Once again, hip-hop fans are complaining about other publications and media companies passing judgement on the genre's offerings. However, this time around, we're sure that there's a specific set of rap die-hards in support of a particular Canadian superstar that aren't complaining. Moreover, Kendrick Lamar fans are outraged at how Billboard did not rank the Drake diss "Not Like Us" as "the song of the summer" for 2024. Instead, the outlet gave the crown to Post Malone and Morgan Wallen's "I Had Some Help." However, Billboard does have a metric and an explanation that details how they arrived at this conclusion.
According to the publication, "the 20-position Songs of the Summer running tally tracks the most popular titles based on cumulative performance on the weekly streaming-, airplay- and sales-based Billboard Hot 100 chart from Memorial Day through Labor Day (this year encompassing charts dated June 8 through Sept. 7)." As such, the early May release of Kendrick Lamar's "Not Like Us" is probably what impacted these numbers. Still, for the wider hip-hop, music, and pop culture spheres, you can't deny that there wasn't a more inescapable and moment-creating track that dominated the summer.
Kendrick Lamar Did Not Have The "Song Of The Summer," According To Billboard
Maybe we're not giving Sabrina Carpenter and others their due flowers, but it's hard to deny the sheer scale and impact of the Kendrick Lamar and Drake battle in the summer of 2024. We're still seeing developments in this area, such as the Toronto lyricist's new music releases and the promise of a "Game 2" on his behalf. But when it comes to K.Dot, we really have no idea what he'll do next apart from a few speculative theories and hints from his camp here and there. Will the robbed song of the summer become song of the year if this beef rages on?
Fans React
Nevertheless, we have to acknowledge how ridiculous it is that folks even care about what Billboard has to say about Kendrick Lamar's "Not Like Us." Even if the summer is wrapping up, this battle definitely has more legs. Some of it is reflective, like Adam22 thinking that the Compton MC should support his colleagues more. But as for what the future holds as the epilogue to this story, all we can do is excitedly wait.
