Kendrick Just Ended Drake at the Oscars—Is This the Best Diss Track Ever?

We’ve seen some legendary diss tracks in hip-hop history. LL had the streets chanting "Can I Bus", Nas had everyone screaming "F*ck Jay-Z", and 2Pac had the world reciting "Hit 'Em Up" bar for bar. But this Kendrick Lamar diss? This one is different. "They Not Like Us" isn’t just a diss track—it’s a cultural phenomenon.

"They Not Like Us" Has Taken On a Life of Its Own—Drake Can’t Escape It

This song has completely dismantled Drake in a way we’ve never seen before. First, it took over the Super Bowl weekend, shifting all momentum to Kendrick at the peak of the sports and entertainment world. Then, it kept growing. Saturday Night Live had Will Ferrell doing a rendition of it on national television. Now, even Conan O’Brien is cracking jokes about Drake at the Oscars, and the entire room is laughing.

Drake is no longer just the subject of a diss track—he’s a meme.

Drake Made It Worse for Himself

Here’s the thing: if Drake had just chilled out and laid low, this might not have gotten so bad. But he kept responding, kept feeding the fire, and in the process, made it worse than Kendrick ever could. Instead of controlling the damage, he walked right into the storm and let it consume him.

Now, this song is tied to him forever. No matter what happens from this point on, when people mention Drake, they’ll mention this song.

The Hardest Diss Track of All Time?

When Chris Brown told Quavo, "It should’ve been you that died instead," I thought that was one of the coldest lines we’d ever hear—especially from an R&B singer. But this? This is different.

This track didn’t just go at Drake—it took everything from him.

• His legacy? Shattered.

• His reputation? A joke.

• His mental state? Gone.

This was a career assassination, not just a diss track.

And the message from Kendrick is crystal clear: Don’t ever rap against K. Dot.

"They Not Like Us" and the Art of the Career-Ending Diss Track

Hip-hop has always been built on competition—on proving you’re the best by dismantling your opponent, either through skill, dominance, or psychological warfare. Over the years, we’ve seen some of the most legendary diss tracks leave permanent scars:

• "Takeover"—Jay-Z came with calculated precision, but Nas snatched away his street credibility with Ether.

• "Back to Back"—Drake made Meek Mill look like he was chasing behind Nicki Minaj, turning a battle into a joke.

• "The Story of Adidon"—Pusha T exposed Drake’s secret son and destroyed his public image in one of the most vicious diss tracks ever.

But now, we have something different.

With "They Not Like Us", Kendrick Lamar didn’t just diss Drake—he completely stripped him of his cultural cache, shattered his psychological armor, and made him a laughingstock.

This wasn’t just a diss track. This was a cinematic destruction, a four-part saga that built up like the Marvel Cinematic Universe leading to Endgame.

So how did Kendrick pull off what could be considered the greatest diss track of all time?

The Anatomy of a Career-Ending Diss Track

Kendrick didn’t just drop one song and call it a day. He set the stage, built anticipation, and dismantled Drake’s entire existence step by step.

1. The Setup: Planting the Seeds

Before even dropping "They Not Like Us", Kendrick baited Drake into a public meltdown.

• He started with "Like That", a quick jab that sent the internet into chaos.

• Drake tried to respond, but his shots weren’t landing.

• Then came "Euphoria", a slow, methodical diss that dissected Drake as a man, not just a rapper.

By this point, Drake was already showing cracks. He wasn’t in control of the conversation anymore—Kendrick was dictating the terms of battle.

2. The Mind Games: Psychological Warfare

The best diss tracks don’t just clown you—they get into your psyche and expose insecurities.

• Jay-Z went for Nas’s career relevance.

• Drake made Meek Mill look weak and desperate.

• Pusha T exposed Drake’s biggest secret and forced him into fatherhood under public scrutiny.

But Kendrick did something deeper.

"They Not Like Us" isn’t just calling Drake soft—it’s calling him a certified fraud.

• A culture vulture, someone who only benefits from hip-hop but isn’t truly part of it.

• A man-child, someone who surrounds himself with younger people because he can’t connect with real peers.

• A victim, someone who plays the tough guy in music but folds when real pressure hits.

This wasn’t just about music anymore. Kendrick tore apart Drake’s entire persona and left nothing standing.

3. The Cultural Takeover: Making It Inescapable

This is where "They Not Like Us" becomes one of the most devastating diss tracks in history.

It didn’t just land—it became bigger than the music itself.

• It took over the Super Bowl weekend, with everyone talking about Kendrick’s shots at Drake.

• Saturday Night Live picked it up, with Will Ferrell doing a parody performance.

• Hollywood got involved, with Conan O’Brien making jokes about Drake at the Oscars.

• Memes and TikToks ran wild, cementing this song into pop culture permanently.

Drake can’t escape this. No matter what he does now, this song is attached to his name forever.

How It Ranks Against Other Diss Tracks

So where does "They Not Like Us" rank among the greatest diss tracks of all time?

1. “Ether” – Nas vs. Jay-Z

• One of the most iconic diss tracks, Nas flipped the entire battle with this one song.

• The phrase "You got Ethered" became a hip-hop term for getting obliterated in a battle.

• Street credibility destroyed: Jay-Z had the business, but Nas made him look like a corporate sellout with no respect from the streets.

Verdict: "They Not Like Us" had a bigger cultural impact but didn't invent a hip-hop term like Ether did.

2. “Back to Back” – Drake vs. Meek Mill

• Drake clowned Meek Mill into irrelevance, making him look like Nicki Minaj’s backup dancer.

• The song was playable in the club, which made it even more humiliating.

• Meek’s career took a huge hit, but he eventually rebounded.

Verdict: Kendrick’s diss is more devastating because it’s bigger than music—it’s part of the culture now. Meek recovered. Drake won’t.

3. “The Story of Adidon” – Pusha T vs. Drake

• Brutal, surgical, and calculated.

• Exposed Drake’s hidden son, which changed his entire public persona.

• Made Drake look like a fraud who was forced to reveal his kid instead of taking control of the situation.

Verdict: Before "They Not Like Us", this was the most career-damaging diss ever. But Kendrick’s track didn’t just expose a secret—it erased Drake’s credibility and broke his confidence.

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Final Verdict: The Greatest Diss Track Ever?

At the start of 2024, if you had told me there would be a diss track that could overshadow "The Story of Adidon," I would’ve laughed.

But here we are.

"They Not Like Us" is now the standard for what a career-ending diss track looks like.

• It didn’t just win the rap battle—it won the cultural war.

• It didn’t just hurt Drake—it erased his credibility.

• It wasn’t just a song—it was a movement.

Drake will still have fans. He will still sell records. But his reputation? His standing in hip-hop? His ability to be taken seriously?

All gone.

Kendrick set the blueprint for how to dismantle a rap opponent in the modern era. And if any rapper ever thinks about going at him again?

They better think twice.