Kendrick Lamar releases 'Not Like Us' — the climactic moment of the Drake vs Kendrick beef
Over a fortnight beginning in late April 2024, Kendrick and Drake exchange escalating diss tracks. The sequence — Kendrick's verse on Future and Metro Boomin's 'Like That' (March 22) → Drake's 'Push Ups' (April 19) → Drake's 'Taylor Made Freestyle' (April 19, AI-voice controversy) → Kendrick's 'Euphoria' (April 30) → Kendrick's '6:16 in LA' (May 3) → Drake's 'Family Matters' (May 3) → Kendrick's 'Meet the Grahams' (May 3, hours after 'Family Matters') → Kendrick's 'Not Like Us' (May 4, 7pm CST) → Drake's 'The Heart Part 6' (May 5) — produces one of the most extensively documented diss-track exchanges in pop history. 'Not Like Us' debuts at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 the week of May 18.
Why it matters
By any measurable axis — chart impact, cultural penetration, critical consensus — Kendrick wins decisively. 'Not Like Us' goes platinum within weeks and becomes the most-streamed hip-hop song of 2024. Drake's reputational damage is the more consequential outcome: the diss's accusations reshape the public perception of him for the rest of the year. Within nine months Kendrick is the Super Bowl LIX halftime headliner, performing 'Not Like Us' to 133 million viewers — the most-watched halftime in NFL history.
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