Kendrick Lamar Accused of Stealing Old Tweets for "Not Like Us"

Cop Your XXL Merch Now

As Kendrick Lamar's diss track "Not Like Us" fights for the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, some fans are experiencing déjà vu over K-Dot's hardest bars on the song, and are accusing the rapper of stealing their tweets.

Fans Criticize Kendrick Lamar on X

"Not Like Us" has spread like wildfire ever since it was unleashed onto the world on May 4. The diss track is already being turned into a TikTok dance and has even soundtracked numerous sporting events across the country, including most recently the Los Angeles Dodgers game against the Miami Marlins on Tuesday (May 7). While "Not Like Us" becomes a national anthem, some fans are speaking out on X, formerly known as Twitter, and claiming that some of the track's hardest-hitting bars were plagiarized from some of their old tweets.

"Kendrick ['Plagiarism'] Lamar," one disgruntled X user wrote on Thursday (May 9), citing a tweet of his from 2021 that read: "Certified Lover BOY? More Like Certified Pedophile."

Another person back in 2016 had tweeted, "If she listen to Drake she a OVHoe," and now was convinced K-Dot ripped his tweet for the signature chant on "Not Like Us."

"Damn @kendricklamar can I get in the writer credits???" the same user tweeted on Thursday.

Most of the tweets in question are more than a year old, and some are over a decade old. Not to mention many of the tweets have very little engagement and hardly any likes, which makes it feel far-fetched that Kendrick was combing through obscure old tweets to formulate his lyrics. However, fans are becoming increasingly perplexed about Kendrick's bars and how they're nearly identical to many of the tweets. Drake also criticized Kendrick's use of TikTok when it came to extracting information on his foes. On Drizzy's diss track "The Heart Part 6," he clowns K-Dot for allegedly scouring TikTok for dirt.

"This Epstein angle was the s**t I expected/TikTok videos you collected and dissectred/Instead of bein' on some diss-direct s**t/You rather f**king grab your pen and misdirect s**t," Drake raps.

Drake also noted that K-Dot may have been using X to write some of his bars on his parody track "Buried Alive, Interlude Pt. 2."

"You been hatin' hard for a very long time/It feel like Twitter ghostwritin' your reply," Drizzy raps.

But the accusations against K-Dot don't mean Drizzy gets off scot-free either. Fans have also come out on X and accused him of doing the same thing.

"Please spread to humble those corny a*s Drake fans, they're doing too much," wrote one Kendrick supporter below, linking to numerous tweets that are eerily similar to the bars used in Drake's "Family Matters" and "Push Ups."

One fan even tweeted on May 3 that Drake should call his final diss track "The Heart Part 6." Drake dropped off that song on May 5.

Drake's "colonizer" accusations made by Kendrick on "Not Like Us" have also been tied in her, with one user on X noting that Drake has collected Pharrell's jewelry, Tupac Shakur's ring and the G-Unit spinner chain.

"Gathering all the cultural heirlooms like one colonizer," the X user noted.

Kendrick Lamar Accused of Plagiarism in the Past

This also is hardly the first time Kendrick or Drake has faced plagiarism accusations. Some fans on X reshared old articles that found Kendrick being sued for copyright infringement. The accusations stemmed all the way back to 2014, when songwriters Eric Reed and Willie Jones III filed suit against Kendrick for sampling their 2010 song "The Thorn" in his Section.80 cut "Rigamortus."

"'The Thorn isn't merely part of 'Rigamortis'...IT IS 'Rigamortis'," the suit read. The songwriters sued for over $1 million and reached an undisclosed settlement in 2015.

Kendrick was then sued again in 2020 for copyright infringement over his 2017 song "Loyalty," which musician Terrance Hayes claimed ripped off his production used on a 2011 track also called "Loyalty." Hayes voluntarily dismissed the suit later that year.

Drake was also sued for $10 million over copyright infringement allegations last April. A Ghanian rapper named Obrafour claimed Drizzy used a sample from his song for the 6 God's "Calling My Name" in 2022.

While it's unlikely Kendrick or Drake knowingly scoured Twitter for any lyrics, anything remains possible in one of rap's most unpredictable beefs. However, the question remains: does it really matter? These two talented rappers still needed to relay the disses in a clever and theatrical way in their songs. Regardless, fans feel conflicted. But it's also awkward when the phrases used in these tweets don't necessarily belong to the tweeter once they're posted online. Needless to say, this is one awkward conundrum.