Kendrick Lamar went for the kill on “Meet the Grahams,” and he did a lot of damage. He alleged Drake to be a Harvey Weinstein-level sexual predator and said Drake deserved to die. This time he’s back with “Not Like Us,” which pushes those allegations further with a different tone.
The Tone of “Not Like Us”
“Meet the Grahams” had a sinister tone. It was chilling to listen to how devastating of a blow it was. It dissected every ounce of Drake’s being from the inside out. Kendrick used the idea of Drake’s dysfunctional upbringing to paint a picture of why Drake may be the way he is and how much of an abhorrent human being he is.
You could hear the disdain Kendrick Lamar has for Drake on that track. Kendrick’s best quality as a rapper has always been the emotion and enunciation in his voice, and it showed in “Meet the Grahams.”. It truly felt like Kendrick couldn’t stand Drake, the human being, and wanted to kill him.
Everyone expected a Drake response back, especially considering Kendrick has released three diss tracks in three days and had the final word. Yet Kendrick is the one who makes another diss track. The internet was saying Kendrick won the war or was winning, but he doesn’t seem to care. He wants to make sure he goes for the kill. He wasn’t lying when he said he wanted Drake to die.
Kendrick doubles down, but this time with more of a comedic angle. The cover picture used is Drake’s house from a bird’s-eye view, but edited on are red dots with faces. These are for registered sex offenders on the Citizen app. Kendrick uses this to say that the Drake house are filled with predators.
This song features a jumpier beat using trumpets. The voice and tone are completely different, it feels like Kendrick knows he’s won and is trying to flex on Drake. You can tell there’s a comedic intent in here with the way he says them and how they’re written. Kendrick did have some levity in “Euphoria,” but was completely absent at all at “Meet the Grahams.”.
This one is certainly more comedic than either of the two, even if the subject matter is gross, to say the least. That does speak to Kendrick’s artistry to be able to balance it so well into a compelling diss track.
Kendrick Lamar’s Main Disses
Baka’s got a weird case
Why is he around
Certified Lover Boy
Certified pedophiles
Kendrick Lamar questions why Drake is keeping around Baka Not Nice, a Canadian rapper who has been accused of being a human trafficker. Kendrick uses Drake’s 2021 album “Certified Lover Boy” and flips it to call him and his crew certified pedophiles.
Trying to strike a cord
It’s probably A-Minor
A cord, as in from a guitar and also a cord, as in Drake is trying to rile Kendrick up by trying to reveal information. Kendrick flips that into A-minor, like from a guitar pushing the allegations on Drake in a more comedic tone.
The predator move in flocks
The name gotta be put registered and put on neighborhood watch
Kendrick blatantly calls Drake a predator again and says he deserves to be on a registered sex offender list. In the song, he repeats how OVO and Drake are criminals who are getting away.
Say Drake I heard you like em’ young
You better have a golden cell block #1
And to any bitch that talk to em and they in love
make sure you hide your little sister from em
Kendrick Lamar straight up says Drake “likes em young”. He says there’s a jail cell waiting for him when he gets caught. He then tells anyone who loves Drake or his music to keep their young sisters away from him.
Freaky ass n****
He a 69 god
Run for your life
Kendrick makes this the refrain of the track, repeating it a lot. Drake is known as the 6 god, Kendrick calls him the 69 god because of how much of a freak he is. He tells the people around to run away from him.
“They Not Like Us” Meaning
When Kendrick says “They Not Like Us,” he’s saying that these guys at OVO aren’t normal. They’re freaky human beings with criminal charges or are like Drake with allegations of being a predator and that the people around him should be wary of what they’re doing.
They aren’t like Kendrick or his crew. They’re vile human beings that deserve what they’re going to get when the “embassy is raided,” as he claimed on “Meet the Grahams”.
The whole track is a comedic, fun way of accusing Drake and his crew, OVO, of being sexual predators who are also pedophiles. There’s no real way around it for Drake. Kendrick doesn’t jump around the fence, he hops it entirely.
This is a damning diss track. What can Drake even do? Surely he has to respond because this is incredibly disrespectful, which is the point. Kendrick is making sure there’s not a single breath left from Kendrick after this.
If you want to know more about this beef, check out Part 1: The Backstory, Part 2: Drake’s Push Ups, Part 3: Drake’s Tupac and Snoop AI diss track, Part 4: A breakdown of Euphoria, Part 5: Breakdown of 6:16 in Los Angeles, and Part 6: Drake and Kendrick Drop Their Diss Track Nukes.
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