Kendrick Lamar isn’t done with Drake yet
By Lisa Respers France, CNN
(CNN) — Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us,” a diss track of fellow rapper Drake, has already been declared the “song of the summer” by some listeners who have been playing it on repeat.
Lamar, apparently, really likes it too.
The rap superstar performed the track not one, not two, not, three, not four but five times at his “The Pop Out: Ken & Friends” show, a Juneteenth concert on Wednesday that was livestreamed on Twitch by Amazon Music. The song was released as part of a recent rap battle between Lamar and Drake that saw the two hip-hop artists releasing diss tracks at a frantic pace in April.
Lamar also opened his set with “Euphoria,” a six-minute-plus song about the Canadian rapper.
He was joined on stage by multiple West Coast stars, including legendary rapper/producer Dr. Dre and Los Angeles Clippers player Russell Westbrook. Lamar held the show at Los Angeles’ Kia Forum.
The Pulitzer Prize winning rapper is a native of Los Angeles and at one point in his performance asked the audience, “Y’all ain’t gonna let nobody disrespect the West Coast, huh?” His beef with Drake has been referenced by many as reminiscent of the historic East Coast versus West Coast battle from the 1990s that stemmed from tensions between the late rapper Tupac Shakur (representing the West Coast) and The Notorious B.I.G, a.k.a. Biggie Smalls (representing the East Coast).
His multiple performances of “Not Like Us” had the internet divided as to whether Lamar was paying homage to his fans who have been repeatedly streaming the song or if it was proof that Drake “lives in his head.”
“Not Like Us” debuted at number one on the Hot 100 when it released in May, according to Billboard.
CNN has reached out to representatives for Drake for comment.
As of Thursday morning, Drake had not yet responded on social media or with new music.
The-CNN-Wire
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