Kendrick Lamar's 'Not Like Us' becomes the fastest hip-hop song in history to reach 300M Spotify streams

Kendrick Lamar's Not Like Us has broken a record, becoming the fastest hip-hop song to reach 300 million streams on Spotify. This achievement took only 35 days to accomplish.

Not Like Us has also reached the top spot on the Rhythmic Airplay chart, dated June 15. Released by pgLang/Interscope Records/ICLG, the song moved up from second place to become the most-played track on U.S. rhythmic radio stations. According to Luminate, this was due to a 22% increase in plays from May 31 to June 6, earning the song the Greatest Gainer prize for the largest jump in plays.

This diss track, targeting Canadian rapper Drake, was released on May 4, 2024. It is the fifth diss track Lamar has directed at Drake, following Meet the Grahams, which was released less than 24 hours earlier. The ongoing feud between Lamar and Drake has kept the public's attention, contributing to the rapid success of Not Like Us.

The song's swift rise on streaming platforms and radio airplay demonstrates Lamar's effective release strategy and the strong support from his fans.

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Not Like Us directed at Drake: The ongoing feud between Kendrick Lamar and Drake, in brief

American rapper Kendrick Lamar and Canadian rapper Drake have been engaged in a rap feud since August 2013. This rivalry heated up significantly in March 2024 when Lamar made a surprise appearance on Future and Metro Boomin's single Like That. The verse was widely interpreted as a diss aimed at Drake and J. Cole, responding to their track First Person Shooter. Drake quickly countered with his singles Push Ups and the since-removed Taylor Made Freestyle. Lamar fired back with Euphoria and 6:16 in LA.

Following the release of 6:16 in LA, Drake released Family Matters, accusing Kendrick Lamar of abusing his partner Whitney Alford and suggesting that one of Lamar's children was fathered by his creative partner, Dave Free. Lamar responded within an hour with Meet the Grahams, accusing Drake of being a s*xual predator and running a s*x trafficking ring at his Toronto mansion, the Embassy, while alleging Drake fathered a secret daughter.

On May 4, 2024, Lamar released Not Like Us unexpectedly, less than 24 hours after Meet the Grahams. The only prior promotion came from Anthony "Top Dawg" Tiffith, head of Kendrick Lamar's former label Top Dawg Entertainment, who posted "Dot, I see dead people" on X (formerly Twitter) about two hours before the song's release. Initially, the track was available exclusively on YouTube before Interscope Records distributed it to streaming platforms.

Universal Music began promoting the song on Italian radio stations on May 10, 2024. The cover art for Not Like Us features a Google Maps screenshot of Drake's Toronto home, with 13 red markers symbolizing registered s*x offenders.

Both Lamar and Drake have reportedly removed copyright claims from their diss tracks, allowing others to use the music freely for any purpose, including commercial use.

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More about Kendrick Lamar

Kendrick Lamar Duckworth known, as Kendrick Lamar, was born on June 17, 1987, and is one of the most successful rappers and songwriters in the United States of America. He is famous for being the only singer ever who belongs to rock and rap rather than classical and jazz to receive the Pulitzer Prize for Music, due to his music with powerful messages about inequality and injustice.

Kendrick Lamar launched his music career while still in high school, and was first known as K. Dot. The same year he joined the ranks of Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE) and created the hip-hop group, Black Hippy, in 2005. His debut album, Section.80 (2011), led to a signed deal with Aftermath Entertainment as well as Interscope Records.

His second album, good kid, m.A.A.d city, which was released in 2012, gave him the deserved celebrity status with songs such as Swimming Pool (Drank) and B**ch, Don’t Kill My Vibe. This album has occupied positions in the top list of the Billboard 200 for more than ten years.

Kendrick Lamar, apart from having scored 17 Grammy Awards and 11 MTV Video Music Awards, was listed among the Time’s 100 most influential icons in 2016. Tours such as the The Damn Tour and The Big Steppers’ Tour are among the most successful rap tours to date.

Apart from music, he is part of the creative company known as pgLang. He also engages in charity organizations that fight for the equality of black people and does a lot for the concern of mental health.