Kendrick really proved they ‘not like us’ through his latest music video

Writer - Therapman

As if the song in itself was not enough last week Kendrick Lamar released the much-awaited music video of his final diss track to Drake ‘Not like us’. This is a brilliant move in two ways. Firstly, it’s the perfect nail in the coffin which he created for Drake. Secondly, it’s a great strategy to capitalise on the anthem of a song that ‘Not Like Us’ has become globally. The video has garnered over 30 million views in just two days. The numbers speak about the greatness for itself. 

Throughout the video Kendrick has not only taken shots at Drake lyrically but visually also he has done a commendable job.  In this post We’ll be covering all the small as well as big details Kendrick Lamar is trying to convey through the video.

The Prelude

In the intro of the video, we see a prelude to the diss being played. It might have been part of the disses that Kendrick Lamar made for drake but didn’t release. The rhythmic knock at the metal door has been shown subtly. The real party begins when the code ‘I see dead people’ is whispered. 

Kendrick’s camera presence  

From the very start we can see how smoothly Kendrick Lamar oozes through the entire video. His body movements and camera presence are just perfect, not too much and not too less.  The way he has represented himself throughout the video is also in ways trolling Drake, specially the push ups he does (A reply to drop and give me 50?). If he wanted, he could have done some crazy stuff himself but he maintained his calm during the whole video. 

Captivating dance performance

The dancers were the second most important factor that carried the music video after Kendrick.  The energy that dancers have shown throughout the video with some electrifying moves totally did justice to the song. In a way those moves have conveyed feelings of agony, aggression and mockery. It has also represented culture and what hip hop truly stands for.

The owl factor

The usage of owl in the middle and end of the video is a great use of symbolism. We all know owl is the symbol of Drake’s brand OVO (October’s Very Own). Kendrick can be seen beating a carved-out owl model with a stick while ‘No OVHOES were harmed while making of this video’ is shown below. It gives me tickles every time I see it. In the end we see Kendrick giving a deadly stare to an owl which is kept in a cage.  This signifies two things, First Kendrick’s victory over Drake and secondly a caged bird always sings. In his other diss track ‘Euphoria’ Kendrick says he likes drake with the melodies but he doesn’t like Drake when he acts tough, this scene proves that point.

Playing Hopscotch 

If the line “trying to strike a chord and it’s probably a minorrrrr” wanted a perfect visual representation then Kendrick gave it that. Since kids are the one who play hopscotch so I think it’s clear to all of us what Kendrick is trying to say here. 

Reuniting the Hood

Kendrick Lamar really went in the hood to shoot this one. This move shows unity and how he bought everyone together. It also shows how grand not like us has become. The number of people, the energy shown by them and how happy everybody seemed is truly mesmerising. Hundreds of people singing every line of the song is every artist’s dream come true. In a way it’s a sign for Drake that what the people and culture actually feel about him. 

Family Matters 

In his diss track titled ‘Family Matters’ Drake allegedly said that there were tensions within Kendrick’s family and his wife was not happy with him. The showing of Kendrick’s wife Whitney and their kids dancing and vibing to not like us in the video is not only a reply to Drake but a punch in his face making it most interesting part one in the whole video. 

Special Appearances

There were some special appearances throughout the video. DJ Mustard the producer was in the video throughout. We saw basketball player DeMar DeRozan who used to play for Toronto Raptors (Drake’s home team). Tommy the clown one of the famous dancers of US was also there. Dave frees, Kendrick’s manager and co-director of the video alongside him was also seen in the video. 

To conclude Kendrick Lamar did full justice to the song through this video. Everyone delivered in the video. It bought everyone together and became a culturally revolutionised step for hip hop. Kendrick truly is the bogyman. With that being said this song as well as the video will definitely go as one of the greatest things to happen to hip hop in the history books.