After months of back-and-forth the long-proposed TikTok ban officially went into effect on the evening of Jan. 18. Luckily for the more than 170 million U.S. users of the app, it was restored just 14 hours or so later, allowing users to return to their previously scheduled scrolling. In the days since the app has returned, many prominent TikTok users have taken to thanking none other than Compton rapper Kendrick Lamar for relaunching the service. While some have lauded the “Not Like Us” vocalist for keeping their favorite app afloat, many were extremely confused by this trend, as there doesn’t seem to be any immediate link between Lamar and the app. Luckily, we’ve got you covered, with a comprehensive guide to this bizarre new trend, as well as a breakdown of how Kendrick has become the people’s champion of your TikTok feed.
What Was the Real Cause for TikTok’s Return?
As you may recall, TikTok opened to an error screen during the brief time that the app was unavailable in the United States. The screen read, “A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the U.S. Unfortunately, that means you can’t use TikTok for now. We are fortunate that President Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a solution to reinstate TikTok once he takes office. Please stay tuned!” Many of the app’s more politically left-leaning users were frustrated by this message and its highlighting of Donald Trump, who hadn’t even been inaugurated at the time of the ban. In fact, some users went to great lengths to point out the fact that Trump was among the loudest voices to initially call for a TikTok ban several years ago.
Others have noted that the platform’s massive population of liberal youths have relied on the platform to organize anti-Trump rallies, protests and other public events. The app has also been used as a key tool for spreading information about controversial political topics including the Jan. 6 insurrection and the ongoing conflict at the Gaza Strip. Despite all of these factors, Trump seems to have done a complete 180 on the app, as he was seen networking directly with TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew in the days leading up to his inauguration. POTUS even apparently worked with the major telecommunications services and assured them that he would overturn the ban once he entered the Oval Office for the second time, allowing the app to come back online just hours after shutting down.
So How Does Kendrick Lamar Factor In?
When TikTok came back online, American users were greeted with a new pop-up, reading “Thanks for your patience and support. As a result of President Trump’s efforts, TikTok is back in the U.S.! You can continue to create, share, and discover all the things you love on TikTok.” Clearly, the top brass of the Chinese-owned app have credited their continued service directly to Trump, in a move which has infuriated many left-leaning users. Almost immediately, Americans began photoshopping the pop-up to strip the credit from Trump and place it elsewhere, with many jokingly replacing the president’s name with Kendrick Lamar instead. The real truth of the matter is, the lyricist had absolutely nothing to do with overturning the TikTok ban – some would just rather give him credit than the politician. Fans also referenced lyrics from Lamar’s song “GNX,” wherein the rapper states, “Tell em’ Kendrick did it.”
It’s not hard to see why the father of two was chosen to replace Trump in this regard either, as the “Humble” rapper is currently on a generational streak of excellent career moves. Hip hop heads will recall Lamar’s recent rap feud with Drake, which spawned a handful of chart-topping diss records last spring. This led to the former taking on a host of new fans with his Grammy nominated single, “Not Like Us.” Shortly after the beef died down, it was announced that Lamar would be performing at the Super Bowl halftime show this February. A chart-topping surprise album drop came in November, further incentivizing K-Dot’s fan base to laud him as the current king of rap. Of course, his street conscious lyrics and progressive politics also make Lamar a humorous foil to Trump, whose administration has been repeatedly likened to a fascist uprising, especially by young TikTok users.
Is K-Dot Even on TikTok?
Many die-hard Kendrick Lamar fans immediately understood that his alleged involvement with overturning the TikTok ban was nothing more than a joke, especially because the rapper is famously averse to social media. Though the West Coast legend has taken to Instagram here and there to preview new tracks, he rarely speaks to the public outside of his music. This is especially evident when looking at his official X account, which boasts no profile photo, and offers only occasional updates about his new music, tours and pgLang announcements. Still, it may come as a shock to learn that Lamar has recently joined TikTok with an official verified account. At the time of this writing, he has no posts, no likes and doesn’t even follow any other creators, so the fans aren’t sure if there’s any real purpose to the account.
If the TikTok ban does stall out indefinitely, we may see the rapper uploading new content to the social media app or interacting directly with his fans. Of course, there’s also a distinct possibility that he only made the account to doomscroll in silence like the rest of us, as Kendrick is wont to do. Trump’s official actions have resulted in the TikTok ban being pushed out at least until April of this year, though the app may still be facing a long-term ban if it doesn’t sell to American financial interests.
