Kendrick Lamar dethrones Tupac Shakur from the list of hip-hop icons with “Not Like Us”

Kendrick Lamar is often compared to the legendary Tupac Shakur for his unique tribute to the late hip-hop icon. The Pulitzer Prize-winning rapper took up the baton of West Coast rap from Mr. Shakur and has been carrying on his legacy ever since. In fact, Tupac Shakur also became a central part of the weeks-long heated diss war between Lamar and Drake. Speaking of which, the most popular diss track to come out of that war, “Not Like Us,” recently hit a major milestone.

This milestone also allowed Lamar to officially dethrone his idol – all just three months after the release.

Kendrick Lamar outshines his inspiration with Not Like Us

Featuring sharp lyrics and catchy beats by DJ Mustard, “Not Like Us” immediately topped the streaming song charts upon its release. It was also the fastest rap song to reach 500 million streams on Spotify. With “God’s Plan” from 2018, he broke Drake’s previous record. However, none of this can be considered as great as Kendrick Lamar’s recent performance. “Not Like Us” is now officially the most streamed diss track of all time, having overtaken Tupac Shakur’s “Hit Em Up” in just three months.

“Not Like Us” was the ultimate knockout punch in Lamar’s war with Canadian rapper Drake. The song contained some of the most pointed accusations ever, even going so far as to paint Drake as a predator. It was “Not Like Us” that caused fans to rally behind Lamar and declare him the winner of the showdown. However, part of the credit for that victory also goes to Tupac Shakur’s estate.

Tupac Shakur’s estate posed a major obstacle for Drake after the Canadian allegedly violated the late artist’s rights.

The role of Tupac Shakur’s estate in the dispute between Kendrick Lamar and Drake

After Kendrick Lamar, Future and Metro Boomin released their collaborative song “Like That,” Drake responded by releasing his second single of the week on social media, titled “Taylor-Made Freestyle.” However, shortly after, the rapper received a cease-and-desist letter for using AI-generated vocals from Shakur in the song. The estate, which had repeatedly praised Lamar for his respect for Shakur, threatened Drake with legal action.

This was the first time an artist as big as Drake used AI to mimic other artists’ voices, although nothing as iconic as Ye, aka Kanye West, who allegedly used AI to imitate his own voiceHowever, these legal threats from Shakur’s estate led to Drake deleting his diss track, which slowed the “One Dance” rapper’s success in this war.

What do you think about Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” success? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!