Watch Kendrick Lamar Reunite With Ab-Soul at Holiday Toy Drive
Kendrick Lamar performed at TDE‘s annual Christmas Concert and Toy Drive, bringing Ab-Soul onstage during his rendition of “Squabble Up.” The special moment between the two former label mates went down on Thursday (December 12) in Watts, California.
Tickets for the event are free, requiring attendees to bring an unwrapped toy or clothing item to donate to children in need. The two-day event focuses on giving back to the Nickerson Gardens community, where TDE founder Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith and Jay Rock grew up.
Kendrick also gave the kids who attended the concert a memory that will last them a lifetime. While onstage, the Compton rapper encouraged the children to step up and dance along with him to “Squabble Up.”
Kendrick also performed “Humble.”
In addition to Ab-Soul, Jay Rock and Schoolboy Q were also billed to perform, leading to speculation of another possible Black Hippy reunion.
Kendrick previously brought out his fellow Black Hippy members at the Pop Out: Ken & Friends in Inglewood, CA earlier this year. They also appeared together in the “Not Like Us” video, alongside TDE’s Top Dawg, Moosa and Punch.
Their appearance comes after Kendrick reflected on the origin of Black Hippy and spoke about where things went wrong on the song “Heart Pt. 6” off his latest album GNX. “Now it’s about Kendrick, I wanna evolve, place my skillset as a black exec/I jog my memory, knowing Black Hippy didn’t work ’cause of me/Creatively, I moved on, with new concepts in reach,” he raps.
On “Heart Pt. 6,” Lamar remembers wishing he could rhyme like Ab-Soul, while also studying “his style to define my pen.” He also recalls specific moments in their journey, such as Schoolboy Q not being able to rap when they first met and the focus on getting Jay Rock signed to Warner Records.