Kendrick Lamar set the world on fire when he dropped “Not Like Us.” Overall, it was the final nail in the coffin of his beef with Drake. Prior to the song, he had dropped off “Meet The Grahams” which was a methodical character assassination of Drizzy. Subsequently, “Not Like Us” poured gasoline all over the OVO estate and set it ablaze. Not long after the release of the song, Kendrick was contending for number one. In fact, the song topped the Billboard charts on two separate occasions.
Now, we are approaching the middle of the decade, and numerous publications are putting out their best of the decade so far lists. One such publication is the legendary Pitchfork, which dropped its list of the 100-best songs of the 2020s. “Not Like Us” got placed third overall, right behind Lana Del Rey and RXK Nephew. As Alphonse Pierre writes, it is an undeniable song that is also full of contradictions, which makes you really analyze everything that is being said.
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Kendrick Lamar Ended The Beef With This Track
“Having contradicting feelings about Kendrick Lamar music isn’t anything new (hello, Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers), but ‘Not Like Us’ feels like one of the most complicated rap songs ever,” Alphonse Pierre wrote. “No matter what you say about it, you will be a hypocrite in some way. Forcing you to consider your listening habits, like barely any Billboard chart toppers have before.
“And like To Pimp a Butterfly’s ‘Alright’ on steroids, the phrase in the title of ‘Not Like Us’ was quickly commodified and absorbed into the cultural lexicon, turning what was initially Kendrick’s celebration of hip-hop culture and ousting of Drake from it into a branding opportunity chauffeuring Kendrick to the Super Bowl half-time show. That has gone on to soften the impact of ‘Not Like Us;’ one of the final nails in the coffin was Kendrick doing the track five times in a row on an Amazon stream. For that reason, giving it any larger cultural significance feels icky, though it will live on as the kind of omnipresent rap banger that doesn’t come along too often anymore.”
Do you believe that the song deserves this high ranking? Or do you feel like it may be all too soon to come through with this kind of high placement? Let us know in the comments section down below and stay tuned to HNHH for the latest news and updates from around the music world. We will continue to keep you informed on all of your favorite artists and their upcoming projects.
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