"new Kung-Fu Kenny!"
Many have speculated that Kendrick's latest alias is a reference to Kenny from Rush Hour 2, the restaurant owner who studied martial arts under Crenshaw Sensei Freddy Ching. Don Cheadle, who played Kenny and recently appeared in Kendrick's DNA video, has confirmed that the moniker most definitely derived from the 2002 classic.
After appearing in Kendrick Lamar's DNA video, Don Cheadle struck up a bromance with the Compton rapper. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, the actor speaks on how the filming process led to the pair of them hitting Coachella together, even stopping by PF Changs for a post-show meal. After they parted ways, Cheadle noticed a slew of Twitter messages indicating the connection.
"So he says, “Okay, come, it’ll be dope. And I’m going to have a little surprise for you.” So I came, I saw him perform, it was dope...We ride back, we actually ate at P.F. Changs, and hung out, and then I left, and I went on my Twitter account and somebody wrote, “Don Cheadle, the original Kung Fu Kenny” and put a picture of Rush Hour 2 up. I was like, wait a minute. So I texted him. I said, “Is Kung Fu Kenny me?” He’s like, “That’s what the surprise was. Damn.” I was like, “Oh, I didn’t get it at all.” [Laughs] He’s like, “Yeah that’s what the surprise was, so… surprise.”
Who'd have thought Don Cheadle's Rush Hour 2 character would be seeing such a surge in popularity after all these years?
