The much awaited music video for “Not Like Us” by Kendrick Lamar is approaching 20 million views on YouTube in a single day. However, fans may be surprised to see that figure is much lower than anticipated.
The much awaited music video for Kendrick Lamar’s Drake diss track, “Not Like Us,” which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, was released yesterday, July 4. The song video, which Lamar and Dave Free co-directed, stars Tommy the Clown, DeMar DeRozan, DJ Mustard, Lamar’s girlfriend Whitney Alford, and their two kids.
Within an hour of its release, the film had 1.5 million views on YouTube; in its first 24 hours, it had now approached 20 million views. Online, supporters have been jubilant with its numbers, praising Lamar for having “cooked” the Toronto rapper and mocking Drake in a plethora of tweets and posts.
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Drake supporters, on the other hand, are saying that a large number of those figures are fraudulent, stating that bots assisted in pushing “Not Like Us” beyond the 1.5 million barrier in the first hour. Although it’s hard to totally rule out bot involvement, comparing Lamar’s stats to the record holders for the most views in a single day makes that accusation look completely absurd.
In 2024, the music video for the hit song “Butter” by South Korean pop sensation BTS continues to hold the record for the most views on YouTube in a single day. “Butter,” which debuted in 2021, received an incredible 108.2 million views in its first day of release. This accomplishment beat their previous best for “Dynamite,” which received 101.1 million views in its first day of release.
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The majority of videos that receive the most views during the first 24 hours are actually K-pop classics, such as songs by girl group Blackpink and more BTS. However, even Taylor Swift’s 2019 collaboration with Brendon Urie, “ME!”, the video with the highest single-day hits, received 65.2 million views in its first day of release. With 55.4 million first-day views, Ariana Grande’s “Thank U, Next” set the previous record on Vevo, which was surpassed by that song.
Swift’s previous single, “Bad Blood,” which prominently includes Kendrick Lamar, received 20.1 million views in its first day of release. In contrast, Ken’s hit count for “Not Like Us,” which is presently over 17 million hits 20 hours after its release, seems a little low.
It appears that “Not Like Us” should have gotten a higher showing, especially in light of the excitement around the release of a music video for the popular diss track — especially if detractors wish to claim substantial bot involvement. As the video approaches its first 24-hour mark, the actual stats, while striking on their own, appear a little mediocre in comparison to its peers.
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