Kendrick Lamar has made haters in every corner of the internet realize they’re not hating to their full potential. You thought the “Pop Out: Ken & Friends” show was Drake’s funeral? That was the wake because the “Not Like Us” video dropped, and just when you thought Kendrick couldn’t possibly bury Drake further—he does.
X user @but_im_kim_tran said it best, “Never teaching my kids to ‘rise above.’ Going to teach them to be like Kendrick Lamar. If you’re going to hate, you must commit. Employ visuals. Enlist your neighborhood. Call the NBA. Don’t sleep until everyone is dancing and laughing with you.”
Following up his “The Pop Out” performance on Juneteenth (celebrating the day slaves were freed), Kendrick dropped “Not Like Us” on July 4th, calling Drake a colonizer on Independence Day.
That symbolism is the tip of the iceberg when it comes to all the diabolical ways Kendrick used the video to taunt and mock Drake.
The thing about Kendrick’s genius is that he leaves nothing for random but everything for interpretation. We know he’s calculated, mischievously planting easter eggs, but he leaves the fun of decoding their meaning and intent up to the audience.
We’re breaking down the seven most menacing Drake references in the “Not Like Us” music video and their potential meaning below.
Using Drake’s Visual Against Him
The “Not Like Us” typography that appears as the title of the song is similar to the font Drake used on his Honestly, Nevermind cover. In the next scene, Kendrick is in a dark room standing in front of a van with high beams glaring.
It’s a similar shot to the scene in Drake’s “Family Matters” video when he attempts to destroy the good kid, m.A.A.d city van. A figure wearing a shiesty walks up behind Kendrick and tries to grab him but is pulled back as Kendrick says the lyrics “certified boogeyman.” The shiesty figure resembles Drake on his Dark Lane Demo Tapes album cover.
The lighting in Kendrick’s “Not Like Us” video.
The lighting in Drake’s “Family Matters” video.
“Drop and Give Me 50”
Drake’s first diss track, “Push-Ups,” asked Kendrick to drop and give him 50. It was a double entendre to the allegation that Kendrick had to give a 50/50 split to his former label, TDE, when he left. Kendrick drops and gives Drake 17 push-ups in a room that resembles “cell block one.”
Fans on social media have joked that Kendrick only did 17 because Drake doesn’t like anything over 18 (playing into the minor allegations), but 17 could also represent the number of Grammys Kendrick has (remember Drake’s line “Kendrick just opened his mouth, someone go give him a Grammy right now”?). Either way, the push-ups are mocking Drake.
Later in the video, Kendrick appears alongside TDE founder Anthony “Top Dawg,” alongside the original TDE members, including Black Hippy (Ab-Soul, Jay Rock, and ScHoolboy Q), dispelling Drake’s claims that they have bad blood.
“Hide Yo Little Sister From Him”
In the same prison cell scene, Kendrick subtly mimics a TikTok dance Drake did with a young girl who seems to be a fan’s little sister. Naturally, the hand signals happen as he says the line, “To any bitch that talk to him and they in love, just make sure you hide your little sister from him.” Like many references in the video, It’s so subtle yet specific, making it hard to deny but not obvious enough to prove Kendrick’s intent.
The Owl Pinata
The most obvious OVO reference is the owl-shaped pinata that Dot fucks up synced perfectly to the artistic camera angle switches of “wop, wop, wop, wop, wop.” Pinatas are also a common activity at kids’ birthday parties, and the owl, as a bird, is a predator. More on the symbolism of the owl later.
Playgroung Hopscotch
Kendrick employs a double-entendre visual in the hopscotch scene. Another common children’s activity, playing hopscotch during the a-minoooor bar is maniacal and hilarious, but it doesn’t stop there.
Kendrick’s fit pays homage to the infamous “whack” meme of skateboarder Jamal Smith. “His hair, whack, his gear, whack, his jewelry, whack, his foot stance, whack…” says Smith in the viral video, which was originally made by Thrasher magazine to promote a skateboarding competition.
The symbolism might tie back to Kendrick’s diss track “euphoria” during which he rattles off things he hates about Drake in a similar fashion to Smith or simply signify that he thinks Drake is whack.
The Family Matters
The final nail in Drake’s “Family Matters” coffin is the scene of Kendrick and his family. In the first shot, Kendrick stands behind his son, Enoch, highlighting their resemblance while the lyrics, “The family matter and the truth of the matter it was God’s plan to show y’all the liar,” play. Drake alleged that Dave Free is the real father of Enoch, and Kendrick has a strained relationship with Whitney on “Family Matters.”
Couple with “Directed by Dave Free and Kendrick Lamar” in large font at the end of the video, Drake’s adultery claims have lost all credibility. Whitney is gleefully dancing (on Drake’s grave) in a wife-beater tank top, potentially combatting Drake’s other allegations that Kendrick once laid hands on his partner.
X user @ClauGasol also pointed out that the fish-eye camera lens used for this scene makes the POV feel like a stalker is looking into the living room of a happy family. Drake used a fish-eye camera lens in the “Family Matters” video to show the good kid, m.A.A.d city van, under surveillance.
The Caged Owl
The owl returns at the end of the video in a cage, potentially representing how Kendrick silenced Drake or predators should be behind bars. Drake fans will say the following interpretation is a reach, but again, Kendrick does everything with intent.
The first shot is from the perspective of the owl and you can’t see the bars on the cage. The perspective shifts to Kendrick’s POV, and the owl is caged, staring back at him. Kendrick banked five diss tracks to use against Drake and rolled four of them out within a week. The perspective may symbolize that Drake never stood a chance, and Kendrick knew this.
