Kendrick Lamar has explained his notion of “not like us,” the dismissive chorus from his popular Drake diss track that has dominated much of 2024.
In his first interview since overcoming Drizzy in their long-running battle that exploded this summer, Kendrick chatted with buddy and former TDE labelmate SZA for Harper’s Bazaar magazine, whose November edition he covers.
Although the talk was more about spirituality and vulnerability than rap warfare, the SOS singer did ask the Compton native what “Not Like Us” meant to him.
“[Laughs] Not like us? Not like us is the essence of who I am and the sort of guy I represent. Kendrick said, “Now, if you identify with the man I represent.”
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“This guy has morals and values, he believes in something, and he stands for something. He isn’t pandering. He’s a guy who can identify his faults and isn’t scared to discuss them, and he can go deep into fear-based philosophies or experiences to express them without feeling like a lesser man.”
He went further: “If I’m thinking of ‘Not Like Us,’ I’m thinking of me and whoever identifies with that.”
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SZA then questioned Kendrick how he creates such aggressive songs when he is not an angry guy.
“I don’t think I’m an angry person. But I believe in both love and war, and I think they must coexist,” he said.
“And my knowledge of this enables me to respond to situations without identifying with them as who I am. Simply letting things to exist and flow through me. That is what I believe.
In the conversation, Kendrick Lamar also discussed his connection with God and his love of jogging.
“There’s no crap. This ain’t no cliché. “But I literally talk to God,” he said. “It’s reaching the point that I’ll start to worry I’m going insane. But He has to remind me, ‘No, this is actually me.’
“My morning routine includes running. When I started running, I began to comprehend. There was a pain barrier in spirituality for me. I recall my shins throbbing and thinking, “I’ve only got one mile to go.”
“Then I get whispers and downloads and start talking about something I want to know about. And the next thing I know, I’m three or four miles in. “I wake up every day and do that shit.”
The Pulitzer Prize winner, who is presently making his first feature alongside the co-creators of South Park, has also hinted at expanding into other creative industries.
“I believe that my work in music is just the beginning. I don’t believe that is my ultimate objective. I realize it isn’t my ultimate objective. “Music is just a vessel to get me there,” he joked.
He went on to say, “I’m not sure what that looks like.” My curiosity fuels my motivation. I’ll let God mold it. I like the mystery of it. I need to have that. I have to. “The chase of it all.”
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