I did it for the culture – Kendrick Lamar says on making Drake diss ‘Not Like Us’

In a recent interview with Apple Music ahead of his upcoming headline performance at the Super Bowl, Kendrick Lamar speaks on the mindset behind his hit Drake diss ‘Not Like Us’.

According to the Compton rapper, the song was motivated by his desire to represent the hip-hop culture that was losing its art form.

“I was just thinking about the culture, really. It’s always that for me, first. I’m not even bullshitting with you. When people talk about rap, man, the conversations I hear, they think it’s just rap, and it’s not an actual art form.

So when you put records like that at the forefront, it reminds people that this is more than just something that came 50 years ago. They forget that it’s even been here 50 years. Right? And kind of like belittle it.

So I love to see that it gets that type of recognition for just straight raps, from awards to the billboards, all that. Because this is truly just as big as an art form and a genre as any other genre. So that’s what I think about.

And I feel accomplished being able to do that. Whether somebody else comes behind me and do that again and quadruple it, I’d love to see it. If that was my purpose to do that, then that’s exactly what it was for that particular moment.”

At the recently held 67th Grammys, Kendrick Lamar’s ‘Not Like Us’ won 5 Grammys including for Song of the Year and Record of the Year.

Speaking on this feat, the 22-time Grammy winner said that it is a honour to fly hip hop’s flag on the biggest stage and he hopes future generations will surpass his achievements.

“As a writer, that’s what I can appreciate the most. And knowing how much time I’ve dedicated over the years in just trial and error. Writing the most terrible shit to some of the greatest shit. You know, we all do it.

Writer’s block to figuring out how to find inspiration from the most non-popular aspects around me.

So it’s like, knowing that trial and knowing what I put in as far as my thinking process and what it takes to get there, I do not look at it as a small endeavor because it’s a hit record. No, there’s actually some writing in that shit.

Whether it connects with you on a spiritual level, whether it connects with you on a comedic level, whether it connects with you just on a personal dynamic, it’s still from a writer’s point of view.”

On what his solo headline performance means for hip-hop, Kendrick says the feat celebrates hip-hop as a true art form and captures how far the genre has come.

“Lot of people don’t see the story before the glory, man. That shit is like, shuffling out your mixtapes and going to neighborhoods and parties and performing there in hole-in-the-wall spots.

It reminds me of the essence and the core response of rap and hip-hop, and how far it can go.

So, for me, that shit means everything. Because it puts the culture on the forefront, where it needs to be, and not minimized to just a catchy song or verse. This is a true art form.

So to represent it on this type of stage is, like, everything that I’ve worked for and everything that I believe in as far as the culture.

I live and die by it. This shit done changed my whole family life. I don’t take it for granted, at all, far as the art form, you know?”

After his triumph at the 2025 Grammys, Kendrick Lamar will be performing a 13-minute set at the SuperBowl in New Orleans on February 10.