Kendrick Lamar ignited the Rogers Centre on Thursday, launching his Toronto leg of his tour amid a sizzling feud with Drake and fans are in a frenzy.
Thursday marked day one of the Los Angeles rapper’s two-day Grand National Tour stop in the city, his first time back since his months-long rift with Toronto entertainer Drake started last year.
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Sharing the stage with alternative R&B singer SZA, the pair bounced off of each other, performing around 50 of their best hits in total. Recent chart-toppers “Squabble Up” and “TV Off” from his latest album GNX, as well as fan favourites like “Backseat Freestyle” and “HUMBLE.” made the cut on the extensive setlist.
But perhaps the most highly anticipated song Torontonians eagerly awaited was Lamar’s “Not Like Us,” a scathing diss track towards Drake that accuses the rapper of being a pedophile.
The Compton rapper didn’t hold back, and neither did his fans; footage from the electrifying night shows show attendees filling the stadium with the savage lyrics “Tryna strike a chord and it’s probably A minor.”
Once he was finished, the crowd roared with a standing ovation for about two minutes, many of them screaming, “One more time.”
Unreal scenes in Toronto
— Hiiipower – TDE News (@hiiipowers) June 13, 2025
Fans beg Kendrick Lamar for one more after performing 'Not Like Us' 🔥🔥 #GrandNationalTour pic.twitter.com/WYHdYf7gAt
Afterwards, many fans jumpstarted an impromptu after party at New Ho King, a Chinese restaurant that Lamar name-dropped on “Euphoria,” one of his multiple diss tracks towards the Toronto rapper.
Kendrick Lamar fans went into New Ho King and done a whole set after the Toronto show 😭 pic.twitter.com/WWDfBsvpVt
— ry (@RyanNice) June 13, 2025
The Spadina Avenue restaurant is also welcoming fans to pass by, reportedly offering a free first round of drinks when dining in.
Overall, fans are revelling in the night online, many impressed that Lamar unapologetically trolled Drake on his own turf.
“This man really dissected Drake’s soul and then danced on it in his own city,” one X user said.
“Toronto sent a clear message to the boy,” another user wrote. “Kendrick won the battle.”
“Game over,” another said on the platform.
But many Torontonians are standing with Drake, taking Lamar’s diss track as a personal attack on the city. Some rallied outside of the stadium, donning the Toronto rapper’s OVO-branded T-shirts in protest.
While some, who still attended the concert chose to not engage during “Not Like Us.”
Online, Drake supporters also stood on business and dragged anyone from the city who attended the show.
“Toronto switching up on Drake really was the last thing I expected,” a comment on TikTok reads. “Really is sad to see.”
“The city is a disgrace for real,” another person wrote.
“In L.A., they banned Drake and y’all letting Kendrick and his fans diss us and have a show over here to laugh at us?,” another user on the platform questions.
Drake fans were invited to attend an “OVO Takeover,” where supporters planned to blast the artist’s music and party outside of the stadium, but the group says the event was cancelled due to heightened police presence that shut it down.
The tour continues on Friday night at the Rogers Centre, kicking off at 7 p.m. and tickets, which have significantly dropped in price since the presale, are still available for purchase.
