On May 4th, Kendrick Lamar dropped “Not Like Us,” the fifth song in his 2024 “beef” with Drake. I’m counting Kendrick’s feature on Future and Metro Boomin’s “Like That” as Kendrick’s first song of this year’s beef, but Kendrick and Drake have made oblique references to each other in their music for many years. “Not Like Us” came less than 24 hours after Kendrick released “Meet the Grahams,” one of the darkest lyrical eviscerations I’ve ever heard. But “Not Like Us” was basically Kendrick having a ball as he stomped on Drake even harder. It’s become the song of the summer and it was Kendrick’s closing song at The Pop Out concert he organized for Juneteenth. Kendrick performed “Not Like Us” five times and every single person there knew every word.
After the Pop Out, we heard that Kendrick was filming the music video for “Not Like Us” in Compton. I saw some fan-videos online, including one lady pinching Kendrick’s cheek as he walked past and he turned and smiled at her (adorable). Well, it really happened, and Kendrick dropped the video on the Fourth of July. Imagine choosing those two holidays for the biggest “I hate Drake” moves ever. When Kendrick dropped just the song on May 4th, the YouTube video racked up millions of views in just a few hours. The same thing happened with the music video – it came out around 7 pm EST last night and it already has over 12.5 million views. Kendrick also seems to be previewing a brand-new song at the beginning and there are consistent rumors that he will drop a full album soon.
There are so many visual references to Drake – the owl pinata, the actual owl in a cage at the end, the push-ups and on and on. Drake also claimed all kinds of sh-t about Kendrick’s relationship with his fiancee Whitney, and Whitney is there, in the video, with their two children. This was Whitney’s clapback too. Drake also claimed that Whitney had a thing with Kendrick’s friend Dave Free… the same Dave Free who co-directed the music video with Kendrick. The whole video is amazing, what’s your favorite shot? I love when Kendrick looks into the camera for “other vaginal option,” as if he’s saying: I really mean this sh-t. I also love the hopscotch for “A minorrrrr.” Tons of cameos too, including DJ Mustard and basketball player DeMar DeRozan (“I’m glad DeRoz came home, y’all didn’t deserve him neither”).
Drake: Your kids aren’t yours, your wife doesn’t love you
Kendrick & Whitney: pic.twitter.com/5IU5FvUf5L
— Joey (@gothamhiphop) July 4, 2024
Screencaps courtesy of ‘Not Like Us’.
This is hilarious! It has been my entertainment this summer!
I laughed when the video popped up on my YouTube feed last night and thought “this is definitely a Kendrick move”! I liked the whole video but the owl pinata with the disclaimer that no OVhoes were harmed was hilarious so that along with his family dancing are my favorite parts. That pre-song at the beginning of the video sounds really good. Looking forward to the album dropping.
I expected more like the Dre Day video. Also, the lip syncing is really bad . It’s my fav song of the summer so I thought the video would match the song
The hopscotch for A Minor is one of the most epic mic drops I have seen in a music video. This song is absolute fire.
Damn! May that poser Drake never recover. I will watch this again and again.
At the end of the video, he was looking at the owl so menacingly, I was scared for the poor owl 😭😭 Love the whole family dancing part. Whitney is a patient woman. Drake accused her of cheating, having another guy’s baby (even though you can see with your own eyes both babies look like Kendrick), and even made sexual remarks about her. If I was her, I would go after him with a baseball bat. Instead, she chose to dance on his grave with her family. I feel like we witnessed the history that people are gonna talk about for decades. Like Kendrick said: “Motherf*ck the big three, it’s just big me”.
The Whitney dance was THE PART for me, followed immediately after with the directed by Dave Free. Because if you think about it while Drake tried to make it sound like he was saying this stuff out of ” concern” for her, he accused her of being unfaithful with Kendricks manager and bodyguards, lying about her child’s paternity, and covering up for someone who was abusing her. I’d be pretty pissed about all of that too.
A minor hopscotch for the win!
I love it. I’m in the suburbs of LA and this will legit be, not only the song of the summer, but a low key anthem for LA. This is a hard core embrace of our city. I love it. Kendrick will be a forever son of Los Angeles. And such a little cutie too. He’s probably old enough to be my child, if not nephew. I just wanna give him a hug and pinch his cheeks too.
Best song of the decade..
#THEYNOTLIKEUS
I’m a middle-aged white woman from Toronto. I couldn’t be less a part of the target audience. I had to miss the Pop Out stream because I was at a Sarah MacLachan concert for God’s sake! But this song has my brain in a choke hold.
It’s also been a gateway to Kendrick’s discography beyond what I heard on the radio / my kids’ rooms. He’s incredible.
And now I’ve learned about Tommy the Clown thanks to the concert footage and this video (and Google) and he’s awesome too.
@CommentingBunny same! Middle aged white woman in the red state south and I was on YouTube so fast when I heard that video dropped 😂
His entire discography is great, though DAMN. is my fave. Also, check out the crumpin doc with Tommy the Clown! It’s so good!
Drake can never show his face in Southern California again.
I loved the use of his audiences singing along as the chorus and all the real bodies in the video–not a Hollyweird body in sight. He did that.
The video popped on my youtube feed about 18 min after he dropped it. I loved it all, but special mention to the hopscotch, omg.
It’s beautiful.
He filmed in the part of Compton where I grew up. Tam’s was our burger joint. The library is next to the courthouse, and my friends and I were always there. I paid my first ticket in that courthouse, lol. And the beautiful, real people!
I’m in NorCal now, but the Hub City is my core. Thank you, Kendrick, and thank you Kaiser for keeping up with all of this and for being a fan. It feels good to see that others appreciate his art and this culture. His art showcases the place is where my family and closest friends originated from in a way that honors its complicated beauty. He doesn’t sugarcoat the pain in his songs, and he shows the joy and the love. It is lovely to see it featured so beautifully here and in the video. Dumbass Drake was the impetus, but that’s alright.
Beautifully put.
Drake thinking he could really compete against a man that has won PULITZERS for his writing is enough you need to know about his prideful behind. Love the song, love the video & I’m so hoping the music clip in the first 20 seconds is another track on his forthcoming album!
My father is a poor white Irish American who dropped out of high school and then went straight to Vietnam. He would wake me up in the mornings playing songs like Fortunate Son by Creedence Clearwater Revival. People will continue to play Kendrick’s music long after he has stopped making music. He is a once in a generation artist. No one will be listening to Hotline Bling in 30 years.
Never heard this song. Was in Toronto and heard dark days are on the way for Mr.Degrassi though
The video comes off as both surreal and very LA-specific ( LA resident comment). Love the lack of synchronization and way Kendrick often places himself at the side of the screen/action. I have watched it more times in a row than I have ever watched a music video, there is a lot going on.