Kendrick Lamar's 'Not Like Us' might actually win a Grammy, which would cement Drake's L as the biggest in hip-hop's history

“Kendrick just opened his mouth. Somebody hand him a Grammy right now.”

That’s the opening line from the third verse of Drake’s “Family Matters” diss song aimed at Kendrick Lamar. To keep it all the way real with y’all, it’s a pretty good song! It might have won the battle had Kendrick not completely stomped on it within the hour of its release.

The songs from the Kendrick-Drake beef, ranked

Now, it seems like Drake’s worst nightmare might come true. The Recording Academy might hand Kendrick Lamar another Grammy. Except, this time, it’ll be explicitly at Drake’s expense.

Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” has become one of the biggest — if not the biggest — songs of 2024. Not only does it slap, but it’s also inspired countless memes and parodies of it.

With that in mind, Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason told TMZ that he “doesn’t see any reason why” it wouldn’t be nominated for a Grammy.

“Obviously it’s a hot record. It’s amazing artistry, great writing. The talent on that record is incredible. Kendrick obviously has been successful with the organization so I don’t see any reason why it couldn’t be. It’s all about the quality of the record. It’s about the members. If the members like it, it’ll be nominated.”

Folks. This song took over the stage at the Pop Out concert in The Forum. Now, it might just do the same at the Recording Academy. There’s a chance.

Mason said it comes down to whether the academy’s members “appreciate greatness.” He called the record relevant on “so many levels.” He seems to see a path to this actually happening.

I’m skeptical.

Yes, the numbers are there. This song has already shattered streaming records and has only existed for a month and some change. It also nearly has 100 million views on YouTube.

But there’s a reason diss tracks don’t get nominated for things like this. It’s hard for me to believe that, as buttoned-up as the Recording Academy has traditionally been, the body would ever bring itself to propping up a song with such, uh, let’s call it vitriol aimed at another person. Not even Drake’s hit diss “Back to Back” got this sort of critical acclaim.

If Kendrick Lamar were to actually pull this off? Man. Come on. This would have to be one of the biggest Ls in the history of rap. It’d be undeniable at this point. Even the Recording Academy is feeling it!

Again, I have my doubts. But, hey. It sounds like there’s hope! As a fan of hip-hop, I’ll hold on to that.