Explaining "Not Like Us" To Wypipo part 3
The 3rd verse OMG
The real key to “Not Like Us” is the third verse. This is where Kendrick gets down to the heart of his sociocultural argument against Drake—as opposed to the moral case against him because he likes them young and is a bad father. This sociocultural argument is not about Drake being bi-racial—that has been widely misunderstood. It’s not about biology, it’s about sociology. It’s about Drake not truly understanding Black culture at a root level. That, Kendrick says, is why Drake would make a massive cultural mistake like saying on “Family Matters” that Kendrick is “Always rappin like you bout to get the slaves freed.” Can you see what a colossal mistake it would be to say that in a conversation full of Black people? How that would show that you don’t really get it. You don’t really understand the culture. How could he possibly think that was a diss?It’s a line that makes you think Drake doesn’t really, really understand Black culture and that notion drives this verse.
Once upon a time, all of us was in chains
[Kendrick is easing into this verse as a storyteller, setting the stage for the historical lesson he’s about to give. He’s also setting himself up to diss Drake for saying “rapping like he’s trying to get the slaves freed.” I think it’s relevant in a song called “Not Like Us” that Kendrick is beginning this verse with the phrase “all of us” to tie himself to the Black community and our shared legacy of enslavement. We come from that experience and it has a massive impact on our lives to this day. Does Drake come from that? Does he talk like he does?]