Dr. Dre says he sided with Kendrick Lamar after hearing Drake "say something negative about Kendrickâs wife and kids"
Dr. Dre started to "love" Kendrick Lamar's 'Not Like Us' after he heard Drake "say something negative" about the rapper's family.
Dr. Dre has publicly spoken about Kendrick Lamarâs âNot Like Usâ for the first time â see what he had to say below.
Last year, during the heated rivalry between Drake and Kendrick Lamar, the latter delivered his final blow in the form of the chart-topping âNot Like Usâ, which has gone on to be nominated for several Grammys including Record of The Year and Song of The Year.
In June last year, Kendrick Lamar hosted the one-night-only concert, âThe Pop Outâ in Los Angeles, which featured a myriad of special guests. During the show, he performed nearly every song he released during his beef with Drake. To end of the concert, Dr. Dre rolled up onstage to perform bits of âStill D.R.Eâ and âCalifornia Loveâ, before introducing Lamarâs âNot Like Usâ, delivering the now-iconic whispered opener âPssst, I see dead peopleâ. Kendrick would then go on to perform the song a whopping five times.
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Dr. Dre has also famously been a mentor figure to Kendrick Lamar, singing the âHUMBLE.â rapper to Aftermath and Interscope in 2011. The legendary rapper-producer recently joined the debut episode of The Unusual Suspects With Kenya Barris and Malcolm Gladwell, where they spoke about Kendrickâs âPop Outâ concert.
During the conversation, Dre took the opportunity to share that while he doesnât like getting involved in rap beefs or taking sides, he felt the need to show his support for his protege after Drake started taking shots at Kendrickâs family.
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Dre told Barris and Gladwell: âI love that record. Iâma say this on camera. I donât want to get negative. My whole shit is about being positive and moving forward and all that shit, but the fact I heard Drake say something negative about Kendrickâs wife and his kids, that made me say, âAh, adios!ââ
Kendrick will headline the 2025 Super Bowl Halftime Show on February 9. So far, the rapper has only confirmed SZA as a special guest performer, though it might be possible that Dre makes an appearance. It would mark the second time the two of them play the Halftime Show together after Kendrick was a guest performer for Dreâs headlining slot in 2022.
âNot Like Usâ was crowned NMEâs second Best Song of 2024, with Fred Garratt-Stanley writing: ââNot Like Usâ packaged intelligent, intensely researched character assassinations into a fierce, booming DJ Mustard-produced club hit. Though his savage, accusatory wordplay grabbed the headlines, it was Lamarâs dissection of Drake as âcoloniserâ that truly underlined his pure vitriol.â