Kendrick Lamar is breaking down the meaning of “Not Like Us” — without ever saying the name Drake.
The Pulitzer Prize-winning rapper, 37, spoke with SZA in an interview for Harper’s Bazaar published Monday and was asked to explain what his Drake diss track “Not Like Us” means to him. Lamar did not mention the man who inspired the song anywhere in the interview, but he said “Not Like Us” reflects his own morals and values.
“Not like us? Not like us is the energy of who I am, the type of man I represent,” Lamar said. “Now, if you identify with the man that I represent … This man has morals, he has values, he believes in something, he stands on something. He’s not pandering.”
He continued, “He’s a man who can recognize his mistakes and not be afraid to share the mistakes and can dig deep down into fear-based ideologies or experiences to be able to express them without feeling like he’s less of a man. If I’m thinking of ‘Not Like Us,’ I’m thinking of me and whoever identifies with that.”
“Not Like Us” was released in May amid a feud between Lamar and Drake, during which both rappers dropped diss tracks directed at each other. On “Not Like Us,” Lamar references Drake by name, rapping, “Say Drake, I hear you like ’em young.” He also raps, referencing Drake’s album “Certified Lover Boy”: “Certified Lover Boy? Certified pedophiles.”
The cover art of “Not Like Us” showed a photo of Drake’s house covered in red markers that are used to identify registered sex offenders.
The feud between Drake and Lamar escalated in March after Lamar appeared on the Future and Metro Boomin song “Like That” and denied that he, Drake and J. Cole are the “big three” in rap, as J. Cole had suggested in an earlier song. “It’s just big me,” Lamar declared.
Kendrick Lamar says he’s not ‘an angry person’ but believes in ‘love and war’
Elsewhere in the Harper’s Bazaar interview, SZA asked Lamar whether his music comes from an angry place, and he denied that it does.
All 9 Drake and Kendrick Lamar2024 diss songs, including ‘Not Like Us’ and ‘Part 6’
“I don’t believe I’m an angry person,” he said. “But I do believe in love and war, and I believe they both need to exist. And my awareness of that allows me to react to things but not identify with them as who I am. Just allowing them to exist and allowing them to flow through me. That’s what I believe.”
Lamar also opened up about his spirituality in the interview, sharing, “I literally talk to God. Like, it’s to a point where I’ll be starting to think I’m going crazy. But then He has to remind me, ‘No, this is really me.'”
Lamar is set to headline the 2025 Super Bowl halftime show in February, the NFL announced last month. “Rap music is still the most impactful genre to date,” Lamar said in a statement at the time. “And I’ll be there to remind the world why. They got the right one.”
News
Young Thug Finally Settles Long-Running Beef With Lil Wayne — Hints at Secret Collab Album That Could Shake the Hip-Hop World
ATLANTA, GEORGIA – NOVEMBER 13: Rapper Young Thug speaks onstage at the 2021 REVOLT Summit at 787 Windsor on November 13, 2021 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images) Young Thug’s comments on Lil Wayne come after dropping his…
Rihanna Confronts Rising Star Tyla Over Flirty Messages With A$AP Rocky: A Tense Showdown That Shook the Music World
In the high-stakes universe of celebrity, where every glance, every smile, and every text is dissected by millions, a recent industry event in Los Angeles became the stage for a confrontation that has sent shockwaves across the music world. Rihanna,…
Diddy’s Former Bodyguard Big Homie CC Escapes U.S. Amid Mysterious Cyanide Poisonings and Car Crashes: “If He Walks Free, I’m Target Number One”
Big Homie CC, once the shadow and right-hand man of hip-hop mogul Diddy, has reportedly fled the United States, leaving behind a life of fame, luxury, and peril. The reason? A terrifying series of cyanide poisonings, all cleverly disguised…
Whispers of the Panther: Tupac’s Cousin Finally Speaks on Secrets, Betrayal, and the Vegas Conspiracy Sept. 15, 1996 Remembered: Tupac Shakur’s Shadowed Legacy
In the long shadow of a revolutionary bloodline, where the fire of the Black Panther Party still simmers, a voice once silenced has returned. William Lesane, Tupac Shakur’s first cousin and a quiet keeper of the family’s secrets, broke thirty…
“HE KNEW ABOUT THIS” — Evidence Suggests D4vd Was Informed That Celeste Rivas Had Been Placed in His Tesla
PARIS, FRANCE – JUNE 27: (EDITORIAL USE ONLY – For Non-Editorial use please seek approval from Fashion House) D4vd attends the Juun.J Menswear Spring/Summer 2026 show as part of Paris Fashion Week on June 27, 2025 in Paris, France. (Photo…
D4VD Case Sh0cker: Newly Released Official Report Finally Reveals the True Cause Behind Celeste Rivas’ Tragic Case— Confirms the Teen Was NOT Pregnant, Ending Days of Speculation
The mystery surrounding the death of Celeste Rivas deepened this week after her official death certificate revealed that the cause of death is still being deferred, pending toxicology results and further investigation. According to documents obtained by TMZ, the 15-year-old’s body was discovered…
End of content
No more pages to load