"Not Like Us" received acclaim from critics, who praised the production, songwriting, and Lamar's performance; they felt it solidified Lamar's victory. It is widely regarded as the feud's best track and one of the greatest diss tracks of all time. "Not Like Us" broke numerous records on the streaming platformSpotify and peaked at number one in ten countries, while charting in the top ten in over 20 additional countries. Drake responded to "Not Like Us" with "The Heart Part 6", in which he denied Lamar's accusations, on May 5. In January 2025, Drake filed a lawsuit against Interscope's parentUniversal Music Group (UMG), alleging that "Not Like Us"defamed him and that UMG and Spotify artificially inflated its popularity; the lawsuit was dismissed in October 2025.
Hours after "6:16 in LA" was released, Drake responded with the single "Family Matters", in which he accused Lamar ofabusing his romantic partner, Whitney Alford, and alleged that one of his two children was fathered by his creative partner,Dave Free.[2] Less than an hour later, Lamar responded with "Meet the Grahams", depicting Drake as an allegedsexual predator who runs asex trafficking ring inside of hisToronto mansion, known as the Embassy, while fathering a secret daughter.[2] "Not Like Us" wasunexpectedly released on May 4, 2024, less than 24 hours after "Meet the Grahams" was published.[3] The only prior marketing that the song received came from Anthony "Top Dawg" Tiffith, the head of Lamar's former record labelTop Dawg Entertainment, who posted, "Dot, I see dead people" onTwitter approximately two hours before its premiere.[4]
Following the song's release, the mansion's Google Maps view was vandalized, with users creating landmarks on the mansion with names such as "Owned by Kendrick", "Kendrick's dog" and "A-Minor". Neighboring houses were similarly vandalized, with titles such as "Zesty Drake", "CertifiedKidLover" and "ChildMOE-Lester". A forest near the mansion was renamed to "Money Trees", referencingLamar's 2012 song of the same name.[10][11]
Mustard, the song's primary producer, wanted to work with Lamar for years and would send him about five beats a day for three months.[17] He was inspired to compose the beat after imagining whatDr. Dre would create if he was in a recording studio withLil Jon.[14] With contributions fromSounwave and Sean Momberger,[14] Mustard produced "Not Like Us" in about 30 minutes by speeding up the sample'stempo to create a "relentless" and "urgent" atmosphere.[12] Its additionalbassline,snare drums, andfinger snaps heightened its "aggressive" tone.[18] On April 6, 2024, Mustard sent the finished production to Lamar while attending his manager's birthday dinner.[17] He received a complimentarytext message from Lamar later that evening, but was unaware Lamar used it until the song came out.[17]
Lamar also attacks Drake's personal relationships, alleging that Drake had sex withLil Wayne's girlfriend, saying he "did [J.] Cole foul", and warning him to "not speak onSerena [Williams]", referencing the fact that Drake and Williams – who also grew up near Compton – were romantically involved in 2015 and that Drake dissedher husband onHer Loss (2022).[22]
Lamar challenges Drake'scultural identity throughout the track, suggesting that his portrayal of Blackness likens him to Brad "B-Rad G" Gluckman – a rich white boy who poses as a rapper – from the filmMalibu's Most Wanted (2003). In the second verse, Lamar accuses Drake of disrespecting the memory of rapper2Pac byartificially recreating his voice on "Taylor Made Freestyle".[18] In the third verse, Lamar accuses Drake of exploitingBlack artists fromAtlanta forstreet credibility and financial gain in the same way thatcolonizers in the city exploitedslave labor, using his collaborations withFuture,Lil Baby,21 Savage,Young Thug,Quavo, and2 Chainz as examples.[9][21][23] The chorus, which consists solely of the phrase "they not like us", has been interpreted as a message that Drake and his associates "are unlike [Lamar's] own caliber, one that organically abides by the given morals ofBlack culture".[24]
Lamar himself explained the personal meaning of the track in an interview withSZA:
"Not Like Us" is the energy of who I am, the type of man I represent. 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’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.[25]
"Not Like Us" was met with widespread critical acclaim for the contagious production, Lamar's vocal performance, and scathing songwriting.GQ's Frazier Tharpe dubbed the track a leading contender for the "song of the summer". He praised how the "banger" summoned Mustard's "raucous, party-starting homegrown energy" to deliver Lamar's "haymaker" that both out-strategized Drake and celebrated their West Coast upbringings.[26]Stereogum editors found the song to be not only an "ultra-effective" diss record but a hit filled with "vicious" allegations and history lessons.[13] Professional wrestlerShawn Michaels appreciated that hisSweet Chin Musicfinisher was mentioned in the song and invited Lamar and Drake to settle their differences at aWWE NXT program.[27][28] Two other individuals referenced in the song, Serena Williams andM. Night Shyamalan, the writer and director ofThe Sixth Sense, praised it.[29][30]Harvey Mason Jr., chief executive officer ofthe Recording Academy, praised the song's artistry and relevance.[31]
Journalists described "Not Like Us" as a cultural touchstone, aclarion call for the West Coast, and one of the biggest diss tracks they have witnessed in their lifetimes.[32][33] They considered the timing of its release and content an effective strategy in capturing thezeitgeist before listeners grew tired of the feud.[33] Jordan Rose ofComplex declared "Not Like Us" as the best track released during Lamar and Drake's feud due to its electric tone and "contagious" production, although many of the lyrics are "very questionable". Rose believes that "time will tell" if the song marked the "end conclusion" of their war, but it has already proven itself to be "the stone that stunnedGoliath."[34]Vibe's Armon Sadler ranked "Not Like Us" as the second-best track of the feud, praising the "undeniable bop" as a "masterclass" in execution.[35] Mark Elibert fromBillboard, who named it the fourth-best song, shared similar sentiments.[36] Canadian outlets such as CBC News andExclaim! opined that "Not Like Us" has grown into ananti-Canadiananthem reminiscent of "Blame Canada" fromSouth Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut (1999).[37][38]Uproxx's Wongo Okon noted it helped Lamar become a more appealing figure forGeneration Z andGeneration Alpha listeners.[39]
The song has also been examined in the context ofrace andcultural appropriation.Salamishah Tillet ofThe New York Times opined that while the message of "Not Like Us" may seem to attack Drake'sbiracial identity, its popularity has inspired a broad assortment ofinterracial interpretations.[40]Rolling Stone's Andre Gee believes the song is a "rally against perpetrators who shifted hip-hop from aBlack andbrown community with culturally understood modes of being into an at-timesparodic circus."[41] Mark P. Braboy ofThe Triibe expanded on Gee's sentiments, applying the song's message to "culture vultures" in hip-hop journalism who have built their platforms by exploiting Black trauma.[42]
Pitchfork named "Not Like Us" as the third-best song released in the2020s so far. In his accompanying excerpt, Alphonse Pierre declared the line "Certified Lover Boy? Certified pedophiles" as the "defining" lyric of the decade, in ways that are "unsettling and amazing and troubling and funny."[43] Other publications such asComplex,[44]HipHopDX,[45]The Ringer,[46] andThe Root ranked "Not Like Us" as one of the greatest diss tracks of all time.[47]
"Not Like Us" was an immediate commercial success and broke numerous streaming records—most of which were previously held by Drake.[65] It led theBillboard Global 200 chart for four non-consecutive weeks, marking Lamar's first solo number-one song on the survey.[66][67] It is also reportedly the most-streamed diss track onSpotify,[68] earning the biggest single-day streams for a hip hop song (12.8 million) and the most song streams in a week by a rapper (81.2 million).[69] Additionally, it became the fastest rap song on the platform to accumulate 100 million (9 days),[70] 200 million (19 days),[71] 300 million (35 days),[72] 400 million (54 days),[73] 500 million (70 days),[74] 600 million (87 days),[68] and 700 million streams (112 days).[75] It accumulated one billion streams in mid-January 2025.[76]
In the United States, "Not Like Us" debuted at number one on theBillboard Hot 100 chart dated May 18, 2024, opening with 70.9 million streams, five million radio airplay audience impressions, and 15,000 copies sold. It registered the highest first-week streaming figure for a hip hop song sinceBillboard removed YouTube song user-generated content from its chart metrics in 2020. As Lamar's fourth number-one single and first solo number-one debut, "Not Like Us" became the first rap song in history to top the Hot 100 with a shortened tracking week of five days.[77] It also marked Mustard's first number-one single and debut as a producer, and one of the only chart leaders to be penned by a sole writer.[78]
Following its music video premiere,[79] "Not Like Us" bested "A Bar Song (Tipsy)" byShaboozey and returned to number one on the Hot 100 chart, dated July 20, 2024, with 53.8 million streams, 40 million radio airplay audience impressions, and 8,000 copies sold. It is the longest-running solo chart-topper of Lamar's career, surpassing "Humble".[80] In October 2024, "Not Like Us" broke the record set by "Old Town Road" byLil Nas X featuringBilly Ray Cyrus for the most weeks spent atop theHot Rap Songs chart.[81] It's also the second longest-charting number-one song on theHot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.[82] By the end of the year, "Not Like Us", accumulated 823.5 million on-demand audio streams in the US, making it the second most streamed song of the year and was the sixth best-performing song on theBillboard Hot 100 in 2024.[83][84] Just after Lamar's performance at the Super Bowl LIX halftime show, the song once again returned to number one on the Hot 100 chart, dated February 22, 2025 (with 49 million streams, 20.5 million radio airplay audience impressions, and 33,000 copies sold), becoming the third-longest break between time at number one in the chart's history, and the first non-holiday song to top the Hot 100 three separate times with breaks of two or more months between times at number one.[85] On July 8, 2025,Complex reported that the song has sold over 10 million copies in the United States.[86]
In the United Kingdom, "Not Like Us" debuted at number ten on theUK Singles Chart, and initially peaked at number six, becoming Lamar's eighth top ten hit song in Britain.[87] Following Lamar's performance at theSuper Bowl LIX halftime show, the song peaked at the summit of the chart on February 21, 2025, becoming his first chart-topping song on the UK Singles Chart. It remained atop the chart for two weeks.[88]
In New Zealand, "Not Like Us" debuted at number six on theOfficial Aotearoa Music Charts dated May 10, 2024. Two weeks later, it reached number two for one week before dropping out of the top three. Following its music video release, "Not Like Us" became Lamar's second number-one single as a solo artist, and his third overall in the country. It remained atop for another week.[89]
In Australia, "Not Like Us" debuted at number nine on theARIA Charts dated May 19, 2024. It reached number five the following week, at its initial peak. The song reached number five for its second week after the release of the music video, dated July 21, 2024.[90] On the week of February 17, 2025, following hisGrammy wins and performance at the Super Bowl LIX halftime show, "Not Like Us" reached number one, becoming Lamar's first number-one hit as a solo artist.[91]
Following his performances at the Super Bowl LIX halftime show, the song debuted at number 52 on theBrasil Hot 100,[92] and at number 86 on theJapan Hot 100,[93] becoming his first entries on both charts. The song met a huge commercial success elsewhere, peaking atop in Canada, Greece, Ireland, Latvia, Saudi Arabia and South Africa, reaching the top five in Germany, Norway, Iceland, India, Portugal, Switzerland, Sweden and France, top ten in Poland, Malaysia, The Netherlands and Singapore, top twenty in Philippines, Belgium, Peru, Hungary, Nigeria and Finland, and top thirty in Ecuador, Spain and Colombia.[citation needed]
On November 8, 2024, "Not Like Us" was nominated for the67th Annual Grammy Awards in five different categories:Record of the Year,Song of the Year,Best Rap Performance,Best Rap Song, andBest Music Video.[94] On February 3, 2025, the song swept all five categories. Though he did not mention Drake in his speeches, rather dedicating them to Los Angeles, Lamar was noted for his choice of outfit at the ceremony – a denim top along with denim pants, known as a "Canadian tuxedo" – seen as a playful jab at the Canadian-born Drake.[95]
The video starts with a view of the Compton Courthouse overlooking theMartin Luther King, Jr. Memorial. Lamar sashays down a white,morgue-like hall to a snippet of the then-unreleased song "Squabble Up" from his sixth studio albumGNX (2024). Upon knocking on a door,Tommy the Clown slides open an eye hole and asks for the password. Lamar whispers the code, "I see dead people", and is allowed entry,[106] although he is scolded for being late. He takes his seat with his classmates, the Hip Hop Clowns, and grooves to "Not Like Us". Lamar givesthe finger and dances in the corner. A classmate passes him aBible, which he carefully slips in his jacket.
Usingcinematography that mirrors the lyric video for "Family Matters",[124] a covered figure resembling Drake on the cover ofDark Lane Demo Tapes (2020) tries to ambush Lamar from behind; he is quickly blown away.[124] Lamar completes seventeen (not 18)push-ups on fourcinder blocks—a response to Drake ordering him to "drop and give me fifty" on "Push Ups"—in a bedroom with strong similarities to aprison cell. He then strikes an owl-shapedpiñata and glides down ahopscotch court numbered 1 through 10. Adisclaimer insulting Drake's record label,OVO Sound, is shown as he repeatedly hits the piñata.[125]Aerial shots of a large crowd of Compton residents gathered inside of the memorial and chanting the song are featured throughout the video.
Shifting back to the classroom, Lamar and the Hip Hop Clowns perform anumber under Tommy the Clown's watch. Lamar poses with his partner Whitney Alford and their children in aliving room; the couple dances joyfully while the children play.[117] Abarn owl and Lamar engage in a stare down—as he leaves, the owl realizes it has been locked in a cage.
In what appears to be unedited footage from the shoot, Free asks the rapturous Compton crowd through abullhorn if they want to play the song again as theend titles appear on the screen.
The music video was met with widespread critical acclaim. Numerous publications and websites called it another victory lap for Lamar in his feud with Drake.[a]CBC News called it a moment of re-ignition of the feud,[133] whileVibe opined it as Lamar's "knockout punch" against Drake.[134] Journalists described the video as refuting Drake's allegations against Lamar: it depicts Lamar's family dancing happily alongside him,[106][107] and the video credits emphasize Lamar and Free's collaboration.[106][135]
Vinson Cunningham ofThe New Yorker thought that the video's Independence Day release was a "jingoistic move" that draws a "bright line" along theCanada–United States border. He made an "Edenic" comparison to the image of Lamar and his family posing withGrant Wood'sAmerican Gothic (1930) andGordon Parks's1942 photograph of the same name, arguing that the frame inaugurated a "new sort" ofAmerican iconography.[136]Entertainment Weekly observed the inclusion of new music in the intro to the video, noting fan speculation that it was to be included in Lamar's potential next studio album.[106]USA Today's Naledi Ushe mused that with the release of the music video, Lamar had aimed to take Drake's "song of the summer trophy", noting Drake's perceived achievement with several of his late 2010s singles and the relative failure of the singles fromFor All the Dogs (2023), leaving the title open for Lamar andSabrina Carpenter with "Espresso" to contend.[137]NBC News noted the song's appraisal as a celebration of Compton and the West Coast.[115]GQ appreciated Lamar's choice offashion style in the video, pointing out that his wearing of aPrada suit and multipleMartine Rose track jackets reinforced aclaim that he made a year ago that he "is the best-dressed MC in rap".[138]
Drake responded with "The Heart Part 6" one day after "Not Like Us" was released,[139] in which he denied all accusations and stated that he would have liked to dance to "Not Like Us" if Lamar was not "tripling down on some whole other bullshit".[140] On November 24, 2024, Drake appeared on aKicklivestream with Canadian streamerxQc, describing himself as "fully intact, mind, body, and soul". Lamar reacted to these comments with amusement.[141][142]
On November 25, 2024, Drake filed a petition againstUniversal Music Group (UMG) and Spotify underNew York law claiming that they had conspired to artificially inflate the popularity of "Not Like Us" to "deceive consumers into believing the song was more popular than it was in reality". His attorneys accused UMG of violating theRacketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) and using deceptive business practices and false advertising.[143] UMG stated in response that the allegations were "offensive and untrue", that they would "never do anything to undermine" any artist signed to the label, and that "fans choose the music they want to hear".[144][145] Drake later filed a second petition against UMG underTexas law claimingdefamation by failing to halt the release of a song "falsely accusing him of being a sex offender." He also accused UMG of "funneling payments" toiHeartRadio as part of a "pay-to-play scheme" to promote "Not Like Us" on the radio.[146]
On January 15, 2025, Drake filed a defamation lawsuit inNew York federal court against UMG, with substantially the same factual allegations. He did not include Lamar as a defendant.[147] In March, UMG moved to dismiss the lawsuit, arguing that Drake "lost a rap battle that he provoked and in which he willingly participated," and that he should have "accept[ed] the loss like the unbothered rap artist he often claims to be."[148] The case was assigned to JudgeJeannette Vargas, who allowed Drake's legal team to subpoena Kojo Menne Asamoah, a potential witness.[149] On October 9, 2025, Vargas dismissed the suit.[150] She held that New York law did not permitdefamation lawsuits for statements of opinion. She concluded that a reasonable listener would understand that rap battles are opinionated and that diss tracks are not "fact-checked verifiable content."[151] Drakeappealed on October 29.[152]
Duringthe Pop Out: Ken & Friends, held onJuneteenth 2024 at theKia Forum inInglewood, California, Lamar performed "Not Like Us" for the first time.[153] The song was introduced byDr. Dre whispering the opening lines. The track was followed by four consecutive reprises,[154] the last two featured a wide assortment of emerging and notable West Coast figures.[155][156]NPR Music's Sheldon Pearce compared the picture toArt Kane'sA Great Day in Harlem (1958).[157] Several critics viewed the "raw" performances of "Not Like Us" as a highlight of the concert and praised its liveliness.[158] David Dennis Jr. ofAndscape commended the way Lamar turned a song centered on his disdain for Drake into a moment of "unity and love".[159]
On September 8, 2024, Lamar was announced as the headlining act for theSuper Bowl LIX halftime show at theCaesars Superdome inNew Orleans, Louisiana.[160] Speculation arose as to whether he would incorporate "Not Like Us" into his performance.[161][162] Justin Sayles ofThe Ringer called the halftime performance announcement as the capstone of a year that had seen Lamar "ascend to the highest levels" of popular culture, and seen Drake "sink to the lowest levels" of his career.[163]
"Not Like Us" would indeed be performed towards the end of Lamar's Super Bowl halftime setlist on February 9, 2025. In an interlude during the middle of the set, Lamar teased the song and alluded to Drake's litigation by quipping "I want to perform their favorite song, but you know they love to sue", which was followed by a brief audio clip of the song's introduction.[164] In another interlude after performing "All the Stars", he said "they tried to rig the game but you can't fake influence", then launched into "Not Like Us".[165] Lamar looked directly into the camera with a smile when he rapped "Say Drake, I hear you like 'em young". The lyric including the word "pedophile" was censored, but the audience could be heard shouting the lyric "tryna strike a chord and it's probably A minor" along with him a few lines later.[166][167]
Professional tennis playerSerena Williams, who shares Lamar's hometown of Compton, made a cameo appearance as a dancer doing acrip walk during "Not Like Us",[168][169] a reference to Williams performing a similar dance after her victory at the2012 Summer Olympics, for which she faced some criticism. Williams's appearance was also received as a diss towards Drake, with whom she was rumored to have dated several years earlier.[170][171][172]
Lisa Respers France ofCNN would call "Not Like Us" the star of the halftime performance, while Maria Sherman of theAssociated Press described Lamar performing the song on the biggest stage in U.S. sports, especially days after the song swept the Grammy Awards, as "another step in Lamar's continued victory lap".[166][173]
Following the release of the music video for "Not Like Us",Tam's Burgers #21 saw a significant spike in business.[174] Lauro Hernandez and his son Bryan Noe, the managers of the restaurant, reported that they experienced a 30% to 40% boost in sales.[175] Spiro Vovos, who owns the Tam's Burgers chain, later clarified that it was more of a surge in foot traffic andcontent creators visiting the location; the sales influx mostly occurred as the video was being filmed.[176] Amural honoring Lamar and "Not Like Us" was painted on the restaurant's exterior by Mike Norice.[177][178] Fashion brands such asWilly Chavarria also enjoyed substantial increases in brand recognition and sales after their pieces were featured in the music video.[179]
Small business owners in Compton, however, were negatively impacted by the production of the music video.[180] In a report conducted by theLos Angeles Times, astrip mall across from the Compton Courthouse that houses local businesses had its parking lot overrun by "cars and chaos" as hundreds of people poured out to the Courthouse to catch a glimpse of Lamar. The mall's owners had to shut down operations and claimed they lost thousands of dollars during the shoot. They placed the blame on city officials for their lack of communication, and have asked Lamar, PGLang, or the city government to providefinancial compensation.[181]
Drake's OVO clothing retailer onLondon'sCarnaby Street wasvandalized on May 7, 2024, by an unknowngraffiti artist, who plastered the phrase "They not like us" in silver lettering on its window.[224] TheMetropolitan Police did not announce plans to investigate the store tagging and no arrests were made.[225] In the following days, two separate individuals were apprehended by theToronto Police while attempting to break into Drake'sBridle Path home; the same residence shown on the cover art for "Not Like Us".[226] On June 30, 2024,Rick Ross and his entourage were attacked at the Ignite Music Festival inVancouver, Canada, by a group of attendees after he played "Not Like Us" to close out his headlining set.[227] Ross later reported to TMZ that no one from his team suffered any serious injuries from the assault.[228]
^"ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Digital Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic.Note: Select 08. týden 2025 in the date selector. Retrieved February 25, 2025.
^"ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Singles Digital Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic.Note: Select 8. týden 2025 in the date selector. Retrieved February 25, 2025.
