Not like us

I haven’t really noticed if I’m honest…

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Is it too late to be talking about Kendrick Lamar’s half-time Super Bowl show? It was only in Feb, surely some grace still exists… You don’t watch the Super Bowl because you live anywhere else but the U.S? Same. But you know of the event. Same.

Instagram couldn’t help itself. TikTok was obsessed. YouTube was leaning into the algorithm. Kendrick - a happier man for all the royalties I’m sure he was earning off the new social media trend. “Not Like Us” rung through the ears and most likely, played on repeat in the minds, of anyone who even vaguely indulged social media for weeks after his famous half-time show.

For what it’s worth, it was one hellll of a performance! I won’t pretend to know or dare comment on the in’s-and-out’s of who has beef with who in the hip-hop world. But, you don’t need to be in the know to enjoy Kendrick’s witty and nuanced lyrics, appreciate the choreography and dress of his backup dancers, and even gangster walk to the tempo of this song with a set of headphones plugged in.

What’s (not) surprising

is what you might pick up each and every time you listen to this song. I do enjoy about 2.5 of his songs on my “Main Character” playlist, but I’m no active follower. It’s kind of like re-watching White Lotus. Every re-watch will uncover more “AHHHH!” moments than the last.

The border of the puzzle have already been formed, and connecting those pieces to make the picture becomes quicker. And, seemingly, more obvious. Cue the “How did I miss that?!” … right?

If you’re curious (nosey) like me. Where immediately after finishing something you’ve just binged, you need to know more, a simple Google search of “What is Kendrick Lamar’s song, ‘Not Like Us’ about?” may scratch that itch for you.

Wikipedia will tell you that “Not Like Us" is a diss track written and recorded by the American rapper Kendrick Lamar amidst his highly publicized feud with the Canadian rapper Drake”.

Yes. Even this 22-time, 57-nominated, Grammy Award winner, has drama. He just makes money from it while majority of us spend money on trying to get rid of it [therapy, drinks, you name it].

What’s surprising when you listen to these lyrics is A) how incredibly talented of a rapper Kendrick is, and B) how nuanced this song is. New-age poetry really.

You can’t (un)see it

The more you listen, the more the lyrics make sense in context of what Wikipedia explains.

The funny thing is. The devil is in the detail.

Not just in his lyrics, obviously. But, in how you search for “What is Kendrick Lamar’s song, ‘Not Like Us’ about?”.

Rephrasing this question to say “What is the story behind ‘Not Like Us’?” will give you a totally different response.

Answer - “Lamar, in his first public comments after the song's release, said in a conversation with SZA for Harper's Bazaar that “Not Like Us” was about “the type of man I represent,” one who “has morals, he has values, he believes in something, he stands on something.”

Mic-drop.

According to this 5minutes worth of front page investigative journalling, the song has actually nothing to do with Drake, and everything to do with Kendrick. Which changes the context as to how you perceive the song and who’s side of the drama you support totally.

Well… maybe.

The point is. Once you see it, you cannot un-see it.

They’re Not Like Us

Each of us go through our own little important lives doing the best we can. Perhaps I’m a romantic, but I really believe this.

Even with the outliers in society, the mean says that all of us want to live healthier, make more money, do less work, be more creative, have more sex, travel more. Tell me that’s not true for you…?

So in this way, we’re all the same. In fact, they’re exactly like us.

I’ve always said that if you’re able to put your finger on what is making you feel overwhelmed, irritated, anxious, or excited and energised, [read as: trigger], you already obtain a superpower that many who walk through this world on autopilot miss.

You’re able to identify and attach language to what emotion you’re feeling (p.s. a great app to help with this is called “How We Feel”). And, with this information, you’re able to then react.

You can’t un-see it.

PSA: This skill is not biased towards the yogi’s and meditators of the world either mind you.

Honing the skill to sharpen your ability to pause. Even for half a second. Recognise AND attach language to what you’re feeling. BEFORE reacting to a situation in or out of your control. This may very well change your life forever.

It’s not dramatic

In fact, it’s a fundamental truth. Just like we all want more …insert blank…

What Kendrick’s song has the ability to teach us is plentiful. One of them might just be that things are not always as they seem.

And, while the inner circles might have more information as to what kind of beef actually exists between the two rappers, and while social media does what it does best and hypes a new trend. Should you pause for a moment and ask the same question, simply in another way, you might arrive at a very different result than what you initially thought.

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