From Isaac Hayes’ Black Moses to Ice-T’s Power album cover: Kendrick Lamar’s Squabble Up music video's Easter eggs explored

Kendrick Lamar released the music video for the track Squabble Up on November 25, 2024. The track is a part of his sixth studio album, GNX, which dropped on November 22, 2024.

The Squabble Up music video includes multiple Easter eggs for fans, including references to former hip-hop legends and references to his Los Angeles hometown. The video dropped after a short snippet of the song was featured in Lamar's previous music video, Not Like Us.

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Kendrick Lamar pays tribute to West Coast through Easter eggs in Squabble Up

Here are some of the Easter eggs from Kendrick Lamar's Squabble Up music video that refer to various iconic events and places of his hometown, Los Angeles, in California.

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The Compton Christmas Parade Banner

The Compton Christmas Parade sign in green and red with two Christmas trees was featured in the Squabble Up video. The sign could be a reference to the upcoming Christmas parade in his hometown, Los Angeles. The parade is set to take place at Compton Boulevard and Bullis Road on December 14, 2024, from 11 to 1 pm.

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The 105 Freeway Sign

A street sign of the 105 Freeway was featured in the video, which is a reference to a highway in the Southern area of West California. The sign is green in color and pays homage to West Coast culture and Kendrick Lamar's roots.

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Squabble Up includes multiple pop-culture references

The music video for Squabble Up includes several pop-culture references, including previous posters and homages to hip-hop legends.

Ice-T's Power album cover

Kendrick Lamar recreated Ice-T's iconic Power album cover with a model posing in the same way in front of a green wall with a gun. Lamar complimented the same by sporting the iconic blue suit from the poster.

Nate Dogg's G-Funk Classics

The video included Nate Dogg's G-Funk Classics album displayed on a background wall in a huge compact disc shape as a tribute to the legendary rapper.

A reference to Menace II Society

Kendrick Lamar's music video featured a subtle reference to the 1993 film, Menace II Society, directed by the Hughes Brothers. It starred Tyrin Turner, Jada Pinkett, and Bill Duke, among others.

In the video, a model sported an orange suit and a black cap as a reference to a popular scene from the film. The scene included the dialogue, "Don’t hit him. He got kids with him, my apologies."

Isaac Hayes' Black Moses reference

Lamar included a reference to the fifth studio album by soul musician Isaac Hoyes, titled Black Moses. It was originally released in 1971. Lamar featured the iconic pose by Hoyes in the video.

A reference to TV series Soul Train

The Squabble Up music video included a direct reference to the popular American TV series Soul Train that ran from 1971 to 2006. Lamar included a reference to the scrabble board from the show alongside featuring dancers wearing retro outfits from the 1970s.

Reference to The New Movement by The Roots

Kendrick Lamar alluded to the popular 1999 track by The Roots, titled The New Movement. Squabble Up included a scene emulated from the original 1999 music video with four musicians recreating the group.

Jesus saves gangsters too sign

In the music video of Squabble Up, K.Dot is seen holding a sign that reads 'Jesus Saves Gangsters Too.' Kendrick takes a second to sit down and read a book titled How To Be More Like Kendrick For Dummies and holds up the sign a moment later.

Cuzzos’ cameo in front of photobooth scene

The music video for Squabble Up also features a cameo from the musical band Cuzzos in front of a retro photo booth. The members are sitting in front of a retro pink background in their sunglasses and retro attire.

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Kendrick Lamar produced the song with Sounwave, Jack Antonoff, and Bridgeway.