Kendrick Lamar claims the No. 1 song in the United States this week with “Not Like Us” debuting atop the Hot 100.
“Not Like Us,” Lamar’s fourth No. 1 single, dominates the list where the Los Angeles rapper claims three Top 10 slots after a string of back-to-back releases contributed to an inescapable rap feud between him and Drake. Starting with Lamar’s scathing bars on Future and Metro Boomin’s “Like That,” which sits at No. 6 on the latest, May 18-dated Hot 100 chart, the beef progressed at a rapid pace, involving everyone from Rick Ross to the Weeknd, and grew increasingly personal with pointed lyrics regarding each others’ families and lifestyles.
Such is the case in “Not Like Us,” where Lamar digs in on lines like, “Say Drake, I hear you like ‘em young / You better not have to go to Cell Block One,” and “You run to Atlanta when you need a few dollars/ You not a colleague, you a fuckin’ colonizer/ The family matter, and the truth of the matter/ It was God’s Plan to show you’re a liar.”
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In fact, the cover art for “Not Like Us” is an aerial photograph of Drake’s residence in Toronto, which has been linked to increased criminal activity outside of the home, resulting in the shooting of a security guard and multiple trespassing attempts.
“Not Like Us” debuts at No. 1 with 70.9 million official streams, 5 million radio airplay audience impressions and 15,000 sold in the U.S. in the week ending May 9, despite the track having been released on a Sunday night (May 5, or after this charts’ tracking week).
After his feature in “Like That” officially launched the battle, Lamar dropped the six-minute “Euphoria” on April 30. The blistering track moves up to No. 3 with 49 million streams and 1.9 million in airplay audience impressions.
Drake’s response track, “Family Matters,” sits at No. 7 with 38 million streams and 646,000 airplay audience impressions. The early eight-minute song came shortly after Lamar released “Euphoria,” and another fiery track called “6:16 In LA” (not available on Kendrick Lamar’s official streaming channels), and right before Lamar fired back with “Meet the Grahams” and “Not Like Us.”
With “Not Like Us” and “Like That” opening at No. 1, this is the second case of rap beef propelling a song to hit No. 1, as Nicki Minaj and Megan Thee Stallion’s rancor-fueled exchanges led to Megan scoring her first solo No. 1 with “Hiss.”
Outside of the drama, newcomer Tommy Richman has a strong grip with “Million Dollar Baby” holding at No. 2 for a second consecutive week with 58.3 million streams and 1.9 million in airplay audience impressions. Taylor Swift’s “Fortnight,” with Post Malone, is at No. 4 on the Hot 100; Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” is at No. 5; Sabrina Carpenter’s “Espresso” moves to No. 8 from its No. 4 peak; Benson Boone’s “Beautiful Things” is at No. 9; and Teddy Swims’ “Lose Control” dips to No. 10.
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As for the albums chart, Taylor Swift’s “The Tortured Poets Department” notches a third consecutive week at No. 1 with 282,000 equivalent album units. Plus, Dua Lipa earns her highest-charting record yet with “Radical Optimism” opening at No. 2 with 83,000 units earned and 51,500 sales as the top-selling album of the week. Meanwhile, K-pop group Seventeen comes in at No. 5 with “Seventeen Best Album ‘17 Is Right Here’” logging 53,000 units and 5.5 million on-demand official streams.
