Kendrick Lamar shares true meaning behind Drake diss track 'Not Like Us'

Kendrick Lamar’s Not Like Us will go down as the coup de grâce of his feud with Drake. But for K.Dot, it was more than just a scathing diss track.

In a new interview with fellow artist SZA for Harper's Bazaar, the Grammy-winning rapper explained the meaning behind the track for the first time, making it clear that despite the aggressive tone, he's not an angry person.

"I don’t believe I’m an angry person," Kendrick, 37, shared. "But I do believe in love and war, and I believe they both need to exist. And my awareness of that allows me to react to things but not identify with them as who I am."

His words highlight that while the intensity in his music may seem fueled by anger, it's more about channelling emotion than embodying it.

When asked by SZA what Not Like Us represents, Kendrick explained, "It’s the energy of who I am, the type of man I represent.. This man has morals, he has values, he believes in something, he stands on something.”

He continued, “He’s a man who can recognise his mistakes and not be afraid to share the mistakes and can dig deep down into fear-based ideologies or experiences to be able to express them without feeling like he’s less of a man.”

Not Like Us not only added another No. 1 single to Kendrick’s list of achievements, but effectively put an end to his decade-long feud with Drizzy, which peaked in an epic rap battle between March and April 2024.