Several small business owners in Compton had no idea that a rap superstar was filming the music video for America’s No. 1 song back in June, and it wound up costing them thousands of dollars, according to a report.
Kendrick Lamar filmed the music video for his scathing diss track directed at Drake, titled “Not Like Us” on June 22 in his proud hometown of Compton.
The problem was, according to a report from the Los Angeles Times, that local business owners weren’t informed of the plans.
Corina Pleasant, who runs Compton soul food restaurant Alma’s Place with her mother, told the Times that she noticed that no customers were in the restaurant an hour after opening on the day of the filming — despite the fact that the parking lot shared with other businesses was packed.
She later learned that the cars in the lot weren’t there to support the small businesses, but rather for fans of Lamar to try to catch a glimpse of the rapper, who was filming the video outside the nearby courthouse.
Pleasant and other business owners blame the city of Compton for failing to notify business owners that the massive shoot was taking place that day.
“I’m just running everything and making no money,” she told The Times. “I literally was there for nothing, because the little money that I did make, I had to pay my staff with that.”
She estimated that she lost somewhere around $2,000 that day. Other business owners had similar experiences.
“The people who suffer are the small businesses,” Adelfo Antonio Garcia, a co-owner of Sunny Express Gourmet Fast Food, said in Spanish, according to the L.A. Times. He said customers still believe the restaurant is closed on Saturdays due to the ordeal.
Pleasant said she closed up Alma’s Place early that day. If she knew about the music video’s filming ahead of time, she would have closed for the day or set up a pop-up tent outside.
A spokesperson for the city of Compton told The Times in a statement that better communication will be relayed to business owners in the future.
“Businesses in Compton, especially small businesses, are the backbone of our city,” the statement said. “We want to continue to keep an open line of communication and do everything we can to support economic growth.”
Better communication likely would have helped Alma Pleasant save some of her money, she said at a city council meeting.
“I’m here because three things affected me on Saturday,” she said during public comment. “And when those three things affect me, I’m coming in full force. One, my kids. Two, my money. Three, my food.”