Kendrick Lamar’s breakthrough single “Not Like Us” has overtaken 2Pac’s “Hit ‘Em Up” as the most streamed diss track in Spotify history.
News of Lamar’s latest accolade was first reported last weekend, when “Not Like Us” officially passed “Hit ‘Em Up” on the streaming platform, further cementing its status as one of the best diss tracks of all time.
Released in May amid Kendrick’s heated back-and-forth with Drake, “Not Like Us” shot to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and quickly became the top-selling rap song of 2024. In the Mustard-produced track, the Compton native verbally attacks Drake’s credibility and accuses him of being a sex offender.
Rapper, songwriter and icon Drake attends a game between the Houston Rockets and the Cleveland Cavaliers at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas on March 16, 2024. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that by downloading and/or using this photograph, he/she agrees to the terms of the Getty Images License Agreement.
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Ironically, the song also contains references to Drake’s apparent “disrespect” towards 2Pac, whose crown ring the rapper bought at auction in 2023.
With 1996’s “Hit ‘Em Up,” Pac took aim at The Notorious BIG and Bad Boy Records, Mobb Deep and others at the height of the East Coast-West Coast rap war. The record was widely hailed as the best and most incendiary diss track of all time, and is still played on the radio nearly three decades after its release.
“Not Like Us” has received overwhelming fanfare and acclaim since its release, breaking multiple streaming and chart records, leading to Lamar being deemed the winner of his lyrical dispute with Drake. The song broke the record for most Spotify streams in a single day, surpassing the previous record held by Drake’s 2021 single “Girls Want Girls” featuring Lil Baby.
“Not Like Us” could also potentially be considered for a Grammy nomination, news that Grammy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. confirmed in June.
