Kendrick's 'Not Like Us' hits two years
- Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” reached its two-year mark this week, two years after its May 4, 2024 release detonated the Drake feud. - The song didn’t just win the battle — it debuted at No. 1, later returned there after the video and Super Bowl, and swept 2025 Grammys. - Two years on, it still reads less like a momentary diss and more like a culture-resetting rap event.
“Not Like Us” turned two this week, and that matters because the song stopped being just a diss track almost as soon as it landed. Kendrick Lamar dropped it on May 4, 2024, in the hottest stretch of his fight with Drake. But the bigger story is what happened next. The record escaped the feud, became a chart monster, then won the kind of awards rap songs usually don’t win. (youtube.com) ### Why are people still talking about it? Because anniversary talk only sticks when the thing still feels alive. “Not Like Us” keeps resurfacing in public moments — on charts, at awards shows, and in live performance — so the two-year mark feels like a checkpoint, not nostalgia bait. That’s the difference between a viral diss and a(youtube.com)hile. (grammy.com) ### What happened when it first dropped? The timing was part of the shock. Kendrick released “Not Like Us” less than a day after “meet the grahams,” which made the whole run feel relentless. And the production mattered too — Mustard gave it a West Coast bounce that made an attack record s(grammy.com)e audience immediately. (youtube.com) ### Why did this one hit harder? Because it simplified the feud into one chantable idea. A lot of battle records are dense and admired from a distance. “Not Like Us” was different — catchy enough for casual listeners, pointed enough for rap obsessives, and local enough to feel like a Los Angeles statement. Basically, it worked as a takedown and as a hit at the same time. (youtube.com) ### How big did it get? Huge. The song debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in May 2024. Then it climbed back to No. 1 after the July 4 video drop, which is rare on its own. Then it returned to No. 1 again after Kendrick performed it during the Super Bowl LIX halftime show in February 2025. That kind of repeat lift tells you th(youtube.com)hot once. (billboard.com) ### Why were the Grammys such a big deal? Because the Grammys treated it like more than rap gossip. “Not Like Us” won Song of the Year and Record of the Year at the 2025 ceremony, plus Best Rap Performance, Best Rap Song, and Best Music Video. That is a full crossover coronation. It meant t(billboard.com)ajor record, period. (grammy.com) ### Did the Super Bowl change the story? Yes — it froze the song into mainstream pop history. A rap diss record making it onto the biggest stage in American entertainment is one thing. Making it powerful enough to send the song back to No. 1 is another. At that point, “Not Like Us” wasn’t only attached to a feud anymore. It had become one of the defining Kendrick songs, full stop. (nfl.com) ### So what does the two-year mark actually mean? It means the record passed the hardest test for any cultural flashpoint — staying legible after the drama cooled off. Two years later, people don’t need the full Kendrick-Drake timeline to understand why it mattered. The song still stands on its (nfl.com)ied blockbuster. (grammy.com) ### Bottom line “Not Like Us” lasted because it did three jobs at once — battle record, club record, and victory lap. Most songs can’t even do one that well. (grammy.com)
