A year ago today, Kendrick Lamar’s one-night-only The Pop Out: Ken & Friends concert shut down LA (and the rap world) on Juneteenth. And while so much of the attention centered on Kendrick performing the Drake diss “Not Like Us” a whopping five times, the Compton rhymer was also lauded for providing a platform for up-and-coming West Coast acts. The concert streamed worldwide via Amazon, and its first set, curated by DJ Hed, was the first major look for some of the dozens of artists who took the stage — for Remble, it was his first ever performance. 

Rolling Stone talked to Hed and 13 of the acts from his set about what the performance meant to them, how it may have helped them elevate, and what they’ve been up to since then. Some communicated that the look helped grow their following, while others, like Shoreline Mafia member OhGeesy, was mainly happy to be a part of a landmark show of West Coast unity, which the region’s street politics sometimes hinders. 

Hed explains to Rolling Stone on Zoom that after he agreed to participate, he got word from on high that “the intention was to be pro-us and not anti-anyone.” He says that the artists on the bill were already predetermined by a braintrust he’s not sure of, but he got to decide which songs they should play and how to order the set.

An accomplished DJ in his own right, Hed said he felt “dutiful” to Kendrick, DJ Mustard (who coordinated another set), and the West Coast rap scene in general throughout the event. “It solidified LA culture on a mainstream scale,” he said. “It also showed the world that you can’t have conflict with us as a collective. That’s something I learned in the streets early. I can call my little brother whatever I want to call him, [but] you can’t.”

It’s hard not to think of Drake sarcastically challenging Kendrick’s LA bonafides on “Taylor Made Freestyle,” rapping (in a Snoop Dogg AI filter), “you gotta show this fuckin’ owl who’s boss on the West.” In many eyes, Kendrick answered that challenge. Five months after The Pop Out, Kendrick dropped his GNX album, which featured Pop Out performers AZ Chike, Wallie The Sensei, and Hitta J3 of Meet The Whoops and undeniably had a West Coast bop on songs like “Squabble Up,” “Peekaboo,” and “Hey Now.” Kendrick’s consensus victory over Drake could’ve been all about him, but instead, he rolled it into an era where he embraced LA artists who had been cultivating a previously insular scene.

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The area’s 2010s favorites like the late Drakeo The Ruler, Shoreline Mafia, and BlueBucksClan, are “if you know you know” cult heroes, and even the late Nipsey Hussle grinded for years before his 2018 Victory Lap album made him a more national name. While outlets like Thizzler, Passion of Weiss, and even the polarizing No Jumper have amplified West Coast rappers, many of these talented artists haven’t gotten their due on national platforms. 

DJ Hed says that the reality of just one urban radio station in California and four west of the Mississippi hurts artists’ potential for visibility. And he says that the region’s heavy Latino and Hispanic populations shift the dynamics as well: ”How do you make a song that Black LA culture embraces, that’s relatable to Latin culture, that also translates to someone in Atlanta or Houston or Spanish Harlem? What does that record sound like?” That’s the conundrum for West Coast artists looking to go national, which is what made The Pop Out such a valuable national stage. Hed says he’s “proud” of all the work that Pop Out performers have done since the set.

AZ Chike
With his feature on Kendrick Lamar’s “Peakaboo,” AZ Chike became a standout veteran of the Pop Out, though he had been making headways before, in part with a guest spot on ScHoolboy Q’s phenomenal 2024 release Blue Lips. Rapping like the most charming menace you know, he soon signed his second major label deal with Warner Records and earned a slew of other powerful endorsements. “I got a Gatorade deal,” he tells Rolling Stone. “I then again performed with Kendrick Lamar at the [Grand National] tour at SoFi stadium in front of 70,000 people, co-signs started from Tyler, The Creator, Roddy Ricch, Terrace Martin, Pharrell Williams, the list goes on. I think that sums up the majority of my milestones. I think they some good time stamps, right there.” He’s currently “85 percent” done with his Warner debut album. “Amazing features,” he teases. “Features are so crazy, they’re gonna think I’m a goddamn industry plant. But luckily enough, the fans and the people have been able to see this grind and this come up.” And he’s still moved by the way the Pop Out did what would have once seemed impossible by uniting once divided sectors of the city, especially after tension in the planning stages. “It was a lot deeper than just LA rappers,” AZ Chike says. “It was niggas on that stage together that’s not supposed to be next to each other, but everybody was in harmony. Nothing weird happened, no arguments, no bumping heads. I feel like it was tension at rehearsal, because everybody on stage went to rehearsal. But, you know, once we got to the trailers at the Pop Out and everybody was walking around, I promise you, it was all love.” — Mankaprr Conteh

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Bino Rideaux
Ironically, Bino Rideaux was on a Blxst song called “Pop Out” in 2021; maybe his place on the bill was ordained. The LA rapper, singer and producer performed his plea to love “Bozo” during the Pop Out, Imploring the crowd, “if you know this shit, sing this shit with me.” Last December, he dropped Out The BlueBucks with Blueblucksclan, as well as singles like “Feelin Me” with Siete7x and “Go Bestfriend.” Bino wore a Marathon shirt onstage, celebrating his late mentor and creative collaborator Nipsey Hussle. He’s dropping a joint album with Nipsey later this year, according to the late rapper’s brother Blacc Sam, who’s said that it’s a real album, not a posthumous cut-and-paste. “If Hussle didn’t actually do the verse or work with the person or kind of like put together the blueprint for the project, we not doing it,” he told Power 106. “He did something with Bino, and there’s a new project that we’re about to release. This was a project that he had with Bino that was pretty much like 80% finished. So, the team came in got some unreleased verses and music that he had done with Bino and just tightened it up. It sounds amazing.” — Andre Gee  

BlueBucksClan
BlueBucksClan performed the braggadocious “Walkin’ In” onstage, giving the crowd a dose of the smooth, unquestionably LA sound that has made them underground favorites for years. At the time, the group was pushing their Biggest In The West album, which had dropped in March of 2024. Since then, they’ve also dropped singles “Bubba Wallace,” “Copycat,” and “Paper,” as well as the album Out The Bluebucks with Bino Rideaux. While we couldn’t reach them to see how they felt about the show and what they’re up to these days, it looks like the group is currently doing shows. — A.G. 

Cuzzos 
LA group Cuzzos imbued The Pop Out with feminine energy, skipping onstage to “GoldMembers,” which features the five-woman group dropping bars over a Diana Ross sample. Group member Milly Mo gives historical context to the show, likening it to Andre 3000’s “Souf got ‘sum to say” affirmation at the 1994 Source Awards. “I feel West Coast rap was being swept under the rug for a while, [but] we here and you see it,” adds Big Indo. The ladies say they’ve always had a strong West Coast fanbase, but the Pop Out strengthened it and widened their visibility not just in other states like Georgia and Florida, but international destinations like Japan and France. “To be on that big of a platform and people literally asking where CUZZOS are at because they’re waiting for our next single, tape drop, or what we’re going to post next is still unreal,” Indo says. Since then, she says they’ve strengthened their branding and been able to network with more artists, media, and producers, which furthers their goal of becoming “household names.” The group is prepping for a “Cuzzos summer,” having recently dropped their third album, Family Reunion, and is preparing for shows, merch, and other promotional activities. And if you thought you saw Cuzzos in Kendrick Lamar’s “Squabble Up” video, Indo has a clear answer for you: “Yes, those five fine-ass ladies you see in front of the backdrop taking pictures like we’re at the swap meet are us!”  — A.G.

G Perico
G Perico took the stage for “Right Wit It” alongside KalanFr.Fr. Since then, the prolific West Coast favorite has dropped Tha Clicc House Reloaded, Crip James (his third album of 2024, with the first being G Slim’s Revenge), and a 13-song Gangsta Grillz mixtape entitled LA Gangster. He also had a cameo in Kendrick’s “Squabble Up” video. He told media personality Bootleg Kev that director Calmatic invited him to the set, but didn’t tell him specifically what it was for. He initially wasn’t planning to attend, weary of an all-day wait, but he decided to go after assistants called  him multiple times. He eventually realized it was a Kendrick Lamar-related shoot when he saw the Compton artist’s head of security. The rest is West Coast history. 

JasonMartin 
Some rap fans are still deducing that Compton artist JasonMartin used to be known as Problem. He tells us that his appearance at The Pop Out “made the transition speed up tremendously,” as did Kendrick Lamar’s shoutout to him during the Grammys. He calls the Juneteenth performance “one of the biggest moments in music history,” noting, “I honestly don’t think everyone understands the magnitude of it all just yet. I think a lot of the people involved are going to look back in 10 years and be like ‘damn, that was the first time anything like that has ever happened in the history of music and I was a part of it.’” Since last June, Martin dropped Chupacabra with DJ Quik, with the two also collaborating on the theme song to Kevin Hart’s animated show Lil Kev. Martin also co-produced Wiz Khalifa’s Kush & OJ 2 album as well as Lefty Gunplay’s Can’t Get Right. He’s currently working on his solo project CWA, as well as E-40 and West Coast label OTR’s compilation album. Outside of music, he told us he’s “working on [the] Snowfall” spinoff in some capacity as well as “some things outside of entertainment that I can’t mention yet, but I am extremely excited about.“ In the grand scheme, he believes The Pop Out “quadrupled things for all of us on all levels. Dot and the Pop Out helped re-solidify my place in this West Coast music ecosystem. It also showed the world that we are together. ‘We’ being Compton, Watts, LA, Inglewood, Long Beach, and that is always better for business.” — A.G.

Jay Worthy (of Meet The Whoops)
Jay Worthy manned the stage as part of Meet The Whoops, an LA-based collective including Worthy, HittaJ3 (who was on Kendrick Lamar’s “GNX”), Mari Ruger, Rosecrans HopOut, Slumlord Trill, YS, and CEO Wacko He says the group’s performance of their ruthlessly west coast eponymous track helped put them on the map. “Anybody who didn’t know who Jay Worthy or Meet the Whoops were for sure knows now.” The rapper and budding A&R lauds the Pop Out, where they filmed their “Whoop Whoop” video, as a monumental event: “That was one of the biggest moments in music in the last 50 years if you ask me.” He added, “I think The Pop Out showed the rest of the world our culture in LA. Even though we may have our differences, we can stand together as one for a greater cause. Now the spotlight is on us. We haven’t had it in many years now, so for me it represented unity.” Since then, the ever-busy Worthy has had his hands in a lot of baskets, working on jazz music with Terrace Martin, doing A&R work with YG, handling executive producer duties on QJ Quick and Jason Martin’s Chupacabra album, and working on a bevy of his own music: a solo double-album project (coming with a documentary), collaboration albums with Eyedress and Conductor Williams, an album fully produced by Ty Dolla $ign, and an upcoming Meet The Whoops and Hit-Boy project. He’s also excited about being recently “inducted” into the Parliament Funkadelic music movement, collaborating with the great George Clinton on an upcoming project. — A.G. 

Kalan.FrFr
Kalan.FrFr’s strong and sensitive hybrid of rap and R&B is often irresistible, and the Pop Out only served to expand his growing fan base, he tells Rolling Stone. After the show, he went even harder and brought many of its stars along with him in the remix to his single “Everybody” that featured 310Babii, OhGeesy, BlueBucksClan, John Mackk, G Perico, RJmrLA, Rucci, Heembeezy, CUZZOS, Wallie the Sensei, and Chef Boy. He also dropped an excellent album with Mozzy, Lucky Her, last December. He counts some more sentimental pivot points closely, too: selling out the iconic Hollywood Palladium and hosting his annual community giveback, TwoFr Day at Compton College. “The Palladium is a huge part of the city’s entertainment space and has been for decades, so that was pretty special for me,” he says.” “I’ve been in the lab since the show,” he also tells Rolling Stone. “Just finished my upcoming album, California Player, which is the best album and body of work I have created in my career so far, so I’m excited to share that. It drops later this summer, so I’ve been strategizing the rollout for that. It’s almost that time of year again for the annual TwoFr Day as well, so I’ve been heavily hands-on putting everything in order for that activation from the performers, donations, activities, and food.” Kalan is optimistic about LA rap’s post-Pop-Out future. “I hope it inspired LA rappers to be better, perfect their craft, and take their artistry seriously,” he says. “Most importantly, I think the Pop Out inspired LA rappers to compete to be at the forefront of the music industry.” — M.C.

OhGeesy 
DJ Hed was adamant that while part of his set was dedicated to platforming up-and-coming acts, he also wanted to give a light to fan favorites. Enter OhGeesy, who’s already a cult hero as a soloist and key component of the LA group Shoreline Mafia, who dropped their Back In Bidness album in April and are heading on tour this summer. OhGeesy jumped on the Pop Out stage to perform “Geekaleek,” a moment he says held deeper cultural importance than any kind of metric boost the performance afforded him. “Whether the fanbase grew or not wouldn’t have mattered to me,” he says. “The opportunity to be there was amazing; it was a direct cosign from one of the greats. [I was] the only Mexican artist up there to bless the stage with all my brothers, it felt like real unity and much much deeper than rap.” Since then, he dropped his solo album Paid N Full (inspired by the Eric B & Rakim Classic), and is working on his next solo, which he vows to complete by November. He also collaborated with Mexican artists Junior H and Aleman during his first trip to Mexico, saying it was “huge” for the Mexican stars to express how they looked up to him growing up. In May, Shoreline Mafia dropped “Hollywood” with YG, and are set to drop another song called “Rockin” soon. For OhGeesy, “the grind is never done; I just want to deliver the best quality music possible for my fans and keep inspiring the youth.” And as for the West Coast as a whole: “We’ve always been great, never stopped being great, but now it’s time to remind y’all all over again.” — A.G.

Ray Vaughn 
At the Pop Out, DJ Hed gave TDE artist Ray Vaughn one of the few a cappella spots of the night, helping his “Problem” bars hit even more. Hed tells us that he intentionally wanted Vaughn to subvert the uptempo vibes every other artist brought to his set to highlight Vaughn’s lyricism. And about six months later, Ray did the same during a war of words with Joey Badass that further helped reacquaint himself with fans after he took a break from the game in 2021. He delved into the absence on The Good, The Bad, The Dollar Menu, a mixtape he says was a 2025 milestone for him, alongside touring outside the country and being set to embark on his own tour. Right now, he’s working on his debut album:  “I’m trying to figure out the sonics of everything. I got a couple of songs done, but I’m trying to figure out what direction I want to go and where I want to take it, for the most part, to make people understand what I’m doing and where I’m trying to go.” He says overall, “I feel like the pop-out helped [my fanbase] grow a lot. I had a lot of people who didn’t know my name, and I feel like step one in everything is people knowing your name.“ — A.G.

RJMrLA
Months before the world saw RJMrLA doing his signature elbow-flared dance in the background of Kendrick Lamar’s “Squabble Up” video, the rapper did the same jig at the Pop Out during DJ Hed’s set. His performance, which was full of crowd participation, kept his name in the Reddit conversations as one of the Juneteenth show’s best acts. RJMrLA has been feeling the impact beyond the few minutes he was on stage. “My dashboard is in the millions, and my YouTube numbers jumped up more,” he tells Rolling Stone since last year’s concert at the Kia Forum. “ I was already in the millions, but now I’m sustained as one of LA’s leading voices.” Since last June, RJ says he’s hit plenty of milestones in his career and his personal life, including dropping four mixtapes, vacationing in the Virgin Islands, and of course, appearing in the “Squabble Up” video, gliding along the seagrass-hued backdrop in a stripped polo shirt. As he’s working on his own album, OMMIO 4, and preparing for the 10-year anniversary of OMMIO 2, he reflects on how last June’s exhibition of L.A. culture shocked the world and sent a message. “I believe the Pop Out meant more than people think. It was definitely more than people expected. The Pop Out was an LA milestone not just for artists but for the community as well,” he says. “It showed people around the world that despite our cultural differences, we are all one. … When it’s time to slide, we’re gonna slide.” – Elise Brisco

Remble
Remble kicked off the Pop Out festivities, specifically chosen by DJ Hed to lead off his set with “Touchable,” one of his breakout 2021 singles. The artist, who’s lived all over LA county, tells Rolling Stone that the song garnered 500,000 YouTube views that very night. “This experience really helped me recognize how much impact Kendrick and his music have on the West Coast,” Remble told Rolling Stone. “It’s like he delivered our sound to the world, and even West Coast artists who were not on stage or on his album can still gain from the movement and the momentum.” Remble, who’s celebrating his father coming home from a 20-year prison sentence, hasn’t dropped a ton of music over the past year, dropping “Colors” (with stoneda5th and Mozzy) and “Off The Bacc” with 4Xtra and Compton Ave, but DJ Hed hinted that he’s “working on a top secret thing that I can’t talk about.” Whatever it is, his steadily growing fan base will eagerly tap in, including the ones he gained last June. Remble notes that the Pop Out wasn’t just a notable performance for him, it was his first stage set ever. “I was able to network with plenty of artists, producers, media people from different neighborhoods around our area,” he reflects. “You could feel the love, camaraderie, and fellowship in the air. It truly felt like the ball was in the West’s court all the way again. I’m forever grateful to Kendrick Lamar for the opportunity and whoever else was involved in involving me.” — A.G.

Rucci
For Rucci, performing on stage with Kendrick was a milestone in itself, but he saw the moment as an opportunity to do the work needed to grow his career. “He for sure threw us a lob, it’s on us to dunk it,” he says. This year, Rucci is working on putting out a new album called Dont Kross the Bone, scheduled for later this summer. Looking back on the experience of sharing the stage with Kendrick last year, he says he can only be grateful to have even been invited. “Well, speaking for myself, I wholeheartedly appreciate the experience and moment. I didn’t even know he knew me,” he says. “So, one of the biggest artists of our time giving me a chance to show the world my art was everything to me.” — Jeff Ihaza

Tommy the Clown 
Tommy the Clown isn’t just a Los Angeles dance legend, but has had national resonance as krumping broke ground in the aughts. He and his dancers, some small children, were mesmerizing at the Pop Out, keeping energy and spirits high. “Many of the artists on that stage grew up during the legacy of Tommy the Clown—some of them even danced or worked with me,” he tells Rolling Stone. “DJ Mustard, for example, was my actual DJ before his rise to stardom.” Since last June, he’s been focused on building his dance studio while continuing to perform internationally. “We’ve been on the Wild ’N Out Tour, the Millennium Tour, and performed with artists like NLE Choppa and MC Lyte,” he tells Rolling Stone. Overall, I’ve been working hard to keep myself and my dancers booked and busy—elevating the culture every step of the way.” He’s also been building out Battle Zone League, he says, a membership-based competition featuring inner-city kids dancing for $5,000 in cash prizes while building their platforms and performance experience. Fans can watch along on YouTube as the series empowers young athletes. Its the kind of thing that seemed to be at the heart of the Pop Out – power and opportunities in connection and camaraderie. “The Pop Out was a monumental moment,” says. “It was rooted in culture and unity, and it ended with a bang that showed the world what the West Coast is capable of when we come together. It wasn’t about clout—it was about community. This event served as a reminder that when we set aside egos, jealousy, and violence—and instead uplift one another—our collective influence becomes unstoppable. Consistency, unity, and love are the keys to success in this game. The Pop Out was proof of that.” — M.C. 

Wallie the Sensei 
Wallie The Sensei got one of the few beat drop moments of the entire event. DJ Hed told us, “I knew Wallie The Sensie would get a big reaction,” likely because underneath Wallie’s melody and menace, he was delivering a vital message on “03 Flow:” “My city hotter than Hell nigga / Oh, we need to shake the devil off / Ridin’ ’round with them big chops / Yeah, we need to shake the devil off.” We didn’t get to speak with him for this piece, but he dropped an EP worth of songs last year, including “Come Slide With Me” with KalanFr.Fr, “Trenches” with 03 Greedo and Kee Riches, as well as “Rod Wave,” an introsepctive track in the sonic lineage of its namesake. He also recently signed to Cactus Jack Records, where he’ll likely be on the upcoming Jackboys 2 album and in the accompanying film. “I’m super proud of Wallie,” Hed says. — A.G.

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Westside Boogie
Almost a decade after Westside Boogie made his debut with his 2014 mixtape ‘Thirst 48,’ the Compton MC greeted the Pop Out’s Los Angeles crowd dressed in all black accented by a plain white tee and unadulterated Air Force 1s. After performing his single from 2019’s Everything’s For Sale “Silent Ride,” he expressed adoration for the people and the place that made him who he is: “L.A. I love the shit out of yall.” A year later, Westside Boogie says he’s felt the love reciprocated back to him. “For fans who already knew me, it was a proud moment,” Boogie tells Rolling Stone. “For new listeners, it was an intro to what I represent. It sparked a new level of curiosity around what’s next for me.” Since Kendrick Lamar’s Juneteenth celebration of rap beef victory and all things West Coast, Boogie says everything he’s been doing “feels more aligned,” including his work on his third album, how he shows up as a father, and recalibrating with the team around him. Earlier this month, he celebrated The Game, naming him one of his favorite L.A. rappers. He credits last year’s Pop Out as a showcase for the beauty that can happen when there’s unity among his rappers from his region. “Being an artist from L.A., I think all of us get so caught up in our own path that it sometimes prevents us from reaching out and working/supporting each other,” Boogie says. “The Pop Out did show us its more power in showing love, genuine love with no expectations in return. Kendrick is arguably the biggest rapper in the world, and if he can share his stage with so many artists when he didn’t have to — what’s our excuse?”  — E.B.

Zoe Osama
South Central native Zoe Osama has built a robust fandom around his introspective and narrative-driven raps. On stage at The Pop Out last summer, he was exposed to a wider audience than ever before, and he wasn’t going to squander the opportunity. “I believe The Pop Out helped me get in front of a different market and fan base besides West Coast rap,” he tells Rolling Stone. “I appreciate Kendrick and DJ Hed for the opportunity. In the past year, he’s been making his mark with his label and brand Tha New Cartel. He says both have made big strides this year as he’s become a household name on the West Coast rap scene. “I learned the business and how to take it to the next level,” he says. “Every milestone is a stepping stone.” — J.I.