Kendrick Lamar’s ‘Not Like Us’ Nabs Another Win With Song of the Year: ‘Nothing More Powerful Than Rap Music’

Kendrick Lamar‘s “Not Like Us” is not only Song of the Year, but Record of the Year, according to Grammy voters. In the Song of the Year category, he beat out Taylor Swift with Post Malone, Lady Gaga with Bruno Mars, Billie Eilish, Sabrina Carpenter, Beyoncé, Chappell Roan, and Shaboozey.

“At the end of the day, nothing more powerful than rap music,” Lamar said after accepting the prize from Diana Ross, who left him “starstruck.” “We are the culture that’s gonna always stay here and live forever.” He also shouted out various West Coast artists — including Glasses Malone, Problem (now known as JasonMartin), and EastSide K-Boy — as inspirations, and encouraged young rappers to “respect the art form.”

When Lamar dropped “Not Like Us,” a scathing crescendo in his war of words against Drake, he emerged as the official victor of their ongoing feud. During an interview with with SZA for Harper’s Bazaar, the SOS singer asked Lamar what “Not Like Us” meant to him. Lamar replied, “Not like us is the energy of who I am, the type of man I represent. This man has morals, he has values, he believes in something, he stands on something. He’s not pandering. He’s a man who can recognize his mistakes and not be afraid to share the mistakes and can dig deep down into fear-based ideologies or experiences to be able to express them without feeling like he’s less of a man.”