CA Restaurants Say They Lost Thousands During Kendrick Lamar Video Shoot

Business & Tech

CA Restaurants Say They Lost Thousands During Kendrick Lamar Video Shoot At least one business has made it clear they lay the blame on the local government, not Lamar himself.

COMPTON, CA — Restaurant operators in Compton recently said they lost thousands of dollars when rapper Kendrick Lamar filmed a music video in the city, but at least one business has made it clear they lay the blame on the local government, not Lamar himself, according to reports.

The Los Angeles Times recently reported that the June 22 filming of the "Not Like Us" video in downtown Compton created parking problems in the area and affected local businesses, including Alma's Place.

Corina Pleasant, who runs the restaurant, told the Times that Compton officials did not provide notice of the shoot, and she and other area business operators believed they were owed compensation from the city, Lamar or his production company. Pleasant lost about $2,000 and closed early the day of the shoot, she told the Times.

However, when DJ Akademiks posted about the Times story on Instagram , Alma's Place commented on the post that the restaurant's operators were being misquoted and the post was "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," the comment said. "The city should have made better decisions with notification to tax paying business owners. We, in no way have any negative commentary for Kendrick. This was a city issue!"

Adelfo Antonio Garcia, who co-owns Sunny Express Gourmet Fast Food, also told the Times he lost around $2,000 the day of the shoot and complained about the city's lack of communication.

A city spokesperson told the Times it would identify "opportunities for more efficient film permit communication to our community" moving forward. The city issued the permit for the video June 21, the Times reported.

And while some restaurants complained about the situation, at least one benefited from the video shoot, according to Billboard , which reported that Tam's Burgers No. 21 saw a roughly 40 percent spike in sales after it was featured by Lamar.