Kendrick Lamar Allegedly Cost Compton Businesses Thousands Of Dollars With His Viral “Not Like Us” Video

Kendrick Lamar is coming under fire from small business owners in his hometown of Compton, after the filming of his music video for “Not Like Us” interrupted their day on June 22. In a new piece for The Los Angeles Times, Corina Pleasant, who runs the soul food restaurant, Alma’s Place, with her mother Alma, revealed that they were given no notice that the area would be overrun for the shoot. In turn, they lost thousands of dollars by staying open, despite being unable to operate.

“It was really disheartening to have the electricity on and gas. I’m just running everything and making no money. I literally was there for nothing, because the little money that I did make, I had to pay my staff with that,” she told the outlet. She also complained that the city didn’t provide her or any other business with enough notice to shut down ahead of time. She estimates her losses amount to between $1,800 to $2,200.

Pleasant went on to explain that she doesn’t have an issue with Lamar filming the video in general, but with the way it was handled. “One day does matter. It does matter when you’re there, and you’re wasting your time. It does matter when your Edison bill is $1,000. It does matter when two weeks’ payroll for three people is nearly $3,000. It does matter when gas is $800. You’re there, all these things are running, and you have nothing to show for it,” she further explained.

A spokesperson for the City of Compton addressed the incident in a statement to The Los Angeles Times. They promised the city would identify “opportunities for more efficient film permit communication to our community” going forward. They added: “Businesses in Compton, especially small businesses, are the backbone of our city. We want to continue to keep an open line of communication and do everything we can to support economic growth.” Lamar, however, has not commented on the situation. The update comes after the NFL announced he will be headlining the Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show. Be on the lookout for further updates on Kendrick Lamar on HotNewHipHop.