Wop wop wop wop wop.
Drake better gear up. “Not Like Us” already topped the Billboard Hot 100. It already went viral and spawned a dozen viral videos. It also served as the theme song for Kendrick Lamar’s iconic “Pop Out” show on Juneteenth. Now, the music video is incoming. Lamar has yet to give fans a proper release date, but he has dropped off some teaser images. They are, unsurprisingly, perfect. They set just the right tone for the song, while at the same time mocking Drake in new and unexpected ways.
The most focused bit of mockery comes in the form of an OVO piñata. One of the four teaser photos that dropped sees Kendrick Lamar bashing a piñata shaped like Drake’s signature owl logo. There’s not a lot of subtly in the photo, but it’s definitely effective. In case the point of the photo was lost, it comes with a disclaimer at the bottom. The disclaimer reads, quite dryly: “No OVOH*es were harmed in the making of this video.” It’s not hard to imagine all of the memes and gifs that are going to be made from the “Not Like Us” video once it drops.
Kendrick Lamar Reunites Black Hippy
In The Music Video
First look at Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” music video 🚨
“No Ovhoes were harmed during the making of this video.” pic.twitter.com/WOZoqpmgQx
— HotNewHipHop (@HotNewHipHop) July 4, 2024
The other photos also provide intriguing insight into the music video. Kendrick Lamar’s fiancee, Whitney Alford, appears alongside the rapper and their children. Lamar also calls on the entire TDE roster to show support. Jay Rock, ScHoolboy Q, Ab-Soul are flanking their Black Hippy brethren. There are also cameos by Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith and Punch, proving that their relationship with Lamar is still strong. Other images are a bit more abstract, and will likely make more sense in the context of the music video. This is especially notable in the photo of Lamar sitting in a white room, surrounded by people with face paint on.
The body blows just keep coming for Drake. Not only has the Toronto rapper has to sit by and watch Dot take a victory lap, but his recent releases have faltered commercially. Much was made of Drake’s collabs with Camila Cabello, but they debuted to meager numbers on the Billboard charts. “Hot Uptown,” the big single from Cabello’s new album, debuted at number 92 on the Billboard Hot 100. For an artist like Drake, who holds multiple chart records, this is bad. “Not Like Us,” meanwhile, is still holding down the number three spot.
