“The Role of Authenticity in Kendrick Lamar’s Music and Public Persona: A Deep Dive into ‘Not Like Us'”?

Kendrick Lamar breaks down Drake diss track ‘Not Like Us,’ says he’s not ‘an angry person’ In a new interview with fellow musical icon SZA for Harper’s Bazaar, Lamar breaks down the meaning behind his T.K.O. diss track “Not Like Us,” and dismisses the idea that he’s an angry person. “I don’t believe I’m an angry person,” Lamar tells SZA. “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. Just allowing them to exist and allowing them to flow through me. That’s what I believe.”

With all his achievements, not to mention a headlining gig at next year’s Super Bowl, what’s K.Dot got to be mad about. Of course, anger and passion are two different things. SZA also asked the “Humble” rapper a “hypermasculine” question, that is, the meaning of “Not Like Us” to him.

“Not like us is the energy of who I am, the type of man I represent,” Lamar tells SZA, who asked him to describe that man for her. “This man has morals, he has values, he believes in something, he stands on something. He’s not pandering,” Lamar continues. “He’s a man who can recognize 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.”

He adds, “If I’m thinking of ‘Not Like Us,’ I’m thinking of me and whoever identifies with that.”

“Not Like Us” was the coup de grace in the epic rap battle between Lamar and Drake this year, which saw both rappers reach new lows and occasional highs (unless you ask J. Cole and Questlove). The track also became Lamar’s fourth No. 1 single, and first as a solo artist, and also broke numerous streaming records.