POP SONG REVIEW: "Not Like Us" by Kendrick Lamar
Added 2024-07-26 19:42:09 +0000 UTCDon't know how this video will go over but we'll see. Lemme know if you see any mistakes!
And as always vote in the Song vs. Song poll where we are doing "Everybody Hurts" vs. "Runaway Train" https://www.patreon.com/posts/new-poll-hurts-108879544
With this I am officially on vacation. Desperately need some time off because my brain is incredibly fried. Like, you have no idea. My brain needs desperately away from the computer
/edit some minor stuff fixed. the annoying thing is that i already had fixed them before you guys said anything, i just linked the wrong version on patreon. so now you think i'm just a lazy person who doesn't notice that there's a big blank space in the middle of video
Comments
Just another day without a new video... ;>( One day Todd... right? :/ ;_v()
plusmin
2024-09-11 04:11:35 +0000 UTCAgreed; it's an uncomfortable chorus. I'm not sure I want crowds of people chanting "they not like us" in 2024, even if it's nominally about music genre.
Lanth
2024-08-02 16:44:01 +0000 UTCHyperpop is when ONLY the gays like it.
Clementine Danger
2024-08-02 12:12:36 +0000 UTCHe said the full UNCENSORED video is only on Nebula.
Chazie
2024-07-29 09:46:38 +0000 UTCThese dis tracks have become as scripted as tag team wrestling and just about as relevant. Manufactured feuds to pull in all the suckers
Wendi Wonderly
2024-07-28 08:20:56 +0000 UTCI watched Todd's review after watching FD Signifier's 3-hour video essay on this beef. I see Todd's review as the "non-black pop enjoyers" take on the public execution of Drake. Because they are both grappling with the same thing. What does it mean now when Kendrick has just shown that real artistry matters? Maybe it means nothing and rap will go back to being vapid after this is all a faded memory. But right, it is making people question if we really did ever accept that rap no longer means anything.
Tinni
2024-07-28 02:06:11 +0000 UTCthe genre respectability discussion was really edifying! I've been wrestling with the concept of poptimism for a while, and the involvement of gay rights really does clarify the whole situation. ok that's the fun stuff, now I've got a bunch of rumination about the sexual misconduct accusations (stop here if you don't want to read about that!): I think it's somehow even trickier to get hard evidence of grooming specifically (compared to other sexual misconduct), because it can take years to realise what happened/assess the damage as an adult. kids don't always recognise the power imbalance between them and adults, and so they often keep quiet about what they perceive to be an "equal relationship" while it's happening. later on down the line it gets harder to say anything because of the shame and guilt of not having said anything at the time/feeling "stupid" for being a child who didn't know better - doubly so if a famous/powerful person is implicated. these material dissuading factors against reporting form a situation in which whisper networks are more trusted than usual - because the possibility of hard proof ever coming out is slimmer than usual. so I think I understand why *Kendrick* would believe what he's saying about Drake. that + the surrounding miasma might be enough to make the call, given the genuine possibility that evidence might not come until the dude is dead and unable to retaliate. by which time plenty more kids could be victimised. it's a fun trolley problem, the reputation and career of one man vs the potential victimisation of multiple kids. I'm not making that call myself, but I imagine that better access to those whisper networks might change my mind. all this to say that there is room for nuance in judging this other guy's judgement of whether sexual misconduct has occurred
big bird (not that one)
2024-07-27 18:45:37 +0000 UTC"A film by Kendrick Burns" A+ joke
Taylor Abrahamse
2024-07-27 18:19:37 +0000 UTCI have weird feelings about "Not Like Us". It's a catchy song and I love the beat, but I'm not comfortable with the accusations, and "They not like us" is such an ugly line. I could totally imagine a Trump rally where they say "The Washington elite? They not like us! They not like us! They not like us! Illegal immigrants? They not like us! ..." and so on.
Nigel G
2024-07-27 17:35:15 +0000 UTCthat outro song tho š
Ćkos Varga
2024-07-27 16:32:05 +0000 UTCHey man I get it. But I think this song is bigger than what we typically give credit to ābig hitsā. This is more than a diss track against a person but more about black culture and how anyone can appropriate it without respecting black American history and lived experiences just for money.
Steph
2024-07-27 13:15:37 +0000 UTCI get burnout, it's real, and there's really nothing else popular to talk about now. But I'm really not comfortable with the big summer jam being this, I can't possibly understand how it's a good thing
Cody Baird
2024-07-27 13:10:06 +0000 UTCCarry on then. You missed the whole point.
Steph
2024-07-27 13:06:30 +0000 UTCGreat video! This is super minor, but the genius lyric card at 22:19 says Artist, "Song Name" instead of the specifics
Riley Greenstein
2024-07-27 11:59:09 +0000 UTCLove this video, excellent work Todd
Joseph Bergeron
2024-07-27 11:52:00 +0000 UTCyeeeaaaa i thought abt that last point too, he wasn't just cosigning kodak black but actively hyping him up too
Arbor Rainier
2024-07-27 07:43:23 +0000 UTCIt's not the same version. The ad points out that the full _uncensored_ version is on nebula.
Reena SetƤlƤ
2024-07-27 07:30:47 +0000 UTCman the guy is clearly burnt out, give him a break. i quite enjoyed this video fwiw, probs my favorite pop song review of his within the last year and a half or so
Arbor Rainier
2024-07-27 07:16:37 +0000 UTCI hope you have a wonderful vacation, btw!
AlexKorobeiniki
2024-07-27 05:01:07 +0000 UTCEspecially since Somerton was a fellow youtuber and saw real (deserved) career consequences due to those videos - neither Kendrick or Drake is going to be substantially harmed by one more video covering this. It's just not even in the same ballpark of impact. (Also I think it's valuable to have different perspectives on things! FD's video goes very deep on backstory and has the perspective of an insider of rap culture, while Todd is looking at this from the perspective of the broader music industry/culture and how it fits into the present moment)
Esther Mackenzie
2024-07-27 05:00:02 +0000 UTCThis song rules. I know the 'zinger lyrics' are kinda basic for Kendrick standards but I don't care. This was a genuine cultural phenomenon and I'm glad to have witnessed it. Whether this is going to affect Drake's commercial performance in the long run is another question entirely
Judgesaturn507
2024-07-27 04:40:24 +0000 UTCSame, that's like the only thing I could think of
Judgesaturn507
2024-07-27 04:35:52 +0000 UTCAnd I don't find songs that revolve around calling someone a pedophile to be "fun."
Anthony Skatz
2024-07-27 04:13:07 +0000 UTCI'm gonna be real, this is probably the worst review I've seen on this channel in a long time. I can't follow the thesis, I don't know what the big deal is, and it's going to look extremely tedious in a few months. Think of how virtually no diss tracks from the 90s hold up because they just sound pissy and futile; dedicating an hour worth of video essay to a feud is tawdry and pointless. I can't say I'll be watching this episode again like I do with almost every other video
Cody Baird
2024-07-27 03:40:22 +0000 UTCFun music is more replayable than not fun music. *shrugs*
Gemini Man
2024-07-27 03:11:56 +0000 UTComg nsync mentioned
mully
2024-07-27 03:07:49 +0000 UTCWhile I like your video a lot, I kind of hate that it exists because I pretty much detest "Not Like Us" as a song. I find the beat extremely grating, especially that repeating cleaning-glass-with-Windex-knockoff-cleaner sting every second. I think his voice matches that, too, as I don't get why it's in a persistently high and nasally state in a way that I know he doesn't sound like often. Lyrically, sans the final portion where he dismantles all of Drake's "colonizing," it retreads the same territory as the prior songs to worse effect ("Certified Lover Boy? Certified pedophiles!"...really?...are you twelve?...THAT'S the insult???) And like you said to a point, I too do not really feel like getting down to what is mostly, like, The Pedophile Bop of the Summer for what the most notable content and lines are. It's the least essential song of the ones he's released. Even though the prior two big tracks he "officially" released charted pretty well ("Euphoria" was I think 12th and "meet the grahams" was around 3rd or so), it's clear that "Not Like Us" is the one that's sticking around with the most people...but it's also the one that's the most "dumbed down" of his songs. You said this is Kendrick proving he can do what Drake can do, but for me, it also says that the people kind of don't REEEEALLLLLLLY care THAT much about what Kendrick says or does until he gets "Mustard on the beat, ho", because that's when the people truly latched on. I also don't get why you'd want to try to do a "Drake" song after you ripped Drake for doing his Drake songs? Why even think of dropping to that level you're ripping him for that to begin with? "Not Like Us" feels like a bit of a philosophical own goal: Kendrick kind of proved that Drake's approach ultimately DOES work best; Drake just hasn't been doing it well for a long time.
Anthony Skatz
2024-07-27 02:31:36 +0000 UTCThat thugnificent scene basically summarizes my experience with this song. I don't have strong feelings towards Drake's songs one way or the other and 95% of my exposure to Drake is through these reviews. What I am familiar with is Drakes annoying as all hell marketing techniques especially his tendency to start feuds for the sake of going viral. When I heard that he got into beef with Kendrick my first thought how did Drake convince Kendrick to lower himself to using a fake feud? I then did everything I could to avoid giving Drake attention. As you can imagine this didn't work for very long and eventually I went "Ok, fine! What's goin--- wait... why is Kendrick pissing on that pile of ashes?"
Adequately Sized Dog
2024-07-27 02:24:42 +0000 UTCThat statement about āauthenticity and artistry actually matteringā is precisely the reason why Chappell Roan & Charli XCX are having such big moments right now.
Christian Samples
2024-07-27 02:22:36 +0000 UTCIt's just nice to see all these crowds sing along lyrics that don't involve Fudge Rounds.
Paul Anderson
2024-07-27 02:07:35 +0000 UTCThere are so many videos about Kendrick vs Drake that have come out since the feud started. I doubt those two will get viewed that way at all.
James Fetner
2024-07-27 00:37:29 +0000 UTCI am trying to figure out if the two videos go together or not. FD talks a Lot more about the history of Hip Hop giving tons of context both for the genre and black culture and diss culture. He knows a lot more about it than Todd, who himself admits he mostly knows about pop music. So the two videos dont overlap that much. FD does speak a lot more confidently about things Todd isn't sure of and in some cases, I think Todd legit might have gotten some things wrong? But its probably wise to give some space otherwise we might start a beef between Nebula creators!
GregD
2024-07-27 00:16:59 +0000 UTCThe only person that thought about drake more today is Akademiks and what a cursed existence that is.
Sarah L
2024-07-27 00:10:23 +0000 UTCWhat if Kendrick Lamar made the rumor up about underage girls regardless of whether he knew or even cared if it was true because heās actually hood like that; like he knows if you go to prison they donāt f- around with pedophiles so thatās his message to Drake is watch out now or youāre really getting fād. So thanks actor for appropriating our hood culture to make money.
Steph
2024-07-27 00:09:17 +0000 UTCI mean, if Drake is creeping on juveniles I would give a shit. And there is definitely a reason Drake got this reputation well before this feud. I agree with Todd though about being uncomfortable lobbing accusations when there is no accuser. But this is a rap beef, and Drake did kind of invite it on Taylor Made Freestyle
Jon
2024-07-26 23:48:50 +0000 UTCThat Oingo Boingo song at the end is frickinā wild
Ryan Massey
2024-07-26 23:27:38 +0000 UTCKISS definitely alienated a lot of fans with that Music from the Elder record(Which is definitely worthy of a Trainwreckords episode)for sure and they pretty much had to take off their makeup in order for them to survive(Which Paul Stanley said in his biography)as a group. Kendrick just comes off as a hypocrite to me with trying to go after Drake for sex abuse stuff yet he has no problem palling around with abusers like Kodak Black, makes it hard for me to take him seriously.
RedBedroomRecords
2024-07-26 23:22:10 +0000 UTCHonestly this feud has made me lose respect for Kendrick as a person, I don't give a shit what Drake did, does not magically make Kendrick a hero for making a diss track.
RedBedroomRecords
2024-07-26 23:17:40 +0000 UTCbesides the 69 God part, which is obviously a reference to 6ix9ine, I think one part you should change completely is the Nebula ad read part. If Iām not mistaken, Lindsay has posted the entire Yoko & Beatles essay on Youtube, since it was not necessarily a Nebula exclusive.
meffeww
2024-07-26 23:09:06 +0000 UTCAmusingly, about halfway through the video i basically decided on the same conclusion wrt "poptimism". The thing that has changed isn't that pop isn't lacking in cred, it's that it's not inherently damaging to your credibility to make something fun and catchy. What damages it is doing nothing but that with no substance behind it. Which is probably the best way it could've gone because art generally is better if it has meaning.
Katastrophe
2024-07-26 22:56:02 +0000 UTCwhen you said you were going to do a sequel on a previous video i was expecting a lulu trainwreckord
gerald oxford
2024-07-26 22:52:57 +0000 UTC24:31 'this guy also not like us' the image covers the whole screen, so you vanish, doesn't look intentional. Great vid!
Jaszon Alexzander
2024-07-26 22:48:25 +0000 UTCThe Oingo Boingo clip at the end was just (chef's kiss).
David Dixon
2024-07-26 22:43:00 +0000 UTCgreat video, Todd! I hope you enjoy your vacation.
Wicked Dreamer
2024-07-26 22:25:59 +0000 UTCNo, he meant that Drake was both protagonist and antagonist of the drama at that point because he Kendrick was being so quiet. Like Todd says, "Kendrick was a phantom" - he was haunting the story but none of the talk was about him
Esther Mackenzie
2024-07-26 22:19:01 +0000 UTCwell, itās both
pigeonb0y
2024-07-26 22:16:59 +0000 UTC2 minor things possibly worth changing: You mentioned Kendrick had 3 diss songs but he actually has 4 (not counting āLike Thatā), the other one being ā6:16 in LAā which often gets forgotten about since it is not available on streaming due to sample clearance issues, but is still an integral part of his diss series And it may be worth noting that the Camilla Cabello album had 2 Drake songs, instead of just āa Drake featureā, which makes its failure even more interesting imo These are very minor nitpicks of course, but I just wanted to say in case it can be seen as helpful. Great video as always man, and please enjoy your time off.
Christian Reiswig
2024-07-26 22:00:28 +0000 UTCDidnāt know that, just thought it was a play on Drake being the ā6 Godā
Christian Reiswig
2024-07-26 21:56:32 +0000 UTCBanger video; I wasnāt expecting Todd to have a ton left to say after the first video about this topic, but I think there was a lot of interesting discussion, especially the points about the legacy of Poptimism. I also just really love the line that Not Like Us is āa victory lap for shit mattering in general,ā which I agree with. Iām not exactly a chart watcher myself, so maybe thereās some stuff Iām forgetting, but so far the 2020s have felt like a decade where popular music hasnāt had much of a cultural impact, except for the times when it crosses over with culture war politics (i.e. WAP, Montero, Unholy, Oliver Anthony and Jason Aldeanās big songs, etc). Even Charli XCXās brat, the other big thing going on in popular music rn, feels like it needed a boost from a political figure to really get people outside of online music fandom paying attention to it from my perspective. So weirdly, even though Not Like Us is the product of a big celebrity feud that mined topics usually seen as dark and ugly, it feels refreshing in the landscape of popular music because Kendrick was able to make the general public stand up, pay attention, and memorize every single lyric largely by himself.
Rei The Gei
2024-07-26 21:39:19 +0000 UTCKendrick Burns. That was good, that got me.
Deanna Banana
2024-07-26 21:30:32 +0000 UTCGlad you expanded on this! I would love to hear a comparison of Kesha's Joyride and Katy Perry's Woman's World btw. I think there's a whole lot of context to get into there.
Benjamin Haworth
2024-07-26 21:30:04 +0000 UTCHell yeah most significant hit song in the last 10 years
BloodyM
2024-07-26 21:27:02 +0000 UTCDrake has called himself the "6 god" referring to toronto. it just cheapens that i guess
Matt McCole
2024-07-26 21:25:24 +0000 UTCJust be careful with the timing as F D Signifier is just about to release his 3 hour video on the feud so you might be perceived as "and here come Todd with a steel chair" after a big vid like with Somerton. I may be off base though
Suede
2024-07-26 21:22:55 +0000 UTCThe discussion on authenticity and poptism is an interesting one. Here's my thoughts as a queer person who likes rap, rock, and pop... Despite the fact that pop music was considered more shallow and artificial by the music press for a long time, I think the gay community still embraced it because a lot of those same artists embraced their gay fans. There's very few fakes and phonies I can think of in that regard, because embracing anything gay publicly was still taboo. Even rock fans will at least respect pageantry and spectacle as long as you're not a phony about it. Gene Simmons has openly said on several occasions that he doesn't care about being the best musician. He just cares about putting on a good show, getting paid, and getting laid. Even if I think he's a prick (and he is), at least he admits it. Even so, KISS still had a wilderness period when they started chasing trends and alienated their OG fans. Kendrick even admitted "I like Drake with the melodies, I don't like Drake when he act tough." Kendrick is fully capable of making a catchy pop hit. This song is proof of that. Even before this beef, Drake was coming off as very inauthentic. If he had only done Pop Rap, he might not have been considered a rival because he wasn't even playing the same game. But no, Drake started co-opting other artists' scenes in a bid for cred, and it finally blew up in his face. Even if (best case scenario) he's not a creep, he's undeniably a dick rider. It's one thing to use ghostwriters, it's another to use them and still put out tons of mediocre crap. "Not Like Us" doesn't feel like gate-keeping. The message is "Respect our community and our culture or GTFO."
SPBurke
2024-07-26 21:22:29 +0000 UTCAlso holy fuck "the gays like it" was a left turn I was not expecting god damn.
Herbieguy98
2024-07-26 21:19:14 +0000 UTCThe references on this episode were on point. A+ editing, some of your best.
Herbieguy98
2024-07-26 21:11:45 +0000 UTCI donāt know that Iād go that far re: Black women. But definitely hypocritical. Especially since an underpinning theme of Mr. Morale is that abuse begets abuse, and those cycles canāt stop if we pretend they donāt exist. For better or worse (worse), Kodak is there *because* of his past, not in spite of it. Itās an idea that Kendrick executes pretty poorly. And now he has kinda disregarded what he was saying there. I dunno. Ultimately, Kendrick has a deep hatred for Drake in his heart and I think that overpowered any actual convictions Kendrick might hold. Mostly he pushed on pressure points that have been bubbling on the internet for a while. I recently asked a friend if he heard this song and he actually said āNo. I already knew Drake was a pedophile.ā Kendrick just popped the cork. And he hates Drake more than he is concerned about contradicting the message of his last album
Jon
2024-07-26 21:04:11 +0000 UTCHi Todd, beautiful video. Just wanted to let you know that the "69 God" line is definitely a reference to Takashi 6ix9ine's child sex abuse stuff
pigeonb0y
2024-07-26 21:00:57 +0000 UTCit's already in the previous video
Juliane Davis
2024-07-26 20:57:11 +0000 UTCYup I saw that, too.
SPBurke
2024-07-26 20:55:38 +0000 UTCIt felt like he meant to say Kendrick is the antagonist and Drake is the protagonist
iBolt07
2024-07-26 20:50:47 +0000 UTCSee, my perspective on poptimism is that the contention of āpop is consumable and thatās okay!ā Has a lot harder of a time nowadays when the consumability of the goods we consume is increasingly becoming a problem. It starts feeling procedurally generated, like its musical planned obsolescence. I like a good jam just as much as I did when I was in high school but I donāt want to spend my time listening to just another good jam. It has to be an all time jam. Otherwise, why would I listen to this months pop sampling as opposed to the classics i already know I like or a video essay or a letās play or a bunch of shit.
AlexKorobeiniki
2024-07-26 20:49:07 +0000 UTCwhat State was he in for that performance?
RedBedroomRecords
2024-07-26 20:42:50 +0000 UTCbut it does reek fo hypocrisy for Kendrick to nail Drake on something Kodak himself is guilty of, it kinda reeks of Misogynoir, sadly it seems Kendrick does not really care much about black women.
RedBedroomRecords
2024-07-26 20:40:06 +0000 UTCi was waiting for the best list because I knew this would be in the top 10
duke86fan
2024-07-26 20:36:25 +0000 UTCmight be a stretch but also i heard this as āsixteen-eyeing godā
Jacob Barry
2024-07-26 20:33:55 +0000 UTCTodd, great video. I appreciate you actually critiquing Kendrick. No one really wants to grapple with the āItās funny but is it right?ā question and you do a great job addressing it. Interesting you bring up Kendrick being so happy after Mr. Morale. It makes sense to me, because on that album he kind of conflates acknowledging generational trauma with setting yourself free. I donāt love that album (meaning itās still pretty good, but the weakest of his discography) I can rationalize some of the messier aspects, like the presence of Kodak Black. To me, Kendrick is not asking us to look past Kodakās crimes, but trying to tear himself down to Kodakās level in the eyes of his fans. āLike it when they pro Black, but Iām more Kodak Blackā But I think he severely undercut his message on that album with this feud. Kennyā¦.Kodakās got a weird case, why is he around? Anyways, Not Like Us is a fucking banger but Kendrick is not your savior.
Jon
2024-07-26 20:33:43 +0000 UTCI know but he shouldnāt be using this ad if the video is available on YouTube now
Riah_Lexington
2024-07-26 20:32:53 +0000 UTCOut of place? Wym?
Riah_Lexington
2024-07-26 20:32:33 +0000 UTCNot the PDF file š
Rachel
2024-07-26 20:32:14 +0000 UTCHow is a video not evidence?? Also sheās literally underage??
Riah_Lexington
2024-07-26 20:31:15 +0000 UTCWow, this was a phenomenal review. The history of rockism vs poptimism and the Kendrick retort to that was inspired. Bast part of the review in my opinion!
Andrew Hitzhusen
2024-07-26 20:29:35 +0000 UTCThat's not what pedophile or evidence means and also you can just say pedophile here.
Clementine Danger
2024-07-26 20:26:13 +0000 UTCIf someone told me three months ago that I was going to consume 4 straight hours of Drake content in one afternoon I'd have sued them for defamation.
Clementine Danger
2024-07-26 20:24:27 +0000 UTCIn terms of evidence of Drake being a PDF file, thereās a video of him continuing to kiss and flirt with a 17-year-old girl on stage after finding out her age. Drake was 23/24. That might be worth mentioning.
Zack
2024-07-26 20:22:05 +0000 UTCThe explanation I saw for the 69 god thing floating around was it was a reference to tekashi 6ix9ine, which whether or not it's true is an explanation people are going with
Jess
2024-07-26 20:17:59 +0000 UTCOooooooooooh
Clementine Danger
2024-07-26 20:17:34 +0000 UTCSmall mistake I noticed: the "this guy: also not like us" graphic looks like it's supposed to appear over your footage of you at the piano, but the whole thing cuts to black when it's on screen.
Shiny Skunk
2024-07-26 20:17:03 +0000 UTCI assumed it was an illusion to 6ix9ine, (one of) his ālegal troublesā, and how that ties into the allegations Kendrick is making.
Adam Weller
2024-07-26 20:15:59 +0000 UTCFINALLY someone as confused as I am about how "69 god" is an insult. Thanks Todd. And while we're at it, has enough time passed for us all to agree that "other vaginal option" is whack as hell? Not because it's homophobic or sexist or whatever, just because it's whack.
Clementine Danger
2024-07-26 20:14:41 +0000 UTCIt did, but this ad is old and has been used multiple times.
James Fetner
2024-07-26 20:14:18 +0000 UTCThe closing song was perfect. Listen to the live version from 1995, the band basically turned it into a pretty good pop punk tune by then.
Keith Badje
2024-07-26 20:13:06 +0000 UTC24:31 - I think you wanted the arrow and text to be overlayed on your footage, rather than on a black background?
Adam Weller
2024-07-26 20:12:37 +0000 UTCDamn, the analysis of Poptimism in the middle of this is straight-up brilliant criticism, imo.
Shiny Skunk
2024-07-26 20:10:14 +0000 UTCDamn, guessed it wrong. Looking forward to watching when I get off work!
Gordon Stearns
2024-07-26 19:59:40 +0000 UTCYou mentioned early on talking about how it was a one character drama, you mentioned Drake as both the protagonist and the antagonist. This felt out of place and I wasn't sure if this was a mistake
iBolt07
2024-07-26 19:55:18 +0000 UTCWait, didnāt Lindsay Ellis put the Yoko video up on YouTube a few weeks ago?
Call Me Kay
2024-07-26 19:52:43 +0000 UTCTiny mistake, Kendrick dropped 4 diss tracks, everyone keeps forgetting about 6:16
Anastasi
2024-07-26 19:49:37 +0000 UTCHell yeah lesss gooo
Pranav Arora
2024-07-26 19:44:58 +0000 UTCThis is wild that this came out the same day as FD's 3 hour video on Drake. I guess its gonna be a Drake marathon day...
GregD
2024-07-26 19:44:24 +0000 UTC
