In a move that can only be titled as the ultimate flex, Kendrick Lamar performed his viral Drake diss track, Not Like Us, in the very center of his opponents domain and the audience ate it up.
Playing in the hometown of Drake on Thursday, June 12, Lamar made fans in the Canadian megacity rap every brutal word of his now-legendary song.
The atmosphere in the hall was more of a triumphal march than a regular tour date. To Lamar, it was a poets triumph: a lyric murderer drawing a triumphant bow in a foreign land.
Diss to Anthem
By the time Kendrick released “Not Like Us” in the spring of 2024, one of the most heated rap beefs in years had reached its climax. The West Coast rapper, poetic accuracy and fearless narrator, provided a scathing attack on Drake, complete with barbed lines that referred to power, race, and personal scandal.
The crowd chanted back at Lamar Thursday night, It is us against them, a testament to how the song has taken on a life of its own outside of the hip-hop sphere.
Even in Toronto, where Drake has been given the treatment of a hometown hero, the momentum appeared to turn. The fans seemed less interested in questions of loyalty and more excited by the mere cultural propulsion of the message Kendrick was putting forth.
Hard-Hitting Lyrics–All Over
Lyrics in “Not Like Us” that claim Drake is a “colonizer” and other more questionable assertions had many anticipating a response- particularly in Canada. Instead, they have turned into calls to arms among the younger fans who crave unvarnished truth and unafraid art.
A diss has now turned into a cultural moment, a “take-no-prisoners” anthem that people feel seen through.
One fan outside the Toronto venue said, “Kendrick came with the heat, but it is bigger than a battle now, it is a movement.
Lamar has a broader message that enhances that feeling. He is not only replying to Drake, he is replying to a system, to celebrity, to artificiality. And listeners are fans.
The Beef That Rocked Hip-Hop
The Kendrick and Drake beef is not just a music industry feud. Years in the making, the initial tension goes back to 2013. Initially, it was mere diss trackle and rival rhymes. In 2024, however, gloves were off.
Through nine diss tracks, the two rappers exchanged heavy blows- allegations of abuse, dead beat fatherhood, cultural appropriation among others. Nothing was taboo.
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However, Kendrick Lamar, Not Like Us, was different. It was more than a diss, it was a statement. Its stratified wordplay and caustic commentary on Drake as a person, his image, and his activities were enough to earn it the notice of more than a few hip-hop heads.
It struck the charts. It struck TikTok. It was a raw nerve.
The Domination of Kendrick Takes a Global Route.
The Toronto show on Thursday night follows a series of electrifying performances by Kendrick Lamar. It has been his sold-out Juneteenth concert in Los Angeles, a show-stopping Super Bowl halftime show, and a historic sweep at the 2025 BET Awards, where he took home Album of the Year for GNX that have established him not only in rap but in the culture at large.
Even his enemies concede: he is winning.
As his “Not Like Us” streams in the millions and memes hail Lamar as the champ of the people, the discourse has changed. Once viewed as untouchable, Drake is now avoiding more questions than he is answering.
And Kendrick? He is having a blast, allowing his work to do the talking that his interviews never could.
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Toronto Crowd Prefers the Beat to the Brand
In Toronto, the fans also expressed their stand loud and clear, not necessarily on Drake, but on Kendrick.
“It’s just that I do not hate Drake,” explained a young fan wearing a Lamar T-shirt. All I can say is that Kendrick is telling the truth right now. It is something you cannot ignore.”
The crowd went wild, not only with the cheers but with involvement as the lights flashed and the beat dropped on “Not Like Us.” They reproduced verbatim some of the most cutting lines of Kendrick.
The message? Be the hometown hero, and you can still be booed off your own block–if somebody comes along with more truth, and more fire, and more heart.
What Next in this Feud?
As the pendulum is greatly fluctuating in favor of Lamar, fans want to know what is next.
Will Drake answer it? Can he?
The Toronto rapper has so far been relatively silent, allegedly working on future releases. Even devoted fans acknowledge that he has an uphill climb. Kendrick has not only criticized the words of Drake, but he has criticized his legacy, his brand, and even his position in the Black community.
And or by whatever you may feel about his methods, this much cannot be denied; Kendrick Lamar has made hip-hop feel again.
