section_path: Critical reception and analysis
section_name: Critical reception and analysis
paragraph_text: Critical reception and analysis
  
  "Not Like Us" was met with widespread critical acclaim for its contagious production, Lamar's vocal performance, and scathing songwriting. GQ 's Frazier Tharpe dubbed the track a leading contender for the " song of the summer ". He praised how the "banger" summoned Mustard's "raucous, party-starting homegrown energy" to deliver Lamar's "haymaker" that both out-strategized Drake and celebrated their West Coast upbringings. Stereogum editors found the song to be not only an "ultra-effective" diss record but a hit filled with "vicious" allegations and history lessons. Professional wrestler Shawn Michaels appreciated that his Sweet Chin Music finisher was mentioned in the song and invited Lamar and Drake to settle their differences at a WWE NXT program. Two other individuals referenced in the song, Serena Williams and M. Night Shyamalan, the writer and director of The Sixth Sense, praised it. Harvey Mason Jr., chief executive officer of the Recording Academy, praised the song's artistry and relevance.
  
  Journalists described "Not Like Us" as a cultural touchstone, a clarion call for the West Coast, and one of the biggest diss tracks they have witnessed in their lifetimes. They considered the timing of its release and content an effective strategy in capturing the zeitgeist before listeners grew tired of the feud. Jordan Rose of Complex declared "Not Like Us" as the best track released during Lamar and Drake's feud due to its electric tone and "contagious" production, although many of the lyrics are "very questionable". Rose believes that "time will tell" if the song marked the "end conclusion" of their war, but it has already proven itself to be "the stone that stunned Goliath." Vibe 's Armon Sadler ranked "Not Like Us" as the second-best track of the feud, praising the "undeniable bop" as a "masterclass" in execution. Mark Elibert from Billboard, who named it the fourth-best song, shared similar sentiments. Canadian outlets such as CBC News and Exclaim! opined that "Not Like Us" has grown into an anti-Canadian anthem reminiscent of " Blame Canada " from South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut (1999). Uproxx 's Wongo Okon noted it helped Lamar become a more appealing figure for Generation Z and Generation Alpha listeners.
  
  The song has also been examined in the context of race and cultural appropriation. Salamishah Tillet of The New York Times opined that while the message of "Not Like Us" may seem to attack Drake's biracial identity, its popularity has inspired a broad assortment of interracial interpretations. Rolling Stone ' s Andre Gee believes the song is a "rally against perpetrators who shifted hip-hop from a Black and brown community with culturally understood modes of being into an at-times parodic circus." Mark P. Braboy of The Triibe expanded on Gee's sentiments, applying the song's message to "culture vultures" in hip-hop journalism who have built their platforms by exploiting Black trauma.
  
  Pitchfork named "Not Like Us" as the third-best song released in the 2020s so far. In his accompanying excerpt, Alphonse Pierre declared the line " Certified Lover Boy ? Certified pedophiles" as the "defining" lyric of the decade, in ways that are "unsettling and amazing and troubling and funny." Other publications such as Complex, HipHopDX, The Ringer, and The Root ranked "Not Like Us" as one of the greatest diss tracks of all time.
  
  "Not Like Us" was met with widespread critical acclaim for its contagious production, Lamar's vocal performance, and scathing songwriting. GQ 's Frazier Tharpe dubbed the track a leading contender for the " song of the summer ". He praised how the "banger" summoned Mustard's "raucous, party-starting homegrown energy" to deliver Lamar's "haymaker" that both out-strategized Drake and celebrated their West Coast upbringings. Stereogum editors found the song to be not only an "ultra-effective" diss record but a hit filled with "vicious" allegations and history lessons. Professional wrestler Shawn Michaels appreciated that his Sweet Chin Music finisher was mentioned in the song and invited Lamar and Drake to settle their differences at a WWE NXT program. Two other individuals referenced in the song, Serena Williams and M. Night Shyamalan, the writer and director of The Sixth Sense, praised it. Harvey Mason Jr., chief executive officer of the Recording Academy, praised the song's artistry and relevance.
  
  Journalists described "Not Like Us" as a cultural touchstone, a clarion call for the West Coast, and one of the biggest diss tracks they have witnessed in their lifetimes. They considered the timing of its release and content an effective strategy in capturing the zeitgeist before listeners grew tired of the feud. Jordan Rose of Complex declared "Not Like Us" as the best track released during Lamar and Drake's feud due to its electric tone and "contagious" production, although many of the lyrics are "very questionable". Rose believes that "time will tell" if the song marked the "end conclusion" of their war, but it has already proven itself to be "the stone that stunned Goliath." Vibe 's Armon Sadler ranked "Not Like Us" as the second-best track of the feud, praising the "undeniable bop" as a "masterclass" in execution. Mark Elibert from Billboard, who named it the fourth-best song, shared similar sentiments. Canadian outlets such as CBC News and Exclaim! opined that "Not Like Us" has grown into an anti-Canadian anthem reminiscent of " Blame Canada " from South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut (1999). Uproxx 's Wongo Okon noted it helped Lamar become a more appealing figure for Generation Z and Generation Alpha listeners.
  
  The song has also been examined in the context of race and cultural appropriation. Salamishah Tillet of The New York Times opined that while the message of "Not Like Us" may seem to attack Drake's biracial identity, its popularity has inspired a broad assortment of interracial interpretations. Rolling Stone ' s Andre Gee believes the song is a "rally against perpetrators who shifted hip-hop from a Black and brown community with culturally understood modes of being into an at-times parodic circus." Mark P. Braboy of The Triibe expanded on Gee's sentiments, applying the song's message to "culture vultures" in hip-hop journalism who have built their platforms by exploiting Black trauma.
  
  Pitchfork named "Not Like Us" as the third-best song released in the 2020s so far. In his accompanying excerpt, Alphonse Pierre declared the line " Certified Lover Boy ? Certified pedophiles" as the "defining" lyric of the decade, in ways that are "unsettling and amazing and troubling and funny." Other publications such as Complex, HipHopDX, The Ringer, and The Root ranked "Not Like Us" as one of the greatest diss tracks of all time.