The Ignite Music Festival was about light, music, and high-energy performances. Then there were the fans who had come from far and wide to see some of those big names in hip-hop—so the anticipation for Rick Ross’s set was palpable. His vision now turned on to him, with drinks already flowing amongst the crowd in anticipation of an unforgettable night.
Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” is a known shot at Drake, a fellow award-winning rapper. What that does is fuel the already heated feud between the two rap giants. The controversial nature of the song, coupled with its aggressive tone, makes it a focal point in discussions about current hip-hop rivalries.
With Rick Ross taking the stage, he did amp up the crowd. He’d run through a series of his biggest hits, but things began to shift when Ross decided he wanted to play Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us.” The aggressive beats and biting lyrics from the track blared through the speakers, catching many in the crowd off guard.
At first, it was a mixture of excitement and tension. Some fans clapped, others looked taken aback by the bold choice. While Ross finished the set and left the stage, matters only got more charged.
As Ross and his entourage left, a group of men approached them. The argument was verbal at first but quickly turned physical, with Ross’s crew getting the wrong end, with Ross himself receiving a punch. Amidst all the dramas, he first mistook his attackers for bottle service staff. This just goes to prove that he was in a daze during the attack and how very unexpected it was.
One attacker reportedly exclaimed, “You’re in our city,” underscoring a sense of local pride and perhaps the offense taken by playing such a provocative track.
Rick Ross got jumped by the OVO goons and one of his entourage was left unconscious after they pulled up to Canada trying to play not like us PIC.TWITTER.COM/S49A4S9JT0
— Akademiks TV (@AkademiksTV) JULY 1, 2024
Speaking on the incident, Ross expressed pure surprise and added that he didn’t realize what was happening at the time.
“I thought they were bottle service boys,”
he admitted in a now-viral quote.
Rick Ross speaks on getting jumped last night in Canada for playing Kendrick Lamar’s ‘Not Like Us’
“I thought they were bottle service boys” PIC.TWITTER.COM/X33IISKSBO
— Daily Loud (@DailyLoud) JULY 1, 2024
The Ignite Music Festival brawl will be one of the most indelible marks in the hip-hop world. It is a potent mixture of music, rivalry, and local pride—a fact that reminds both artists and everyone else that great ability comes with great responsibility. As seen from this incident, obviously, in the hip-hop community, the parameters between pure entertainment and life are blurred, making it a rather ever-changing scene.
