Compton pirus and Cali crips on one stage. Memorable Juneteenth already.” Another added, “Kendrick a legend. He got crips and bloods on stage. It’s peaceful. This unity.”
Snoop Dogg’s endorsement of Kendrick Lamar comes amid recent tensions involving Drake. Drake had used AI to recreate Snoop Dogg’s voice along with 2Pac’s for his controversial diss track “Taylor Made Freestyle.” The song was later removed following legal threats from 2Pac’s estate. On the track, the AI-generated version of Snoop rapped, “Dot, you know that the D-O-G never fucking doubted you/ But right now it seem like you posted up without a clue of what the fuck you ’bout to do.”
With Snoop Dogg’s blessing, Kendrick Lamar’s influence and legacy in West Coast hip-hop continue to grow, solidifying his status as a unifying force in the community.
