Opinion ‘Not Like Us’ deserves a Grammy, but it shouldn’t be your first Kendrick Lamar song
With the Grammy nominations for 'Not Like Us', many might rush to listen to the song. However, it’d be a disservice to Lamar’s body of work — full of rich story-telling, wordplay, and meditations on existential themes — if one had to base it on one diss track
Not Like Us is a diss track — a song made by an artist to verbally attack another — by Lamar, targeting Drake during their feud (aka “beef” by cool people) earlier this year. (IMDb) 
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Early this year, I caught myself listlessly repeating a song lyric several times a day — “Tryna strike a chord and it’s probably A-Minor”, incomplete without extending the “ur” syllable for at least two seconds. I played it on repeat. I bopped whenever I heard it. Eventually got sick of it when it was repurposed in several Instagram reels on my feed. This catchy hook is from the 2024 hit single Not Like Us by American rapper Kendrick Lamar. The song has now earned the artist nominations in five categories for the 2025 Grammy Awards.
Not Like Us is a diss track — a song made by an artist to verbally attack another — by Lamar, targeting Drake during their feud (aka “beef” by cool people) earlier this year. In this exciting back-and-forth, both artists hurled back-to-back diss tracks at each other. What began as benign “flexing” in October 2023 quickly turned into a slugfest of personal jibes — Lamar accused Drake of paedophilia and the latter accused the former of domestic violence. Some consider Not Like Us the final mic drop, with Lamar walking away the winner.
Produced by Mustard, Not Like Us employs a West Coast hip hop-type where Lamar performs a victory lap by doubling down on his allegations against Drake over a catchy beat and comical cadence. The song’s Grammy nominations were anticipated with Grammy’s CEO Harvey Mason Jr. calling the song “a hot record” and not seeing “any reason why it couldn’t be (nominated)” in June 2024. Lamar has 16 Grammys and 50 nominations under his belt, making him a favourite in the rap category. With five nods, Not Like Us could become the first diss track to win a Grammy.
Despite being a diss track, Not Like Us is a celebration, an acknowledgement of the ones who are “keeping it real”. The track encapsulates the ethos of a generation that feels part of a bigger group that isn’t divided by boundaries because it speaks truth to many. Not Like Us has an infectious authenticity, courtesy of Lamar’s riveting lyrics and delivery and the catchy music produced by Mustard. However, if you have never heard Lamar’s works, don’t let Not Like Us be the first track you hear.
“How many accolades do I need to block denial?”. This line is from Fear, a song from Lamar’s fourth studio album DAMN, in which he explores the fear of losing everything to his success — love, creativity and identity. He talks about the trauma of growing up in a rough neighbourhood — Lamar hails from Compton, California, an area historically strife with poverty and gang violence.
For long, sex, drugs and money has been how you keep it “gangsta” in rap music. Lamar’s music shifted from that hedonism; his catalogue deals with racism, gang violence, poverty, addiction, religion, mental health struggles, adultery, the perils of fame, death, relationships, gender — the list keeps going on. There are few rappers out there who would lay bare their vulnerabilities on a record for the world to listen to. It’s no wonder that the rapper won the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Music, making him the first musician outside the classical and jazz genres to receive that honour.
With the Grammy nominations for Not Like Us, many might rush to listen to the song. A nod by the most-talked-about music excellence accolade brings an artist global recognition. The relevance of the Grammys, however, is a different topic of debate. Undeniably, the awards elevate musicians from the metaphorical haystack, help them reach a wider audience, boost their morale and of course, sales. However, it would be a disservice to Lamar’s body of work — full of rich story-telling, wordplay, and meditations on existential themes — if one had to base it on one diss track. Therefore, I implore, don’t let Not Like Us be your first Lamar song.
aditya.vaddepalli@expressindia.com
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