section_path: Composition/Lyrics
section_name: Lyrics
paragraph_text: Lyrics
  
  "Not Like Us" begins with Lamar whispering "psst, I see dead people", a reference to The Sixth Sense (1999), which he previously referenced on "Euphoria". Lamar then makes a series of allusions to his hometown of Compton, California, before accusing Drake of sexual behavior with minors. Lamar references Drake's album Certified Lover Boy (2021) when labeling him and his label OVO Sound as "certified pedophiles", specifically naming Chubbs, Drake's head of security; PartyNextDoor, the first artist signed; and Baka Not Nice, who had been in prison for human trafficking before signing.
  
  Lamar also attacks Drake's personal relationships, alleging that Drake had sex with Lil Wayne 's girlfriend, saying he "did Cole foul", and warning him to "not speak on Serena " – referencing the fact that Drake and Williams were romantically involved in 2015 and that Drake dissed her husband on Her Loss (2022).
  
  Lamar challenges Drake's cultural identity throughout the track, suggesting that his portrayal of Blackness likens him to Brad "B-Rad G" Gluckman – a rich white kid who poses as a rapper – from the film Malibu's Most Wanted (2003). In the second verse, Lamar accuses Drake of disrespecting the rapper 2Pac by artificially recreating his voice on "Taylor Made Freestyle". In the third verse, Lamar accuses Drake of exploiting Black artists from Atlanta for street credibility and financial gain in the same way that colonizers in the city exploited slave labor, using his collaborations with Future, Lil Baby, 21 Savage, Young Thug, Quavo, and 2 Chainz as examples. The chorus, which consists solely of the phrase "they not like us", has been interpreted as a message that Drake and his associates "are unlike own caliber, one that organically abides by the given morals of Black culture ".
  
  Lamar himself explained the personal meaning of the track in an interview with SZA:
  
  Not like us is the energy of who I am, the type of man I represent. Now, if you identify with the man that I represent … This man has morals, he has values, he believes in something, he stands on something. He’s not pandering.
  
  He’s a man who can recognize his mistakes and not be afraid to share the mistakes and can dig deep down into fear-based ideologies or experiences to be able to express them without feeling like he’s less of a man.
  
  If I’m thinking of "Not Like Us", I’m thinking of me and whoever identifies with that.
  
  "Not Like Us" begins with Lamar whispering "psst, I see dead people", a reference to The Sixth Sense (1999), which he previously referenced on "Euphoria". Lamar then makes a series of allusions to his hometown of Compton, California, before accusing Drake of sexual behavior with minors. Lamar references Drake's album Certified Lover Boy (2021) when labeling him and his label OVO Sound as "certified pedophiles", specifically naming Chubbs, Drake's head of security; PartyNextDoor, the first artist signed; and Baka Not Nice, who had been in prison for human trafficking before signing.
  
  Lamar also attacks Drake's personal relationships, alleging that Drake had sex with Lil Wayne 's girlfriend, saying he "did Cole foul", and warning him to "not speak on Serena " – referencing the fact that Drake and Williams were romantically involved in 2015 and that Drake dissed her husband on Her Loss (2022).
  
  Lamar challenges Drake's cultural identity throughout the track, suggesting that his portrayal of Blackness likens him to Brad "B-Rad G" Gluckman – a rich white kid who poses as a rapper – from the film Malibu's Most Wanted (2003). In the second verse, Lamar accuses Drake of disrespecting the rapper 2Pac by artificially recreating his voice on "Taylor Made Freestyle". In the third verse, Lamar accuses Drake of exploiting Black artists from Atlanta for street credibility and financial gain in the same way that colonizers in the city exploited slave labor, using his collaborations with Future, Lil Baby, 21 Savage, Young Thug, Quavo, and 2 Chainz as examples. The chorus, which consists solely of the phrase "they not like us", has been interpreted as a message that Drake and his associates "are unlike own caliber, one that organically abides by the given morals of Black culture ".
  
  Lamar himself explained the personal meaning of the track in an interview with SZA:
  
  Not like us is the energy of who I am, the type of man I represent. Now, if you identify with the man that I represent … This man has morals, he has values, he believes in something, he stands on something. He’s not pandering.
  
  He’s a man who can recognize his mistakes and not be afraid to share the mistakes and can dig deep down into fear-based ideologies or experiences to be able to express them without feeling like he’s less of a man.
  
  If I’m thinking of "Not Like Us", I’m thinking of me and whoever identifies with that.