Here Are the Hidden Meanings Behind Kendrick Lamar’s ‘6:16 in LA’

Tupac Shakur’s birthday falls on June 16 or 6/16, meaning that Kendrick was likely paying homage to his longtime idol with the title of his new diss. The inclusion of ’Pac’s birthday on the song title is also likely in reference to Drake’s “Taylor Made Freestyle” diss, which Drizzy dropped on Instagram back in April and used artificially generated vocals of the late Makaveli.

Fans also noted Kendrick was possibly alluding to the murder trial of O.J. Simpson with his song title in some way. Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman were killed on June 12, 1994, and their funeral was on June 16. Simpson became a suspect the following day, which could mean that Kendrick views Drizzy as Simpson, and himself as the murderer. This theory is further supported by the fact that Kendrick’s cover art for “6:16 in LA” is two leather gloves, similar to the gloves O.J. Simpson tried on during his murder trial in 1994.

Father’s Day falls on June 16, which means the title of “6:16 in LA” could serve as a dig at Drake’s parenting abilities. Kendrick had previously called Drake an absentee father on “Euphoria” when he rapped: “Y’all think all of my life is rap?/That’s hoe s**t, I got a son to raise, but I can see you ain’t know nothin’ ’bout that.”

K-Dot’s “6:16 in LA” is also a play on Drake’s popular timestamp song series. Drizzy’s numerous timestamped songs have spanned his entire career and have historically signaled a Drizzy album is coming soon. Drake’s most recent entry, “8AM in Charlotte,” dropped just before the release of his latest studio album, For All the Dogs.

HBO’s controversial drama Euphoria premiered on HBO on June 16, 2019. Kendrick’s previous diss track aimed at Drake was called “Euphoria,” so likely “6:16 in LA” is in reference to the show. Drake was also a producer on the show, which has garnered some controversy over the years for sexualizing teenagers. Kendrick previously implied on his song “Euphoria” that Drake was into teenage girls.

In the Bible, the verse “Jeremiah 6:16” reads:

“This is what the LORD says: ‘Stand at the crossroads and look. Ask for the ancient paths: ‘Where is the good way?’ Then walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. But they said, ‘We will not walk in it!'”

This verse is often interpreted as the prophet Jeremiah telling the people of Judah to turn away from sinful behavior and follow “the ancient path” and the “good way” to rest their souls. Kendrick could be viewing himself as Jeremiah in this scenario, as he urges Drake fans to turn away from Drizzy’s sinister ways and join him.

The Bible verse “Ephesians 6:16” reads: “In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one.”

This could mean that Kendrick on “6:16 in LA” is interpreting himself as the one taking up “the shield of faith” in order to combat “evil” and strive to serve God.

Additionally “Proverbs 6:16 – 6:19” in the King James Version of the Bible reads:

“These six things doth the Lord hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.”

Kendrick Lamar is likely saying that Drake encapsulates all of these qualities that the Lord hates. Similarly to the way Kendrick rapped plainly on “Euphoria,” “I hate the way that you walk, the way that you talk, I hate the way that you dress,” he is saying that God also hates Drizzy.

While the Mark of the Beast is well-known to be 666, an alternate version of it is also 616, which was seen in the Book of Revelation, the first book of the New Testament. Simply put, this means Kendrick is likely referring to Drake as the devil.