Almost a decade after Westside Boogie made his debut with his 2014 mixtape ‘Thirst 48,’ the Compton MC greeted the Pop Out’s Los Angeles crowd dressed in all black accented by a plain white tee and unadulterated Air Force 1s.
After performing his single from 2019’s Everything’s For Sale “Silent Ride,” he expressed adoration for the people and the place that made him who he is: “L.A. I love the s–t out of y’all.”
A year later, Westside Boogie says he’s felt the love reciprocated back to him. “For fans who already knew me, it was a proud moment,” Boogie tells Rolling Stone. “For new listeners, it was an intro to what I represent. It sparked a new level of curiosity around what’s next for me.”
Since Kendrick Lamar’s Juneteenth celebration of rap beef victory and all things West Coast, Boogie says everything he’s been doing “feels more aligned,” including his work on his third album, how he shows up as a father, and recalibrating with the team around him.
Boogie credits last year’s Pop Out as a showcase for the beauty that can happen when there’s unity among his rappers from his region. “Being an artist from L.A., I think all of us get so caught up in our own path that it sometimes prevents us from reaching out and working/supporting each other,” Boogie says. “The Pop Out did show us its more power in showing love, genuine love with no expectations in return. Kendrick is arguably the biggest rapper in the world, and if he can share his stage with so many artists when he didn’t have to — what’s our excuse?”
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