Kendrick Lamar is keeping the heat on Drake with his upcoming “Not Like Us” music video, judging by early photos from the shoot. Filmed in his hometown of Compton late last month, the visual promises to be a bold statement in their ongoing beef, featuring a mix of friends, collaborators, and local residents.
Fans have been given a tantalizing preview of the finished product thanks to pictures that surfaced on social media. One particularly spicy image shows Kendrick hitting an owl piñata, a clear nod to Drake’s OVO logo. This symbolic gesture highlights Lamar’s unyielding stance in their lyrical feud.
In another photo, Kendrick is seen with his fiancée, Whitney Alford, and their two children. This family portrait appears to be a direct response to Drake’s track “Family Matters,” where Drake accused Kendrick of domestic violence and implied that one of Kendrick’s children might actually belong to his manager, Dave Free. By including his family in the video, Kendrick defiantly addresses these allegations head-on.
Another image from the shoot features Kendrick surrounded by his former Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE) crew, including label founder Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith, ScHoolboy Q, Jay Rock, Ab-Soul, and TDE presidents Terrence “Punch” Henderson and Anthony “Moosa” Tiffith Jr. This reunion underscores the solidarity and support Kendrick enjoys from his longstanding musical family.
Adding to the buzz, “Not Like Us” producer Mustard was spotted at the video shoot wearing a Toronto Blue Jays cap. This sparked speculation that Mustard was also trolling Drake, who hails from Toronto. However, in an interview with Big Boy, Mustard clarified that there was no hidden message behind the cap.
“I wasn’t trolling. I really wasn’t trolling. I bought a lot of hats that I like. I bought an STL hat, an Angels hat, a Braves hat. I put Faith of a Mustard Seed [the title of his new album] on all of them,” Mustard explained. He added that he wore the Blue Jays cap simply because it was the last one he had left after sweating out his other hats at Kendrick’s Inglewood concert.
Mustard also mentioned that the cap was a nod to Baldwin Village, the South Los Angeles neighborhood known as “the Jungles” where he grew up. “I grew up in the Jungles, we all wear that hat,” he said. “I mean, I wear the NY hat — that’s Nip’s hat, the neighborhoods. Our hats mean a lot of different things so I never thought that much into it like, ‘Oh, I’m tryna troll y’all.’”
Despite the heated rivalry, the release date for the “Not Like Us” video remains under wraps. However, the anticipation is palpable, and it seems the video will drop soon, continuing the public's fascination with this high-profile rap feud.
As the war of words between Kendrick Lamar and Drake escalates, fans and critics alike are keenly watching for the next move. The “Not Like Us” music video is set to add another chapter to this compelling saga, showcasing Kendrick’s creative prowess and his relentless pursuit of lyrical supremacy.
Stay tuned for the official release and further developments in the ongoing Kendrick Lamar and Drake saga.