Not only is the Grammys’ winner for song and record of the year a rap track — for just the second time ever — but it also happens to be one of the most brutal disses of all time.
“Not Like Us” by Kendrick Lamar took home the two major awards on Sunday, capping an unprecedented run for a one-off single that features lines like “Say, Drake, I hear you like ’em young” and calls one of the biggest artists of the 21st century a “pedophile,” among other things.
Lamar, who is scheduled to headline the Super Bowl halftime show next weekend, dedicated his record of the year win to his native Los Angeles, including fire-ravaged areas like the Palisades and Altadena. “We gonna dedicate this one to the city: Compton, Watts, Long Beach, Inglewood, Hollywood out to the valley,” Lamar said. “This is my neck of the woods that’s held me down since I was a young pup.”
“Not Like Us” was victorious in each of the five categories where it was nominated, also winning before the televised ceremony for best rap performance, best rap song and best music video.
Previously, the only rap song to win for best record or best song was Childish Gambino’s “This Is America” in 2019. Among those rap songs previously overlooked: “Lose Yourself” by Eminem and “Jesus Walks” by Kanye West.
For record of the year, “Not Like Us” beat out hits by Beyoncé (“Texas Hold ’Em”), Taylor Swift featuring Post Malone (“Fortnight”), Sabrina Carpenter (“Espresso”), Charli XCX (“360”), Chappell Roan (“Good Luck, Babe!”), Billie Eilish (“Birds of a Feather”) and the Beatles (“Now and Then,” billed as the group’s “last” song).
Lamar had lost both song and record of the year three times at previous Grammy ceremonies, in addition to four losses for album of the year (plus two more as a featured artist on albums by others). He had never before won in one of the biggest four categories, which also includes best new artist.
In song of the year, “Not Like Us,” written solely by Lamar (and produced by Mustard), topped more traditional nominees in the category, which also included Beyoncé, Taylor Swift and Post Malone, Roan, Eilish, Sabrina Carpenter (for “Please Please Please”), Bruno Mars and Lady Gaga’s “Die With a Smile” and Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy).”
The category’s recent winners include the ballads “What Was I Made For?” by Eilish and “Just Like That” by Bonnie Raitt, plus the retro throwback “Leave the Door Open” by Silk Sonic and the Black Lives Matter protest song “I Can’t Breathe” by H.E.R.
“Not Like Us” was widely received as the decisive final blow in a contentious, rapid-fire rap battle between Lamar and Drake, a onetime collaborator turned rival, last year. The song reached No. 1 on the Billboard singles chart and is currently the subject of a lawsuit by Drake against Universal Music Group, the label behind both rappers, which he accused of defamation for its aggressive promotion of the song. Lamar is not named as a defendant in the suit.
