Kendrick Lamar’s ‘Not Like Us’ Easter Eggs From Obvious to Absurd

After weeks of anticipation, Kendrick Lamar unleashed his “Not Like Us” music video on the world on Thursday (July 4). As the video continues to get millions of views, fans have noticed tons of hidden Easter eggs scattered throughout the entertaining visual.

Released mere weeks after Kendrick Lamar’s explosive Pop Out – Ken & Friends Concert in Inglewood, Calif., the “Not Like Us” video includes tons of hidden gems only eagle-eyed fans who’ve followed the beef closely will catch. However, as rap fans continue to play detective, there are plenty of obvious Easter eggs, as well as a few pieces that seem pretty far-fetched. Here are all the Easter eggs scattered throughout the Kendrick Lamar “Not Like Us” music video, from the obvious to the most absurd.

Obvious: Dropping on July 4

Kendrick Lamar dropped the “Not Like Us” music video on July 4 and also used red, white and blue color palettes throughout the video. The song, as seen at the unifying Pop Out Concert, has become a West Coast anthem meant to bring together Bloods and Crips. The July 4 release date is a clear homage to that.

Obvious: Kendrick Raps Lyrics From Unreleased Song

Before diving into the song, Kendrick Lamar previewed a new track in the opening moments of the “Not Like Us” music video.

“I am reincarnated/I’m a star gazer/Life goes on I need all my babies/ Woke up looking for broccoli/High-key, keep a horn on me, that Kamasi/IP the ownership/The blueprint is by me/Mr. Get Off, Get off at my feet,” Kendrick raps.

Obvious: Dave Free Directed “Not Like Us” Video

In the closing moments of “Not Like Us,” Kendrick reveals that he directed the music video alongside Dave Free. Drake had implied there was tension between the pgLang cofounders by claiming Dave allegedly fathered children with Kendrick’s longtime partner Whitney Alford. These video credits, as well as Dave’s lighthearted cameo in the video, suggest otherwise.

Obvious: Joyful Family Cameo From Whitney Alford and the Kids

Kendrick’s partner and mother of his children Whitney Alford was the target of multiple digs from Drake on his songs “Push Ups,” “Family Matters” and “The Heart Part 6.” Drizzy claimed Kendrick was physically abusive, and that Alford had fathered children with Dave Free. The Boy also implied K-Dot and Alford quietly separated due to reports K-Dot had bought a Brooklyn penthouse back in 2023 while Alford and their kids still lived in Southern California.

However, the family’s joyful cameo at the end of the “Not Like Us” music video pushes back on these allegations, as the kids and Whitney are seen dancing to the track.

Obvious: Drake’s OVO Owl Piñata

Kendrick throttling an owl Piñata with a stick in the “Not Like Us” music video and its ties to Drake’s are pretty obvious. The logo for Drizzy’s OVO Sound label is an owl, seemingly implying Kendrick is beating up Drake via the success of “Not Like Us.”

Obvious: A Caged Owl

In another shot at Drake, Kendrick Lamar closes out his “Not Like Us” music video by showcasing an owl in a cage. The owl again signifies Drake’s OVO Sound record and demonstrates that Kendrick has got him feeling surrounded, defeated and trapped under his authority.

Obvious: Kendrick’s Hop-Scotch Dance

When Kendrick Lamar belts out his signature bar, “Tryna strike a chord and it’s probably A minor,” K-Dot does a quick game of Hop-Scotch. The children’s game is an attempt to hammer home the allegation that Drake is a pedophile, which K-Dot raps about numerous times throughout “Not Like Us.”

Obvious: Drake “Family Matters” and Shiesty-Mask Reference

Kendrick is seen in a black-and-white scene standing with dim lighting shot in a similar style to the second verse of Drake’s “Family Matters” video. Both shots feature a vehicle with the high beams glaring, and a person in a shiesty mask is blown away by stepping into Kendrick’s presence. Kendrick’s alluding to not only “Family Matters” but Drake on the cover of Dark Lane Demo Tapes with this scene.

Obvious: Cell Block One

In one scene, Kendrick Lamar is doing push-ups, (a likely ode to Drake’s “Push Ups” diss track) in a comfortable jail cell while rapping: “Say Drake, I hear you like ’em young/You better not ever go to cell block one.” The jail cell setting clearly ties in with the “cell block one” bar.

Obvious: DeMar DeRozen

NBA star DeMar DeRozen appears in the “Not Like Us” music video as part of Kendrick’s bar: “I’m glad DeRoz’ came home, y’all didn’t deserve him neither.” The basketball star who hails from Compton, Calif. was traded from the Toronto Raptors to the San Antonio Spurs in 2018, and prior to that had appeared on the cover of Slam with Drake himself.

Possible: Mustard Toronto Blue Jays Hat

Mustard, who produced “Not Like Us,” appears throughout the video and is seen rocking a Toronto Blue Jays hat. Many saw this as Mustard trolling Drake and the team of his hometown, but Mustard debunked that notion in a follow-up interview with Big Boy TV.

“I wasn’t trolling,” Mustard said. “I really wasn’t trolling. I bought a lot of hats that I like. I bought an STL hat, an Angels hat, a Braves hat. I put Faith of a Mustard Seed on all of them.”

Fans haven’t exactly bought Mustard’s excuse, and are still viewing the move as trolling.

Absurd: Shipping Containers Implying Child Trafficking

In a separate scene, Kendrick is seen rapping alongside Dave Free in front of some shipping containers. Fans began to note that the shipping containers tied in with human trafficking and that as a result, Kendrick was accusing Drizzy of trafficking young girls. This is a stretch, considering no such allegation has been brought up before. Not to mention Drake has never been remotely tied to anything that sinister.

Check out all the Easter eggs in Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” music video below.

Watch Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” Music Video

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