Super Bowl LIX: Kendrick Lamar’s Not Like Us song meaning explained
Kendrick Lamar’s smash hit Not Like Us lit up the Grammys and now it’s taken centre stage at Super Bowl LIX.
One of the greatest rappers of this generation, Kendrick Lamar has been living it up on his recent hit Not Like Us, which won five Grammys just a week before his half-time show performance at the Super Bowl.
The song has become a massive hit in the mainstream, thanks in no small part to its background and the ongoing feud between Lamar and Canadian artist Drake.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.Not Like Us is Lamar’s fourth-most streamed song on Spotify, and has been a mainstay on the charts since its release in May 2024.
Most definitely a diss track, the song refers to numerous allegations against Drake, including those of paedophilia and sexual misconduct, while generally sledging the Canadian artist for his curious public image in recent years.
Drake is suing his longtime label Universal Music Group for promoting Not Like Us, saying the song’s false accusation that he is a paedophile has put him and his family in danger.
In a complaint in Manhattan federal court, Drake said the song was “intended to convey the specific, unmistakable, and false factual allegation that Drake is a criminal paedophile” and the public should exert “vigilante justice” in response.
Drake said it led to attempted break-ins at his home, prompting him to travel with extra security, and pull his seven-year-old son from his Toronto primary school and the Toronto area.
Drake’s personal snafus with celebrities sch as J. Cole and Serena Williams are also touched upon by Lamar.
In his song Lamar also takes aim at Drake’s association and potential misappropriation of Black music, culture, and history throughout his career, while also critiquing Drake’s canon of allying himself with Black artists from Atlanta, Georgia to piggyback off their image and careers.
Not Like Us has been viewed in the public as the definitive winning point in Lamar’s feud with Drake, with few coming to the defence of the latter since the three-time Platinum track’s release.
Super Bowl half time show song list:
- GNX (Teaser)
- Squabble Up
- Humble
- DNA
- Euphoria
- Man at the Garden
- Peekaboo
- Luther
- All the Stars
- Not Like Us
- TV Off
