“Kendrick introduced a whole new generation to Janet. Of course she gon ride for him!” one fan tweeted.
Tuesday, June 4, saw the start of the 35-show tour with a concert at Palm Springs, California’s Acrisure Arena, where Nelly is the opening act.
In an increasingly popular video, a scene from episode one features Janet in a plaid dress, surrounded by backup dancers, performing her Control hit “Nasty,” which peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1986, to the instrumental of Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” Drake hate song.
“Who’s that in that nasty car? Nasty boys/ Who’s that eatin’ that nasty fruit? Nasty boys/ Who’s jammin’ to my nasty groove? Nasty boys,” she sings over Mustard’s West Coast production.
Fans had plenty to say about Janet’s “Not Like Us” stirring the pot on X. “It’s gon be a long year for Aubrey. HBCU season still coming,” one person wrote.
Another chimed in, “Kendrick introduced a whole new generation to Janet. Of course she gon ride for him!”
K. Dot and Jackson have yet to collaborate. However, Lamar did sample the iconic singer’s “Any Time, Any Place” on “Poetic Justice.” The Good Kid, M.A.A.D City classic reached No. 26 on the Hot 100 in 2013.
A month after it’s release, “Not Like Us” is still a staple in hip-hop and permeating different areas of pop-culture. Earlier this week, a Houston meteorologist incorporated lyrics from the Drake diss into his weather report.
Janet’s 2024 Together Again Tour continues to run into the summer, with stops in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Denver, Chicago, St. Louis Cincinnati, Cleveland, Boston, Detroit, Toronto, Brooklyn, Tampa, Orlando, Atlanta and New Orleans before finishing off on July 30 in Phoenix.
Watch the clip of Janet Jackson dancing to “Not Like Us” below.