2 Chainz, an Atlanta-based artist whom Kendrick Lamar mentioned in the third verse of his hit "Not Like Us," positioning him alongside those who had previously collaborated with Drake, subsequently labeled him not as a peer but as a "colonizer." This controversy now finds the rapper behind "Watch Out" sharing his perspective on the mention during a visit to The Breakfast Club.
On Wednesday, February 12th, Chainz, accompanied by Larry June and The Alchemist to promote their album "Life Is Beautiful," was grilled by Charlamagne Tha God about Lamar's nod to him in the Drake dis track that dropped in May. The rapper, formerly known as Tity Boi, reflected, "I perceived it more as playful wordplay, considering Drake and I have a song together called 'No Lie.' When Lamar rhymed about lying, it didn't hit me personally. I didn't sense any malice towards me. I believe it was just a moment celebrating Atlanta's artists."
He elaborated, "I've heard people wanting me to respond in various ways, but I genuinely think it was a celebration of our Atlanta roots. It wasn't personal."
On the Grammy-award-winning song that soared to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 and set a record for the most weeks atop the Hot Rap Songs chart, Lamar recited: "2 Chainz say you're good, but he lied/ You run to Atlanta when you need a few dollars/ No, you're not a colleague, you're a f—in' colonizer."
June, meanwhile, admitted he hadn't heard "Not Like Us" in full. "I've never listened to the whole song," he confessed. "I get along with everyone. I just hadn't fully listened to that song. I caught snippets on Instagram and such. But I was busy working on the album with him, so I wasn't really diving into outside music at that time."
The Alchemist, who produced "Meet the Grahams," delved into the origins of theDrake diss track, revealing it was initially built upon a gospel sample. "Yeah, it's a gospel-infused track. The sample was gospel," he said. "I try to stay neutral, like Switzerland. But somehow, I ended up in the crossfire. I sent the track to Dot months before the drama, and I heard it along with everyone else when it dropped."
