REVIEW: Kendrick Lamar & SZA’s Toronto show was a moment to remember, but Drake fans aren’t clapping

It’s been over a year since Kendrick Lamar landed what many consider a career-altering blow to Drake. Now, he’s returned to the heart of the 6ix, for the first time since the beef began, with a two-night run that felt less like a tour stop and more like a statement.

“Not Like Us” didn’t just go viral; it debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, instantly transforming the song from a diss track into a cookout anthem, club banger, and cultural rallying cry. 

Then came the Juneteenth “Pop Out” concert in L.A., a surprise hometown show that played like a coronation. Surrounded by West Coast royalty, Kendrick played “Not Like Us” five times in a row, a statement straight out of Robert Greene’s 48 Laws of Power: Crush your enemy totally.

That wasn’t enough. Kendrick dragged the carcass with him to the Super Bowl Halftime Show and crafted a performance laced with malice, built on the growing legal tension between Drake and Universal Music. In the weeks leading up to his historic appearance as the first rapper to headline the show solo, the moment became less about the milestone and more of a global will-he-won’t-he spectacle as the world waited to see if he’d risk legal backlash for one more swing. At the centre of the tension was Drake’s defamation lawsuit, accusing Universal of approving, publishing, and aggressively promoting “Not Like Us” — a track he claims falsely paints him as a pedophile. The suit goes further, alleging Universal used bots and slashed licensing rates to Spotify to artificially boost the song’s reach, cashing in on the chaos. During his halftime show, Kendrick looked straight into the camera and said, “Hey, Drake, I hear you like them young.” Then, I did it anyway.

The point is, every chance Kendrick has had to poke the bruise on Drake’s ego, he’s taken a hammer to it, which is why all eyes were on Toronto last night, as Kendrick Lamar and SZA’s Grand National Tour kicked off two sold-out shows at the Rogers Centre. 

Online, the temperature had been rising for weeks. Radio hosts at CHUM 104.5, Jamar McNeil and Josie Dye, refused to give away Kendrick Lamar tickets on-air in solidarity with Drake. Top5, a Toronto rapper and known Drake associate, posted videos threatening violence and was allegedly seen searching for Kendrick outside his hotel the night before the show. Meanwhile, Drake fan accounts flooded social media with calls for an “OVO takeover” at the Rogers Centre, encouraging people to show up and “remind them who runs the 6ix.” However, the takeover was cancelled as the organizers said police onsite forced them to shut it down. 

Given all that, you’d think Kendrick was walking into enemy territory. But that couldn’t have been further from the truth.

Despite a heavy and slightly unsettling police presence outside the Rogers Centre, there was no notable Drake rally. Officers patrolled the perimeter in visible squads of 10 to 15 stationed across the area. With traffic on Blue Jays Way blocked off, fans — from Gen Z to Gen X — walked straight down the middle of the street, flanked by hundreds of police. Still, the energy inside was electric. The tension outside didn’t follow them through the gates.

@nowtoronto Torontonians are sharing their thoughts on Kendrick Lamar performing in Drake’s city for the first time following their beef. #Toronto #KendrickLamar #Drake #RogersCentre ♬ original sound – Now Toronto

Inside, DJ Mustard opened the show with a clunky set that started with “Pure Water” by Migos and awkwardly ended with “Party in the U.S.A.” by Miley Cyrus. It was probably the only blemish of the night because once Kendrick Lamar and SZA hit the gas on their GNX, they didn’t let up for the entirety of the three-hour set.

The show opened with a video package of Kendrick Lamar and SZA riding through Los Angeles in a GNX. Haunting music set the tone as the screen flickered in black and white, teasing the surreal ride ahead. When the first notes of “Whacked Out Murals” hit, Kendrick was still nowhere in sight — hidden inside the onstage car, cloaked in mystique. The door slowly opened, revealing him in a red hoodie, green jacket, and shimmery baggy jeans, his chains catching the stage light. Packed to the rafters, the Rogers Centre crowd roared as the mood shifted from eerie anticipation to a full-blown eruption. Kendrick tore through “Squabble Up,” “King Kunta,” “ELEMENT.,” and the first half of “TV Off,” cutting the tension with precision before yelling “MUSTARD!” and clearing the stage for SZA.

Crossing over for just a moment to perform “30 for 30,” Kendrick then vanished as SZA transformed the room. Soft where he was sharp, floating in where he had stormed. The GNX in the centre of the stage was now covered in flowers and petals. Dressed in a denim-on-denim vest set, SZA reminded everyone that she wasn’t the opener or the intermission; she was every bit the headliner. Her presence was magnetic. She brought colour, grace, sensuality, and theatrical flair without ever lowering the show’s intensity. If anything silenced the crowd’s quiet, collective craving for onstage conflict between two of the most prominent artists in the world, it was her.

From there, Kendrick and SZA passed the mic back and forth in a seamless relay, one slipping off stage just as the other appeared. The set flowed like a tightly edited film, with barely any space to breathe between transitions. But like any great film, the tension never entirely disappeared — it spiked every time Kendrick returned to perform one of the three Drake diss songs on the set list: “Euphoria,” his verse from “Like That,” and “Not Like Us.” Each landed like the start of a new act in a Tarantino film, and each served as a high point in the show. The first, “Euphoria,” came at the end of SZA’s initial set; its venom delivered through a dramatic set reveal — the stage opened to find Kendrick sitting reflectively on a staircase, the crowd leaning in as he rapped every word.

The second spike came at the midpoint of the show, as Kendrick performed “Like That” under flashing red strobe lights. The crowd was amped — dancing, yelling, and rapping every bar back to him as Kendrick paraded across the stage gleefully, fully aware of the moment.

But the final spike — the one that will echo past the dome of the Rogers Centre — was the most vital. It began with a video package of Kendrick in a fake deposition, a part of a running series of visuals played throughout the show. A voice off-camera asked, “Do you recall what happened on May 4th, 2024?” The day “Not Like Us” dropped. Kendrick smirked, then launched into the song as the crowd erupted. 

Everyone, and it felt like everyone, rapped along, screamed “A minor,” and chanted “OV-Hoe” in unison when the lines hit. It was surreal and shameless. As the song ended, Kendrick stood in silence, the lights down low, and soaked in the moment. In Drake’s city, to his fans, another crushing blow. 

The show could have ended there, it did, but SZA returned to perform “Luther” and “Gloria,” adding some levity to what was just witnessed. As they concluded “Gloria,” Kendrick and SZA returned to the GNX parked in the middle of the stage and got in the car as it vanished below it. Ready to do it again tonight.  

Despite the overwhelming energy inside the Rogers Centre, support for Drake has remained strong outside, with some fans questioning the loyalty of those in attendance. Coincidentally, Toronto rapper and longtime Drake collaborator Smiley dropped the video for his latest single “2 Mazza,” featuring Drake, during the show. It quickly began trending on YouTube’s music chart, with many praising Drake’s easygoing, playful flow, still riding high off the viral success of “Nokia,” a potential song of the summer.

While it’s easy to keep feeding the fire, Drake himself seems to have moved on. He’s set to stream with superstar Kai Cenat in the coming days and recently teased the return of OVO Fest during Central Cee’s show at HISTORY. A homecoming like that is sure to shift the spotlight — and maybe the narrative — back in favour of the 6ix God.