Kendrick Lamar diss-track star Demar DeRozan defends Drake

The NBA star felt "Not Like Us" was a cultural powerhouse for his hometown Compton, but he never meant to be part of an epic rap feud.

Mar 25, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bulls forward DeMar DeRozan warms up before a basketball game against the Washington Wizards at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports / Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports

Kendrick Lamar will always hold down his hometown of Compton, California.

While he may have had some not-so-favorable words for fellow rapper Drake on his chart-topping single “Not Like Us,” Lamar did manage to shout out a couple of West Coast athletes — including Serena Williams and DeMar DeRozan.

Both the tennis superstar and the Sacramento Kings power forward have each responded to the track. Williams alluded to the track in a monologue at the ESPYs earlier this month, and DeRozan made an appearance in the song’s music video. 

But this doesn’t necessarily mean DeRozan has chosen a side. In an interview with the Sacramento Bee, DeRozan says he enjoyed the impact of “Not Like Us” for his hometown more than the prospect of dissing anybody.

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“It was fun to be a part of ["Not Like Us"],” said DeRozan, “For that moment, it was so much bigger than what people look at it as a beef between [Lamar] and Drake. It brought our whole city together in a different type of light where there wasn’t no issues, no violence. Everybody was coming together in a peaceful manner and that was the beauty out of those moments.”

Elsewhere in the interview, DeRozan said it’s all love between him and Drake, and likened the Kendrick vs. Drake beef to a good old-fashioned basketball rivalry.

“Drake’s still my man, still my man, none of it changed,” DeRozan said. “It’s so easy to get overlooked and look at it for what it looks like, but at the end of the day it’s music, entertainment. Two of the biggest rappers in the world went at it from a competitive standpoint and they battled it out. That’s what you want to see as a fan: Kobe [Bryant] playing [Michael] Jordan 1-on-1 and see who wins, see the trash talking, and whoever wins out of that, you’re still going to have the debate, so that’s all that is.”

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Perhaps DeRozan might bump “Not Like Us” at future practices, now that he’s returned to his home state after a three-year stint with the Chicago Bulls. Unlike Golden State Warriors point guard Steph Curry, DeRozan doesn’t seem to be sick of the song.

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