Kendrick Lamar on the Profound Message of ‘Not Like Us’

Kendrick Lamar has shed light on the deeper meaning behind his viral Drake diss track, ‘Not Like Us’. In a recent conversation with SZA for Harper’s Bazaar, the ‘DNA’ rapper was asked about the significance of the song. While it gained attention for its sharp criticism of Drake and accusations of the Canadian rapper being a “pa**ophile”, Lamar explained to SZA that the track reflects “the type of man I represent”.

Lamar said that ‘Not Like Us’ embodies the essence of who he is and the type of man he represents. He explained that if someone identifies with that, it means they align with a man who has morals, values, beliefs, and principles. “He stands for something and doesn’t pander.

Lamar said that the man he represents is someone who acknowledges his mistakes and is unafraid to share them. He explained that this man is capable of confronting fear-based beliefs or experiences and expressing them openly without feeling that it makes him any less of a man.

Image Courtesy: Billboard

When SZA asked if anger was the main emotion behind ‘Not Like Us’, Lamar said that he doesn’t see himself as an angry person. Instead, he believes in the necessity of both love and conflict, and that understanding this allows him to react to situations without letting those emotions define him. He said that he lets these feelings exist and pass through him, but he doesn’t identify with them as part of who he is.

Lamar also said that music isn’t his ultimate purpose. Although he hasn’t yet discovered his true calling, he’s on a mission to gather knowledge. He explained that music is just a means to help him reach that goal. He’s eager to meet people who are more knowledgeable than he is, to learn from them, and to explore the world’s possibilities. He said that gaining information excites him and that he considers himself a bit of a nerd for it.

Image Courtesy: uDiscover Music

Earlier this year, Lamar and Drake were involved in an ongoing exchange of diss tracks. The feud came to a head when Drake released his diss track ‘The Heart Part 6,’ in which he claimed that Lamar’s attacks were based on misinformation provided by Drake’s own team. He also denied the accusations of pa**ophilia that Lamar had made against him on the track ‘Meet The Grahams.’

The beef originally started with Lamar’s verse on Future and Metro Boomin’s song ‘Like That’ back in March. In the verse, Lamar responded to J. Cole’s lines from his feature on Drake’s track ‘First Person Shooter,’ where Cole mentioned, “Love when they argue the hardest MC / Is it K-Dot? Is it Aubrey? Or me? / We the big three like we started a league.”

Drake fired back with two tracks, ‘Push Ups’ and ‘Taylor Made Freestyle’. In the latter, Drake controversially used AI-generated vocals of Tupac, which led to legal threats from the late rapper’s estate. As a result, the track was pulled from streaming platforms. Lamar responded with ‘Euphoria’ on May 1, followed by ‘6:16 in LA’ the next day. Drake’s ‘The Heart Part 6’ was the most recent shot in their ongoing feud, which followed Lamar’s release of ‘Not Like Us’. The day before, both artists dropped diss tracks within an hour of each other—Drake released ‘Family Matters’, and Lamar responded with ‘Meet The Grahams’.

In other news, Lamar has been announced as the headliner for the 2025 Super Bowl Halftime Show. He encouraged fans not to miss it, saying they should meet him in New Orleans on February 9, 2025 and even joked about dressing up for the occasion, even if they’re watching from home.

Lamar also recently released a new single via social media, though it hasn’t yet appeared on streaming platforms. According to Variety, the track is titled ‘Watch The Party Die’. Additionally, it was reported earlier this week that Lamar declined an offer to headline Coachella next year.

As for Drake, he recently shared 100 gigabytes of data online, which included three new songs. Of the tracks, ‘It’s Up’ is the most rap-heavy and features Young Thug. ‘Housekeeping Knows’ has a more dance-oriented sound and features Latto, while ‘Blue Green Red’ is a slower club track without any guest appearances.

--Silviya.Y