'Not Like Us' crowns Kendrick Lamar as the king of hip hop

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‘Not Like Us’ crowns Kendrick Lamar as the king of hip hop

Kendrick Lamar has released the video for ‘Not Like Us,’ his biggest hit in years, ending his victory lap following the controversial beef with Drake. Who would have imagined that in 2024 Kendrick Lamar would reach number 1 on the Hot 100 by calling the biggest rap star in the world a pedophile and beating him at his own game? And all with a beat made in 30 minutes, according to Mustard. At this point, it’s not crazy to posit Kendrick as the king of hip hop. ‘Not Like Us’ is our Song of the Day.

Right now, “Not Like Us” is at No. 3 on the Hot 100. Drake, on the other hand, is only listed at No. 67 on “U My Everything,” a collaboration with Sexyy Red. Kendrick has beaten the Canadian at his own game, and not only that. He’s also made him ride some questionable songs. Shortly before Kendrick unified the West Coast and dissed the Canadian by singing “Not Like Us” six times on Amazon Prime, the latter released the worst collaboration of his career. So much so that it’s no longer on Spotify.

‘Wah Gwan Delilah’ is a cover of the Plain White T’s classic ‘Hey There Delilah’, but with lyrics adapted to the Jamaican Patuá slang that is widespread among Toronto’s multicultural population. Snowd4y, the track’s lead artist, was supposedly intended to be a comedic piece, but it’s so bad that it backfired. While Drake’s Jamaican accent and cringe-filled lines may sound like AI, they’re not. It sounds like instant regret.

The networks were filled with memes pointing out that Kendrick was the one to blame for all this, dragging Drake into a total debacle. At some point, Drake will return to the charts as he always has, but the sequence of events is very funny. Now, the Compton native has released the long-awaited video for the song, with a short snippet of an unreleased song.

Kendrick’s new track, judging by the distinctive clapping sounds, is once again produced by Mustard. It also uses a similar flow to that of ‘Not Like Us’. The video shares the clean aesthetic that has characterized the rapper’s audiovisual work and we can see him celebrating in different situations. For example, playing hopscotch while singing the already iconic line: “Tryna strike a chord and it’s probably A-Minor.” In the cutest scene of the video, Kendrick dances with his wife and children. In the less subtle part, the rapper smashes an owl-shaped piñata.

So, it seems that Kendrick is now done with this stage. Drake can rest easy. However, according to the CEO of the Grammys, Harvey Mason Jr., ‘Not Like Us’ could be nominated for an award, opening the door to a perfect ending.

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Simon Müller

Simon Müller is the driving force behind UMusic, embodying a lifelong passion for all things melodious. Born and raised in New York, his love for music took form at an early age and fueled his journey from an avid music enthusiast to the founder of a leading music-centered website. Simon's diverse musical tastes and intrinsic understanding of acoustic elements offer a unique perspective to the UMusic community. Sporting a dedicated commitment to aural enrichment and hearing health, his vision extends beyond just delivering news - he aspires to create a network of informed, appreciative music lovers. Spend a moment in Mueller's company, and you'd find his passion infectious – music isn’t simply his job, it’s his heartbeat.