Kendrick Lamar lands yet another win as he takes over the Billboard Hot 100
Lamar's "Not Like Us" debuted at No. 1 this week, while Drake's "Family Matters" landed at No. 7
Kendrick Lamar is starting to land disses he didn’t even write. The world seems to have taken a definitive side in the war between Kendrick and Drake, handing the former some major reinforcements in the form of sales and streams. Billboard announced today that Lamar’s “Not Like Us,” one of three Drake-bashing tracks the rapper released the weekend of May 3, had debuted as No. 1 on this week’s Hot 100 chart. For those playing along at home, that’s the one where Kendrick straight up accuses his opponent of being a “certified pedophile” and raps “tryna strike a chord and it’s probably A-minor” (over an actual A-minor chord, no less).
“Not Like Us,” Kendrick’s fourth career No. 1, isn’t his only entry on the chart. “Euphoria,” his initial, 6-minute long attack, jumped up eight positions, from 11 to 3. Additionally, his March track, “Like That” with Future and Metro Boomin—the one that started this entire leg of the artists’ feud when Kendrick wrote “Motherfuck the big three, n***, it’s just big me”—is back on the chart for the first time in a while at No. 6.
These three songs all outperformed Drake’s singular placement on the top 10 with “Family Matters,” one of two volleys he threw at Lamar from the same weekend. That song landed at No. 7. Drake will be fine, though. “Family Matters” extends the rapper’s record for most top 10 singles ever to a whopping 78. The next closest artist is Taylor Swift, with 59 top 10s.
Speaking of Taylor, Drake and Kendrick’s feud managed to almost completely unseat her Tortured Poets Department, which initially swept not just the top 10 but the top 14 two weeks ago. The only survivor is “Fortnight” (feat. Post Malone), which dropped from No. 1 last week to No. 4 this week. Sabrina Carpenter is also holding it down for the pop girls, with “Espresso”’s fourth week on the chart. She comes in at No. 8.
Still, the beef between Kendrick and Drake isn’t all fun and games. Last week, a security guard was shot outside the rapper’s mansion in Toronto. The following day, a man was arrested for attempting to break into the property. For everyone’s safety, it’s probably best if this ends at least the battle, if not the war.
Here’s this week’s Billboard Hot 100 Top 10: