Words have been twisted" - Compton restaurant Alma's Place denies blaming Kendrick Lamar's 'Not Liks Us' mv for revenue loss

Compton restaurant, Alma's Place, denies saying Kendrick Lamar's shooting of the Not Like Us music video led to a loss of revenue. On Saturday, September 14, 2024, the Los Angeles Times published an article claiming the soul food restaurant, Alma's Place, was unhappy with the city over disruptions and financial loss caused by shooting the mv.

However, DJ Akademiks, an internet personality who supported Drake in his recent beef with K. Dot, shared an Instagram repost of the article claiming that the restaurant blamed Lamar.

In response, the restaurant commented under the post to set the record straight. They explained they were misquoted, writing:

"THIS ENTIRE POST IS MISQUOT3D AND PUSHING A NARRATIVE THAT WE DO NOT REPRESENT. People, please do not believe everything you read. Words have been twisted and it’s not right."

Alma’s Place’s comment unde per DJ Akademiks’ post (image via Instagram/ @akademiks)

The owner clarified that the city should have handled certain matters such as, notifying local businesses better. They asserted that they have no issues with Kendrick Lamar and that it was a "city issue."

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"@akademiks you better be careful about misquoting people"- Alma's Place slams DJ Akademiks for Kendrick Lamar mv misinformation

In her comment, Corina Pleasent also called out DJ Akademiks for spreading misinformation. She wrote:

"@akademiks you better be careful about misquoting people and twisting words. WE NEVER Spoke To you, so how are you misquoting verbiage as fact!?"

The LA Times article claimed Alma Place's co-owner Corina Pleasant lost thousands of dollars when Kendrick Lamar shot the video. The shoot saw thousands of people swarming the various locations. The publication quoted Pleasant, writing:

"It was really disheartening to have the electricity on and gas. I’m just running everything and making no money. I literally was there for nothing, because the little money that I did make, I had to pay my staff with that."

The article claimed that workers at Alma's Place were met with "cars and chaos" when they were coming to work. However, it clearly stated that Corina was upset with the city for not properly planning for the event, stating they "blame city officials for not providing any notice about the video shoot." It also stated that Alma's Place and other businesses were looking for compensation from either Kendrick Lamar, his company pgLang, or the city.

The LA Times article also spoke to Adelfo Antonio Garcia, the co-owner of Sunny Express Gourmet Fast Food. Garcia echoed Pleasent's sentiments, adding that smaller businesses suffer the most in such instances of miscommunication.

Per a September 16 article by Billboard, in response to the outcry, the city of Compton issued a statement to the publication, noting they would identify opportunities for better communication about film permits. The spokesperson added:

"Businesses in Compton, especially small businesses, are the backbone of our city. We want to continue to keep an open line of communication and do everything we can to support economic growth.

Kendrick Lamar dropped his Drake diss track, Not Like Us in May 2024, amidst their rap feud. Several critics believe the song won the Compton rapper the beef. He shot the music video for it in June, releasing it on Fourth of July.

Lamar has not publicly reacted to the development.