Not Like Us

"Not Like Us" is a diss track by the American rapper Kendrick Lamar amidst his highly publicized feud with the Canadian rapper Drake. Released on May 4, 2024, through Interscope Records, it broke numerous records on the streaming platform Spotify and is tied with " Up, Up and Away" as the most-awarded song in Grammy history. With widespread acclaim from music critics and fans who feel it solidified Lamar's victory in his rap battle with Drake, many regard it as the best diss track in the feud and consider it to be one of the greatest diss tracks of all time.

"Not Like Us" was Lamar's fifth installment in his series of diss tracks directed at Drake, premiering less than 20 hours after his previous single "Meet the Grahams". Primarily produced by Mustard, with additional work from Sounwave and Sean Momberger, "Not Like Us" is a hyphy-influenced West Coast hip-hop song composed of a prominent bassline with lively strings and finger snaps. Lyrically, it continues the themes first introduced in "Meet the Grahams" by doubling down on allegations of Drake's sexual interest in adolescents and sexual misconduct, while also criticizing his cultural identity and relationships with artists based in Atlanta, Georgia.

"Not Like Us" peaked at number one in ten countries, while peaking at the top ten in over twenty additional countries. Lamar first performed "Not Like Us" during The Pop Out: Ken & Friends held on Juneteenth, where he played the track five consecutive times. He would perform the song again when he headlined the Super Bowl LIX halftime show. An accompanying music video, directed by Dave Free and Lamar, was released on American Independence Day. "Not Like Us" swept all five of its Grammy nominations at the 67th ceremony: Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Rap Performance, Best Rap Song, and Best Music Video. It was performed at Lamar's Grand National Tour, along with "Euphoria" and other Drake disses.

Background and release

American rapper Kendrick Lamar and Canadian rapper Drake have been engaged in a rap feud since August 2013. Tensions escalated in March 2024, following Lamar's surprise appearance on Future and Metro Boomin's single " Like That", which was perceived as a diss aimed at Drake and J. Cole over their track "First Person Shooter". Drake responded to Lamar's verse with the single " Push Ups" and the since-removed song " Taylor Made Freestyle". Lamar fired back with the songs "Euphoria" and " 6:16 in LA".

Hours after "6:16 in LA" was released, Drake responded with the single "Family Matters", in which he accused Lamar of abusing his romantic partner Whitney Alford and alleged that one of his two children was fathered by his creative partner, Dave Free. Less than an hour later, Lamar responded with "Meet the Grahams", which described Drake as an alleged sexual predator who runs a sex trafficking ring inside of his Toronto mansion, known as the Embassy, while fathering a secret daughter. "Not Like Us" was unexpectedly released on May 4, 2024, less than 24 hours after "Meet the Grahams" was published. The only prior marketing that the song received came from Anthony "Top Dawg" Tiffith, the head of Lamar's former record label Top Dawg Entertainment, who posted, "Dot, I see dead people" on Twitter approximately two hours before its premiere. The single's cover art shows a bird's-eye-view of Drake's Toronto mansion from a Google Maps screenshot with 13 red markers placed on its roof, symbolizing the presence of registered sex offenders.

Like Lamar's previous releases during the feud, "Not Like Us" was initially released as a YouTube exclusive before Interscope Records serviced it to music streaming platforms several hours later. He reportedly removed the copyright claims for a limited time, effectively allowing the public to freely use the song even for commercial purposes. Universal Music promoted the song on radio airplay in Italy on May 10, 2024. A blended version of the studio recording with the live performance from the Pop Out: Ken & Friends impacted radio stations in California on July 11, 2024.

Composition

"Not Like Us" is a "club-friendly" West Coast hip-hop track with strong hyphy stylings. Several elements of its production, including the "stirring" violins, piano and brass instruments, were taken from samples of Monk Higgins's 1968 rendition of "I Believe to My Soul", a cover of Ray Charles's 1961 composition. Despite speculation, the song does not include a sample of Nas's diss record "Ether" (2001). On "Not Like Us", Lamar employs a "comically exaggerated" cadence that elicited comparisons to Drakeo the Ruler's signature flow.

Mustard, the song's primary producer, wanted to work with Lamar for years and would send him about five beats a day for three months. He was inspired to compose the beat after imagining what Dr. Dre would create if he was in a recording studio with Lil Jon. With contributions from Sounwave and Sean Momberger, Mustard produced "Not Like Us" in about 30 minutes by speeding up the sample's tempo to create a "relentless" and "urgent" atmosphere. Its additional bassline, snare drums, and finger snaps heightened its "aggressive" tone. On April 6, 2024, Mustard sent the finished production to Lamar while attending his manager's birthday dinner. He received a complimentary text message from Lamar later that evening, but was unaware Lamar used it until the song came out.

Lyrics

The lyrics to "Not Like Us" were written solely by Lamar. It begins with him whispering "psst, I see dead people", a reference to ''The Sixth Sense'' (1999), which he previously referenced on "Euphoria". Lamar then makes a series of allusions to his hometown of Compton, California, before accusing Drake of sexual behavior with minors. Lamar references Drake's album ''Certified Lover Boy'' (2021) when labeling him and his label OVO Sound as "certified pedophiles", specifically naming Chubbs, Drake's head of security; PartyNextDoor, the first artist signed; and Baka Not Nice, who had been in prison for human trafficking before signing.

Lamar also attacks Drake's personal relationships, alleging that Drake had sex with Lil Wayne's girlfriend, saying he "did .Cole foul", and warning him to "not speak on Serena illiams – referencing the fact that Drake and Williams were romantically involved in 2015 and that Drake dissed her husband on ''Her Loss'' (2022).

Lamar challenges Drake's cultural identity throughout the track, suggesting that his portrayal of Blackness likens him to Brad "B-Rad G" Gluckman – a rich white kid who poses as a rapper – from the film ''Malibu's Most Wanted'' (2003). In the second verse, Lamar accuses Drake of disrespecting the rapper 2Pac by artificially recreating his voice on "Taylor Made Freestyle". In the third verse, Lamar accuses Drake of exploiting Black artists from Atlanta for street credibility and financial gain in the same way that colonizers in the city exploited slave labor, using his collaborations with Future, Lil Baby, 21 Savage, Young Thug, Quavo, and 2 Chainz as examples. The chorus, which consists solely of the phrase "they not like us", has been interpreted as a message that Drake and his associates "are unlike amar'sown caliber, one that organically abides by the given morals of Black culture".

Lamar himself explained the personal meaning of the track in an interview with SZA:

Critical reception and analysis

"Not Like Us" was met with widespread critical acclaim for its contagious production, Lamar's vocal performance, and scathing songwriting. '' GQ'''s Frazier Tharpe dubbed the track a leading contender for the "song of the summer". He praised how the "banger" summoned Mustard's "raucous, party-starting homegrown energy" to deliver Lamar's "haymaker" that both out-strategized Drake and celebrated their West Coast upbringings. ''Stereogum'' editors found the song to be not only an "ultra-effective" diss record but a hit filled with "vicious" allegations and history lessons. Professional wrestler Shawn Michaels appreciated that his ''Sweet Chin Music'' finisher was mentioned in the song and invited Lamar and Drake to settle their differences at a ''WWE NXT'' program. Two other individuals referenced in the song, Serena Williams and M. Night Shyamalan, the writer and director of ''The Sixth Sense'', praised it. Harvey Mason Jr., chief executive officer of the Recording Academy, praised the song's artistry and relevance.

Journalists described "Not Like Us" as a cultural touchstone, a clarion call for the West Coast, and one of the biggest diss tracks they have witnessed in their lifetimes. They considered the timing of its release and content an effective strategy in capturing the zeitgeist before listeners grew tired of the feud. Jordan Rose of ''Complex'' declared "Not Like Us" as the best track released during Lamar and Drake's feud due to its electric tone and "contagious" production, although many of the lyrics are "very questionable". Rose believes that "time will tell" if the song marked the "end conclusion" of their war, but it has already proven itself to be "the stone that stunned Goliath." ''Vibe'''s Armon Sadler ranked "Not Like Us" as the second-best track of the feud, praising the "undeniable bop" as a "masterclass" in execution. Mark Elibert from ''Billboard'', who named it the fourth-best song, shared similar sentiments. Canadian outlets such as CBC News and ''Exclaim!'' opined that "Not Like Us" has grown into an anti-Canadian anthem reminiscent of "Blame Canada" from '' South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut'' (1999). ''Uproxx'''s Wongo Okon noted it helped Lamar become a more appealing figure for Generation Z and Generation Alpha listeners.

The song has also been examined in the context of race and cultural appropriation. Salamishah Tillet of ''The New York Times'' opined that while the message of "Not Like Us" may seem to attack Drake's biracial identity, its popularity has inspired a broad assortment of interracial interpretations. ''Rolling Stone'' Andre Gee believes the song is a "rally against perpetrators who shifted hip-hop from a Black and brown community with culturally understood modes of being into an at-times parodic circus." Mark P. Braboy of The Triibe expanded on Gee's sentiments, applying the song's message to "culture vultures" in hip-hop journalism who have built their platforms by exploiting Black trauma.

''Pitchfork'' named "Not Like Us" as the third-best song released in the 2020s so far. In his accompanying excerpt, Alphonse Pierre declared the line "''Certified Lover Boy''? Certified pedophiles" as the "defining" lyric of the decade, in ways that are "unsettling and amazing and troubling and funny." Other publications such as ''Complex'', ''HipHopDX'', '' The Ringer'', and ''The Root'' ranked "Not Like Us" as one of the greatest diss tracks of all time.

Commercial performance

Global

"Not Like Us" was an immediate commercial success and broke numerous streaming records—most of which were previously held by Drake. It led the ''Billboard'' Global 200 chart for four non-consecutive weeks, marking Lamar's first solo number-one song on the survey. It is also reportedly the most-streamed diss track on Spotify, earning the biggest single-day streams for a hip hop song (12.8 million) and the most song streams in a week by a rapper (81.2 million). Additionally, it became the fastest rap song on the platform to accumulate 100 million (9 days), 200 million (19 days), 300 million (35 days), 400 million (54 days), 500 million (70 days), 600 million (87 days), and 700 million streams (112 days). It accumulated one billion streams in mid-January 2025.

United States

In the United States, "Not Like Us" debuted at number one on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart dated May 18, 2024, opening with 70.9 million streams, five million radio airplay audience impressions, and 15,000 copies sold. It registered the highest first-week streaming figure for a hip hop song since ''Billboard'' removed YouTube song user-generated content from its chart metrics in 2020. As Lamar's fourth number-one single and first solo number-one debut, "Not Like Us" became the first rap song in history to top the Hot 100 with a shortened tracking week of five days. It also marked Mustard's first number-one single and debut as a producer, and one of the only chart leaders to be penned by a sole writer.

Following its music video premiere, "Not Like Us" bested "A Bar Song (Tipsy)" by Shaboozey and returned to number one on the Hot 100 chart, dated July 20, 2024, with 53.8 million streams, 40 million radio airplay audience impressions, and 8,000 copies sold. It is the longest-running solo chart-topper of Lamar's career, surpassing " Humble". In October 2024, "Not Like Us" broke the record set by "Old Town Road" by Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus for the most weeks spent atop the Hot Rap Songs chart. It's also the second longest-charting number-one song on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. By the end of the year, "Not Like Us", accumulated 823.5 million on-demand audio streams in the US, making it the second most streamed song of the year and was the sixth best-performing song on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in 2024. Just after Lamar's performance at the Super Bowl LIX halftime show, the song once again returned to number one on the Hot 100 chart, dated February 22, 2025 (with 49 million streams, 20.5 million radio airplay audience impressions, and 33,000 copies sold), becoming the third-longest break between time at number one in the chart's history, and the first non-holiday song to top the Hot 100 three separate times with breaks of two or more months between times at number one.

United Kingdom

In the United Kingdom, "Not Like Us" debuted at number ten on the UK Singles Chart, and initially peaked at number six, becoming Lamar's eighth top ten hit song in Britain. Following Lamar's performance at the Super Bowl LIX halftime show, the song peaked at the summit of the chart on February 21, 2025, becoming his first chart-topping song on the UK Singles Chart. It remained atop the chart for two weeks.

Oceania

In New Zealand, "Not Like Us" debuted at number six on the Official Aotearoa Music Charts dated May 10, 2024. Two weeks later, it reached number two for one week before dropping out of the top three. Following its music video release, "Not Like Us" became Lamar's second number-one single as a solo artist, and his third overall in the country. It remained atop for another week.

In Australia, "Not Like Us" debuted at number nine on the ARIA Charts dated May 19, 2024. It reached number five the following week, at its initial peak. The song reached number five for its second week after the release of the music video, dated July 21, 2024. On the week of February 17, 2025, following his Grammy wins and performance at the Super Bowl LIX halftime show, "Not Like Us" reached number one, becoming Lamar's first number-one hit as a solo artist.

Elsewhere

Following his performances at the Super Bowl LIX halftime show, the song debuted at number 52 on the Brasil Hot 100, and at number 86 on the Japan Hot 100, becoming his first entries on both charts. The song met a huge commercial success elsewhere, peaking atop in Canada, Greece, Ireland, Latvia, Saudi Arabia and South Africa, reaching the top five in Germany, Norway, Iceland, India, Portugal, Switzerland, Sweden and France, top ten in Poland, Malaysia, The Netherlands and Singapore, top twenty in Philippines, Belgium, Peru, Hungary, Nigeria and Finland, and top thirty in Ecuador, Spain and Colombia.

Accolades

On November 8, 2024, "Not Like Us" was nominated for the 67th Annual Grammy Awards in five different categories: Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Rap Performance, Best Rap Song, and Best Music Video. On February 3, 2025, the song swept all five categories. Though he did not mention Drake in his speeches, rather dedicating them to the city of Los Angeles, Lamar was noted for his choice of outfit at the ceremony – a denim top along with denim pants, known as a "Canadian tuxedo" – seen as a playful jab at the Canadian-born Drake.

Music video

Production

Dave Free and Lamar directed and executive produced the music video for "Not Like Us". Charm La'Donna handled the choreography and is also credited as the associate producer. In commemoration of American Independence Day, the music video was released on July 4, 2024, at approximately 3 p.m. PT. Four still images from the video were leaked to social media a day prior. CNN and ''NME'' noted widespread anticipation for the video up to its release; ''Billboard'' called it "the most anticipated video of the year so far". By the morning after, the video had reached over 13 million views on YouTube, and by that afternoon, the number reached over 17 million.

The music video contains complex symbolism, innuendos, euphemisms, double entendres, and easter eggs; each ripened for fan interpretation. Parts of the visuals were filmed on June 22, 2024, across multiple locations in Lamar's hometown of Compton, California and Los Angeles. PGLang, Lamar and Free's production company, enlisted the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department for increased security. Deputies monitoring the production, which over 1,000 fans witnessed, were reportedly paid $120 an hour. A number of celebrities made cameo appearances in the music video, including Jay Rock, Schoolboy Q, Ab-Soul, Anthony "Top Dawg" Tiffith, Terrence "Punch" Henderson, Anthony "Moosa" Tiffith Jr., Mustard, Dave Free, Tommy the Clown and the Hip Hop Clowns, Charm La'Donna, DeMar DeRozan, YG, Roddy Ricch, Steve Lacy, JasonMartin, Thundercat, Brandon T. Jackson, Hit-Boy and his father Big Hit, Storm DeBarge, Kida the Great, and Taiwan Williams, among others.

Synopsis

The video starts with a view of the Compton Courthouse overlooking the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial. Lamar sashays down a white, morgue-like hall to a snippet of the then-unreleased song "Squabble Up" from his sixth studio album ''GNX'' (2024). Upon knocking on a door, Tommy the Clown slides open an eye hole and asks for the password. Lamar whispers the code, "I see dead people", and is allowed entry, although he is scolded for being late. He takes his seat with his classmates, the Hip Hop Clowns, and grooves to "Not Like Us". Lamar gives the finger and dances in the corner. A classmate passes him a Bible, which he carefully slips in his jacket.

Using cinematography that mirrors the lyric video for "Family Matters", a covered figure resembling Drake on the cover of ''Dark Lane Demo Tapes'' (2020) tries to ambush Lamar from behind; he is quickly blown away. Lamar completes seventeen push-ups on four cinder blocks—a response to Drake ordering him to "drop and give me fifty" on " Push Ups"—in a bedroom with strong similarities to a prison cell. He then strikes an owl-shaped piñata and glides down a hopscotch court numbered 1 through 10. A disclaimer insulting Drake's record label, OVO Sound, is shown as he repeatedly hits the piñata. Aerial shots of a large crowd of Compton residents gathered inside of the memorial and chanting the song are featured throughout the video.

Lamar and Mustard take a drive through Compton's Rosecrans Avenue in a black Ferrari SF90 Stradale. They stop at Tam's Burgers #21 to grab some food with dancer Storm DeBarge. Lamar then joins a group of friends on a rooftop near the Courthouse before meeting Free and DeMar DeRozan at a dockyard containing white shipping containers. Dancers Kida the Great and Taiwan Williams accompany Lamar on the dockyard, while La'Donna is seen tightrope walking in the clouds. At Nickerson Gardens, Lamar hangs out with his former Top Dawg labelmates Jay Rock, Schoolboy Q and Ab-Soul (collectively known as Black Hippy

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