Kendrick Lamar‘s “Not Like Us” is undoubtedly the biggest rap song of 2024, and its success is expected to be reflected at the Grammy Awards — especially after comments made by the Recording Academy’s top dog.
Harvey Mason Jr., the CEO of the Recording Academy which organizes the Grammys, spoke with who shared his opinion of the song with TMZ on Monday (June 24) about K. Dot’s Drake diss and its chances of taking home silverware at next year’s awards.
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“Obviously, it’s a hot record, it’s amazing artistry, great writing. The talent on that record is incredible. You have artists who have been nominated before and Kendrick obviously has been successful in the organization.”
He added: “I don’t see any reason why it couldn’t be. It’s all about the quality of the record. It’s really about the members. If the members like it, then it’ll be nominated.”
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Mason Jr. was then asked if the fact that the song is a diss record and contains explosive allegations such as Drake being a pedophile would prevent it from being nominated.
“I don’t think so,” he replied. “The voting members of the Academy appreciate greatness, appreciate what’s hot, what’s going on. That’s a relevant record, it’s impacting on so many levels with so much creativity and talent. I like to believe that the Academy members recognize that and they vote appropriately.”
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If “Not Like Us” were to win a Grammy, it would become the first rap diss song to do so. Drake’s Meek Mill diss “Back to Back” was nominated for Best Rap Performance in 2016 but lost out to Kendrick’s “Alright.”
Released in early May at the height of K. Dot and Drizzy’s feud, “Not Like Us” not only led to the Compton rapper being crowned the winner of the beef but has become one of the biggest hits of his career.
The Mustard-produced anthem soared to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and has broken several of the 6 God’s records, including becoming the fastest song to reach 100 million streams on Spotify, eclipsing “God’s Plan.”
Away from the charts and streaming platforms, its impact was stamped earlier this month when Kendrick performed “Not Like Us” five times in a row at his Pop Out concert at Inglewood, with the song soundtracking his victory lap in his beef with Drake, as well as a historic moment of unity between various L.A. gang members on stage.
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Just days after the show, Kendrick was spotted filming the track’s music video in his hometown of Compton alongside the likes of ScHoolboy Q, Jay Rock, YG, Roddy Ricch and Mustard.
Whether all of these things are enough for the Grammys to recognize “Not Like Us” remains to be seen, although as Drake comically quipped on “Family Matters,” Kendrick is a hot favorite of the Recording Academy.
