Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” video is littered with subtle hints and easter eggs referencing his battle with Drake, and some fans believe they found one that reveals the date of a new album.
The video is densely packed with imagery alluding to the feud. Lamar dances with his fiancée and their children, does pushups in a room resembling a cell and ends the Dave Free co-directed video by walking away from a caged owl.
Eagle-eyed fans have been combing through the visuals to decode all the symbolism. Some believe Kendrick Lamar announced the date of a new album via a hidden clue.
Fans honed in on the lettering of a jacket Lamar wore in the video, which appeared to be a date: 8/8/2024.
“New Kendrick album August 8th ???” one person shared on X (Twitter) alongside an image of a jacket Lamar wore in the video.
New Kendrick album August 8th ??? pic.twitter.com/IOTTZNnUji
— 𝐉𝐱𝐎𝐧𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐊𝐞𝐲𝐳 (@JxOnTheKeyz) July 5, 2024
“On Kendrick’s jacket , he has the date 8/8/2024,” another user posted with a similar image. “Do what you want with that info .. it lands on a Thursday. New album 9pm.”
On Kendrick’s jacket , he has the date 8/8/2024 … do what you want with that info .. it lands on a Thursday. New album 9pm . pic.twitter.com/YI6F1x7gdx
— P🎱ЯKŸ (@DavidSFV93) July 5, 2024
However, Lamar wasn’t teasing a new album with his clothing, but it appears to be another jab at Drake. The jacket is from the latest collection by Jamaican-British designer Martine Rose. The “date” actually reads “S/S/2024” and refers to Rose’s Spring/Summer collection.
Lamar also wears Rose’s “Motocross” scarf wrapped around his head in other “Not Like Us” scenes.
The choice of London-based Jamaican designer is an interesting one given that K. Dot accused Drake of being a colonizer who collaborates with other artists to gain “street cred.” He also refers to Drake speaking in multiple accents and even mocks his Jamaican Patois-heavy Toronto slang. Furthermore, Drake has caught heat over the years for adopting a London accent or speaking Patois.
Considering Lamar has layered every part of his production with subtle jabs, the style choice is unlikely a coincidence.
After Lamar effectively ended the battle with “Not Like Us,” Drake fans were hoping he’d finally push the “red button” and return with a track to try and even the score. However, the OVO boss hopped on the remix of Toronto TikTok star Snowd4y’s “Hey There Delilah” parody, “Wah Gwan Delilah.”