Common Freestyles Over Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” & Fans Are Split On It

Without a shadow of a doubt, Common is one of the most technically-sound writers we have in hip-hop history. His wordplay, flows, and tremendous storytelling are all of the skills that separate him from most of the competition. It is part of the reason why fans of the genre as so thrilled to be receiving his new album with producer Pete Rock, The Auditorium Vol. 1, on July 12. The 15-track collaborative effort has four incredible singles out from it right now and it is looking like it will be a top-tier LP for 2024. In the meantime, though, Common is creating more buzz for their album by providing a freestyle over Kendrick Lamar‘s “Not Like Us”.

The future rap song of the year has the everyone around the genre in a chokehold right now. It is everywhere and thanks to its viral music video, it is looking like it will be around well after these next five months. With Common bringing his philosophical bars to the West Coast anthem, what could possibly go wrong? Well, it turns out a lot did, unfortunately. Fans did praise the Chicago veteran’s overall performance, but there were also a few skeptics out there.

Most of the complaints centered around the fact that the words felt recited and ones that might belong to another song. Others were even claiming that Common rapped some of these bars at the Roots Picnic from last month. He did in fact hit the stage in Philadelphia and the joints he did play were made with Pete Rock, according to Billboard. Additionally, Com’s flows are pretty off compared to the tempo of the instrumental on “Not Like Us” and the hype man in the back seemed to know all of the adlibs. Maybe this was Common’s intent, especially with the album coming in just four days.

What are your thoughts on this “Not Like Us” freestyle by Common? Do you agree with the fans that this might be an unreleased song snippet? Even though it is not a conventional off-the-dome rap session, was it a great set of verses? Are you excited for him and Pete Rock’s upcoming project, The Auditorium Vol. 1? We would like to hear what you have to say, so leave your thoughts in the comments. Additionally, always keep it locked in with HNHH for all of the latest news surrounding Common and Kendrick Lamar. Finally, stay with us for everything else going on in the world of music.