A recent controversy has erupted regarding the filming of Kendrick Lamar’s newest music video, “Not Like Us,” and its purported impact on local business. Initial reports said that the video shoot caused financial gain lost to several businesses due to road closures, one of which included Alma’s Food For The Soul. However, its co-owner, Corina Pleasant, has stepped forth to clear the air, and the blame is being pointed at an unlikely target, Kendrick Lamar-but the city of Compton.
The news became contentious when the Los Angeles Times ran a story about how local businesses were complaining of losses due to disruptions caused by filming the music video. For their part, business owners cited less foot traffic and fewer customers while the shoot was in progress, with some declaring that the drop in income meant they could barely afford utility bills and payroll expenses.
Further to this, Alma’s Food For The Soul remains one of the favorite local restaurants to be affected, and Pleasant was first quoted expressing frustration over the financial strain the event had caused.
Soon after the report was released, Pleasant took to social media to clear her name from the rumors; she went on to say that she was not frustrated with Kendrick Lamar or his team. Actually, she felt disappointed with the city of Compton for not reaching out to the local business proprietors and informing them in advance regarding the video shoot.
“We love Kendrick Lamar and have nothing against him,”
Pleasant wrote.
“The issue is with the city for not informing us about the filming, which caught us off guard and hurt our business for the day.”
She mentioned that if businesses like Alma’s had been given notice of such an event, they could have thus prepared and minimized its effect on their business.
Her comments captured a general problem in communication between the municipality and the small business in the wake of big events. She went ahead and hedged that her business did not hold any grudges against Lamar, and at some point even admired the **rapper, generally adored as a hometown hero in Compton.
Pleasant wasn’t the only one to express frustration towards the town. Several other business owners spoke to similar frustrations, citing a lack of prior notice from Compton officials. Many said surprise disruptions affected their ability to plan for staffing and inventory needs, which in turn affected their finances.
That impact from shooting the music video wasn’t across the board, though. Some businesses suffered, while others benefited with higher sales. Tam’s Burgers #21, a popular family restaurant nearby, saw the number of their customers increase, with some claiming to have visited just for a glimpse of the music video shoot.
“It was a busy day for us,”
said Tam’s owner. Indeed, he confessed that the shoot crippled the traffic, but the exposure and excitement brought on by such an event was something positive for his business.
This contrasted experience underlines the fact that events like a music video shoot have different impacts on the concerned businesses, depending on their locations and clientele base.
A City of Compton spokesperson copped to the communications breakdown after the backlash, promising to do better in the future. City officials acknowledged that, yeah, they probably should have given warning months back. so businesses might prepare for filming disruption. A spokesperson has promised,
“In future, a more robust, coordinated notification system, ensuring that all impacted businesses are informed of large events in the area, will be in place.”
The pledge rings as little consolation for the affected businesses; now many owners just hope the city will follow through in hopes of preventing similar issues in the future.
Despite the ongoing discussion, Kendrick Lamar’s team has yet to publicly address the controversy. While the rapper himself is not responsible for the disturbances, his involvement has shed light on this situation. Lamar has been strongly attached to Compton and has been seen multiple times promoting the local community. Many from this community hope this will bring in positive changes in the future regarding entertainment projects lining up with the local businesses.
