Kendrick Lamar beats Drake once again with ‘Not Like Us’ success
It seems like the animosity between Compton star Kendrick Lamar and Canadian rapper Drake is far from over, even if their feuding has resided on the sidelines. Lamar now has more monthly listeners than his musical rival, albeit by a small margin.
Still, the achievement is an incredible feat, placing Lamar in second place in the list of most-listened-to rappers on Spotify, the first place sitting firmly in the hands of Slim Shady himself, Eminem. Despite the fact that he recently shared his final goodbye to the popular moniker, The Death of Slim Shady, Eminem’s reign extended long before the current rappers’ feuds.
In fact, Lamar is only winning against Drake in the popularity ladder by a small fraction, amassing 74,115,665 against Drake’s 74,086,033. It’s likely that Lamar’s success with ‘Not Like Us’ and its accompanying music video has gifted him a significant buffer, but he mustn’t rest on his laurels to remain in pride of place.
That said, many have suspected Lamar’s newest release is imminent, but the rapper has yet to confirm anything yet. Moreover, Slim Shady confirming his support for his protégé might have pushed some ambivalent fans into Lamar’s direction following ‘Renaissance’, in which he defends Lamar against “complainers”, saying: “Kendrick’s album was cool but it didn’t have any bangers,” before mocking others by saying: “Wayne’s album or Ye’s, couldn’t tell you which one was lamer.”
Although the heat between Drake and Lamar seems to have reduced for now, the battle seems to be subtly ongoing. More recently, Drake seemed to take a shot at his rival following a new range by OVO, hinting towards his claims that Lamar was abusive towards his fiancée, Whitney.
The claim’s prominent role in their ongoing feud has caused many fans to view it as a clever additional dig and a sneaky way of dissing the ‘Not Like Us’ rapper without officially saying anything.
Others, on the other hand, regard it as a failed attempt at addressing the heart of the matter and the various other things Lamar has mentioned over the course of the battle. Although it’s yet to be seen whether their beef will escalate further, Lamar’s latest numbers seem to shed some light on who might be taking the crown.