Kendrick Lamar shakes Drake’s hometown with a two-minute ovation in Toronto as ‘Not Like Us’ echoes through his fans

Kendrick Lamar returned to Toronto on June 12, stepping onto Drake’s turf for the first time since their feud escalated last year. The Los Angeles rapper closed his set at the Rogers Centre with one of his most explosive diss tracks, “Not Like Us,” earning a stunned two-minute standing ovation amid chants of “One more time.”

The stadium erupted with a roar so loud that phones lit up the night sky and fans shook to the beat, later appreciating him with two minutes of applause. Many screamed for an encore that never came.

“Not Like Us” was released on May 4, 2024, and shattered streaming records and became the most awarded song in Grammy history, sweeping five top categories at the 2025 Grammys including Record and Song of the Year.

Diss for Drake

It aimed at Drake with shocking lyrics, even accusing him of pedophilia, a line now at the center of Drake’s defamation lawsuit against Universal Music Group.

The Lamar–Drake feud has been simmering since 2013, flaring in 2024 with a string of diss tracks. Lamar’s “Not Like Us” turned heads at the Super Bowl LIX halftime show before millions. Drake responded by suing UMG for promoting the track, citing alleged reputational and safety harm, including shots fired at his home.

Toronto’s relevance

Toronto holds a special place in Drake’s empire. But at Rogers Centre, a venue Drake has never headlined, fans rose en masse for Lamar.

Lamar continues his Grand National Tour across North America and Europe, while Drake awaits a courtroom showdown and decides his next moves. But on one Toronto night, it was Kendrick’s moment, and the crowd made sure he felt it.