Cnn
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Kendrick Lamar and Drake spent dissects. The rappers triggered a slew of increasingly brutal attacks, targeting talent, parenthood and breed of the other, among other sensitive subjects.
It is only during the release of Lamar “Not like us” that a verdict was rendered – Lamar had won unequivocal.
“Not like us”, I always take a victory tour that started last May. The latest Lamar drake exceeded the Billboard track record and has become its first single single single single since “humble” of 2017. To a junouteenth surprise concert, Lamar interpreted the song five times to an arena full of fans who knew each word. Then, last week, he won five grammys For the song, including the song of the year.
And Sunday evening, he Played at the Super Bowl, The most watched event on American television (even if the song is currently at Center of a trial Brought by Drake against the company that manages the record houses of the two rappers). He included some of his most controversial lines in his performance.
“Not like us” was presented to the world without ceremony in a YouTube link on a Saturday evening. The fact that he has since become one of the largest songs in Lamar testifies to his power, not only as Diss but as a certified banger.
“As much as it is a dissociated song, it is also a unifying song,” said Frederick Paige, assistant professor of civil and environmental genius at Virginia Tech and co-founder of Virginia Tech Diggin ‘in the crate: Hip Hop Studies at university at university.
Here’s how a break -up has become a super proportions blockbuster.
How Kendrick -Drake beef started – and “not like us” won the war
THE Beef between two of the most popular rappers in the country had brewed for years before “not like us” had fun.
Although they appeared on the songs of the other at the start of their career, the two exchanged eyebrow dissessions in several years – so cryptic lines, even their fans could not agree who they were talking about.
Their beef started to boil in October 2023, when J. Cole referred to himself, Drake and Lamar as the “three big” of rap. Lamar in disagreement-there is only the “Big Me”, he said in the Boomin Future / Metro song “Like That”, published last March.
Drake began to catch wandering insults from artists like Future and The Weeknd, from Toronto, but the Lamar struck. Thus, in April, Drake dropped “Push Ups”, making fun of Lamar’s features on the songs of Maroon 5 and Taylor Swift.
Lamar replied with “Euphoria”, a vicious piece that caused the perceived insecurity of the Canadian rapper, including many references to his race.
Each new song degenerated the tension, which finally became so thick that the rappers only took hours to respond with a new attack. The verbal fight ended up, however, when Lamar dropped “not like us”. In this document, Lamar accuses Drake of being attracted to minor girls.
“You know the quote from Michelle Obama,” When they go low, we’re going high “?” Said Paige. “They went to the basement. The degree of dirt and allegations made … it’s difficult. »»
Although Drake released another song after “Not like Us”, war has already been won. It didn’t take long for graphics and banners to catch up.
“Not like us” has become essential in what looked like a question of hours. It has been seen almost 200 million times on YouTube and took off on Tiktok and traditional radio. Less than two weeks after its release, “Not Like Us” won first place in the Billboard Hot 100.
Lamar had everyone from college students on dancefloor in a mitzvah bar at Former vice-president Kamala Harris to the Bet Awards citing his single.
“”I see dead», Murmurs Lamar at the opening of the track. Aside from the diabolical joy with which he delivers his blows, it is not your typical missive of a hateful, said Paige. It looks like a festival of the first drop of rhythm.
“It is a super catchy melody that you do not expect to be a dissociate track,” he said. “It doesn’t seem as aggressive.”
It is also intensely catchy and targeted (although most of his blows cannot be repeated here), said Craig Arthur, associate professor of practice at Virginia Tech and DJ who also co-founded the Hip-Hop Study Program of University.
Even his slight chorus, in which Lamar sings the words “they do not love us” several times on a smooth rhythm of mustard took the producer Only 30 minutes to cook, it’s an ear worm. (See: The starred crowd with Grammys Sing in unison when the song played while Lamar harvested one of its prices.)
As a rule, the subject of a song like “Not Like Us” is sufficiently controversial for an industry organization and the registration academy to avoid rewarding it. But the impact of the song was so immediate and undeniable, on the basis of its more than a billion flows and its placement of coherent graphic, that even grammys, music points of sale and celebrities that have Already friendly with Drake celebrated him.
Lamar also won enormous respect for the two rap fans And The artistic establishment, which could explain why the song was so largely adopted, said the two teachers. Systematically called the Best live rapper (A title What many of his peers have claim), he is won 22 Grammys – Make him one of the most aware of the history of the awards ceremony. And in 2018, he became the First rapper to win the Pulitzer Prize For music for his album “Damn”.
“(‘Not like us’) came from a very decorated ceremonial master that even people far from the outside of hip-hop admire,” said Arthur. “Kendrick can do artistically things that many rappers and traditional commercial invoices can never do.”
When it does not take Drake, “not like us” is a tribute to hip-hop of the west coast. It is also a rejection of “culture vultures” which appropriate the culture of a hip-hop community without belonging to it, said Paige. It is video clip Honored Lamar’s Compton Roots –– behind the scenes images shows that he was received as a hero of the hometown.
Lamar’s dispensation against Drake worked because he targeted Drake’s perceived inauthenticity, said the two teachers, and a lack of link with a local rap scene such as the Lamar community in Compton or Atlanta, D ‘where many previous Drake collaborators come.
Although Drake’s hip-hop poppier hip-hop may have alienated him with some of his peers, he also cemented it as one of the most famous rappers on the earth. Lamar targeting is also intentional, said Paige.
“I think that (Lamar) took Drake for a very particular reason, in terms of this base of fans and this awareness of the fans base (Lamar) and show this true art, in its opinion, and authenticity wins On all the circus tips, ”says Paige.
Lamar is an inspired choice for the Half-time show of the Super Bowlsaid the two teachers. Lamar’s subject extends over his experiences by growing up in public housing to institutionalize anti-black racism and police brutality.
“It’s really interesting to think of a song like” Alright “, which is considered a protest song, then going to the Super Bowl,” said Paige. What do failures move there?
Lamar teased the first beats of “Not Like Us” a few times before finally starting the song late in his set at halftime. Before playing it, he described it as a “favorite song” of the crowd.
“Are you really going to do it?” Asked his rescue dancers at some point.
Lamar included one of the most cited lyrics in the song in his performance: “Tryna Strike a Chord, but it’s probably A minor,“He struck.
There had been questions about the question of whether Lamar would include the song in his performance. Lamar and Drake both belong to labels under Universal Music Group, Inc. Drake filed a complaint against the company, accusing the defamation label in the publishing and promotion of “not like us”. Lamar is not appointed as a defendant in the costume.
The inclusion of “Not like” is not the only reason why Lamar’s performance was for his fans. “Human and surviving difficult moments” are central themes of Lamar’s work, said Paige, between his rapper Braggadocio.
“There are many people at the moment who are struggling with our political changes-trying to understand where we are going to go, how we are going to take care of ourselves and ourselves,” he said. “I am interested in seeing how Kendrick takes up this challenge to motivate and excite people not only for the second half of football, but for many years to come.”