"How’s this even a category?" — Netizens react to NFR naming Kendrick Lamar’s Not Like Us the Best Diss Track of 2024

As the year comes to an end, the hip-hop music podcast NFR has ranked Kendrick Lamar's Drake diss track Not Like Us the "Best Diss Track of 2024." Not Like Us was released on May 4, at the height of the highly sensationalized rap beef between Lamar and Drake. The track's popularity and record-breaking streak saw many crown Lamar the winner of the contentious beef.

On December 30, 2024, NFR Podcast revealed its Best Diss Track of 2024 on its official X page. The podcast page continued praising Kendrick Lamar, also dubbing him the MVP for 2024.

NFR Podcast anointing Not Like Us with the best diss title was met with mixed reviews. Some questioned how diss tracks got their category, with one person asking:

"Lmao how’s this even a category?"

Netizens had similar questions, wondering if the category was newly minted for this year. Others dubbed the track boring and overrated, claiming it "aged like milk."

"How long have they had a best diss tracks every year or is this a new category?" one person questioned.

"Holy overrate.... BORING," another user wrote.

"Aged like milk lol Family Matters hard to this day," someone else added.

However, many argued that the title belonged to Euphoria, the diss track Kendrick Lamar released in response to Drake's Push Ups.

"It had the most impact for sure but the best diss track was euphoria," one person wrote.

"It’s really Euphoria. But it’s close enough," another user added.

"Respectfully Euphoria clears," someone else commented.

Meanwhile, many claimed Not Like Us rightfully earned the title, calling it the best diss of all time.

"I think you can argue that ‘Not like us’ is the best diss of all time," one user tweeted.

"Hands down! This song is still being played. Certified Banger!" another person exclaimed.

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Exploring Kendrick Lamar's work in 2024

Kendrick Lamar has had a busy 2024, from waging a diss battle against Drake to releasing a new album. While the rapper was out of the spotlight the first two months of the year, he came back with an explosive verse that kickstarted his long-brewing beef with Drake.

Lamar's feature in the Metro and Future track Like That was released in March 2024, starting a chain of events that culminated in a diss battle. In Like That, Lamar refuted the claim that he, Drake, and J. Cole were the "Big Three" in the rap industry (which J. Cole claimed in the song First Person Shooter with Drake.) Instead, Lamar claimed there was only "big me" and called out the other two rappers for "sneak dissing."

"F**k sneak dissin', first-person shooter, I hope they came with three switches/ I crash out like, "F**k rap," diss Melle Mel if I had to/ Got 2TEEZ with me, I'm snatchin' chains and burnin' tattoos, it's up/ Lost too many soldiers not to play it safe/ If he walk around with that stick, it ain't André 3K/ Think I won't drop the location? I still have PTSD/ Motherf**k the big three, n***a, it's just big me," Kendrick Lamar rapped in his verse.

In April and May, Drake and Kendrick Lamar were engaged in their battle, taking turns releasing several diss songs. Drake's Push Ups and Taylor Made were met with Lamar's Euphoria and 6:16 in LA, his response Family Matters was met with meet the grahams and Not Like Us.

While Drake released a follow-up called The Heart Part 6 after Not Like Us' release, the latter track seemingly cemented Kendrick Lamar's win in the beef. Not Like Us broke records on Spotify and global charts, leading to Lamar performing the song five times in his Juneteenth pop-out concert. Not Like Us also had an accompanying music video, released on July 4.

In September, Kendrick Lamar announced he would headline the 2025 NFL Super Bowl Halftime Show. Two months later, the rapper surprise-released his sixth studio album, GNX, on November 22. He was also nominated for seven Grammys, five for Not Like Us and two for Like That.

The rapper recently appeared at Top Dawg Entertainment's Christmas Concert with artists like SZA and Doechii, performing songs from his new album. Kendrick Lamar was also involved in the "Christmas in Compton" event with his annual toy drive on December 16.