Kendrick Lamar made waves when he performed at the Super Bowl, the climax of a beef between him and the rapper Drake that started in the spring of 2024. One of the songs he performed was “Not Like Us”, arguably the most well-known song of last year and the diss track that solidified Lamar’s victory in the battle.

Though Lamar did not attacked Drake’s biracial heritage directly, many of the reviews of the work have drawn a strong connection to race and suggested that Drake’s career is built on cultural appropriation.

Carlyn and Elaine use the song as a starting point for their own discussion of biracial identity.

Further Reading:

* Music Video: Kendrick Lamar - Not Like Us

* Superbowl Performance: Kendrick Lamar’s Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show

* Kendrick Lamar "Not Like Us" Lyrical Breakdown (notnewhiphop)

* A complete break down of Kendrick Lamar's fifth diss track 'Not Like Us' (SportsSkeeda)

* Who’s Afraid of Being Black? Not Kamala, Beyoncé or Kendrick. (The New York Times)

* The Number One Song in the Country Is a Diss Track. Is That a Good Thing?(Rolling Stone)

* COMMENTARY: Kendrick Lamar’s ‘Not Like Us’ reminds us that culture vultures like Akademiks and DJ Vlad built their platforms by exploiting Black trauma (The TRiiBE)

* Kendrick Lamar’s Wife’s Ethnicity Is a Hot Topic Amid His Feud With Drake (Blavity)

Theme Music: “Banjo Beat” - Will Records

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