Kendrick Lamar shares long-awaited ‘Not Like Us’ music video
After much anticipation, Kendrick Lamar has finally released the music video for his celebrated Drake diss track ‘Not Like Us’.
The Compton-born rapper engaged in a feud with the Canadian musician earlier this year, with each party taking swipes at the other’s personal and public lives.
In ‘Not Like Us’, Lamar made reference to the accusations surrounding Drake’s interest in underage girls. He raps lines like “Say, Drake, I hear you like ’em young,” “Just make sure you hide your lil’ sister from him,” and “Certified Lover Boy? Certified paedophiles.” The bold lines, paired with Lamar’s overall delivery and an unforgettable beat, established ‘Not Like Us’ as one of the greatest tracks to emerge from the feud.
In fact, the song’s success helped to solidify Lamar as the winner of the battle. On Juneteenth, he united many rappers and rival gang members at his legendary show, The Pop Out, which further cemented his status as one of the world’s most celebrated and well-respected rappers.
At The Pop Out, Lamar played ‘Not Like Us’ five times in a row, bringing out various famous faces, like Dr Dre, Mustard, Steve Lacy and YG to help him perform various renditions of the track.
Shortly after the gig, Lamar was seen filming a video for the song in Compton, with crowds of fans invited to join in. Videos circulated online as it became apparent that other rappers, like Roddy Rich, were also present during the shoot.
Now, the video has finally arrived, with direction coming from Lamar and Dave Free. It has already amassed over 10million views after several hours of being live on YouTube.
The video begins with flashing lights over scenes of Lamar decked out in an all-white outfit in an all-white room. Shot in black-and-white, these dramatic opening scenes make way for dance sequences and scenes of Lamar working out in an elaborately staged bedroom set-up.
The rapper even smashes an owl-shaped piñata as a direct reference to Drake, with a caption at the bottom of the screen reading, “NO OVHOES WERE HARMED DURING THE MAKING OF THIS VIDEO.”
Then we get clips of lots of fans all crowded in unison to celebrate the rapper inbetween images of Lamar riding in a car and getting burgers. It’s an expansive and opulent music video that fans are bound to love.