King Kendrick Lamar (AKA Kdot) gave Black America 🇺🇸 something to celebrate this Fourth of July. His Not Like Us music video had over 25M views in less than 24 hours. That’s what Kings do!
#blkgrlmgclwyr’s First Impression
So far, I’ve seen the music video four times. My first impression was: DAMN! That was the blackest shit I’ve ever seen! This music video instantly conjured feelings of pride and joy. I am a black woman living in California. This video was made for me. After watching it a second time, I felt compelled to share my deep dive analysis. The black liberation symbolism is impossible to ignore.
King Kdot: “Don’t Touch My FOOD!” or My IP!
Kendrick is renowned for including never-before-heard material in his music videos. It’s a tasteful way of keeping his fans guessing. Not Like Us starts off with some freestyle from Kdot. I was extraordinarily pleased to hear Kendrick takes his Intellectual Property (IP) seriously. “The IP is owned by ME!” I wish more black artists did the same. I have seen black artists get boned by bad IP deals. No black musical artist should ever sign with a mainstream record label. Doing so would be legal slavery. Kdot knows this. I would love an opportunity to chat with Kendrick about ways he can protect his IP even further. I have so many ideas 💡 ! After all, music IP is my jam! As much as Kendrick loves his people, I hope the star hires black attorneys. If he does, he should call me 🤙🏾🤙🏾 !
GON, SIS!! 🔥🔥
We gotta give it to King Kdot! He is demonstrable with his love and respect of black women. I was very pleased to see that this beautiful thic sista started us off with the song. Her body is familial; she looks like me and my people. Kendrick is body positive; this brutha respects the Black community; thic girls like me are celebrated! This sista can MOVE! 💕🔥 My Italian American husband watched this video with me and asked, “why don’t YOU dance like that?!” I responded, “In my soul, I DO!!” 😂😂
King Kdot = MAGIC 💕🙏🏾🧿
I grew up a clergy kid (my late father was a Born Again pastor). I was told that being divinely protected means that God handles both known and unknown enemies. We can stand still with our backs turned – in peace ☮️ . God got us.
As an adult, I’ve developed a healing practice, and my understanding of divine protection has grown. I love magical realism; I especially love King Kdot’s use of it! Everything here is intentional. Black and white filming is used to set the stage of an event or scenario. Notice the krumping brother in the hat. He, in my mind, represents a Black American’s ancestors 🇺🇸 – working with God to protect us. Here, King Kdot is saying, “I wish a n***a would try me!” He ain’t scared. He doesn’t have to be! King Kdot is divinely protected! 🧿🧿
OWL WOP – He Made It Look Sexy
My husband and I saw Boogie Nights on the big screen at QT’s New Beverly Theatre. It’s been over a decade since I saw the film, and I forgot how much Mark Wahlberg’s Dirk Diggler was obsessed with making his adult movies, “look sexy!” 😂. “Is it sexy?” he asked. YES!
King Kdot made the OWL WOP scene sexy – he was in his ELEMENT. The OWL WOP is both comical and sexy. The legal disclaimer is both a good choice and a creative way to CYA (AKA COVER YOUR ASS).
Notice the nod to the ELEMENT. music video. Kendrick kicks ass with clear blue backgrounds – a wise artistic choice, allowing the audience to focus on what he’s doing. The blue background serves as a stage for whooping ass. King Kdot is aware that violence is not the answer in 2024. But if he is forced to be violent, he at least will make it looks sexy!
King Kdot = Dynamic
One of the reasons King Kdot is so special to me is that he is a dynamic, multifaceted artist. Whether he is in his outside clothes or a tailored business suit, King Kdot is authentically HIMSELF. Notice the bars he spits while wearing the suit. King Kdot is a natural entrepreneur with a growth mindset. These traits have lead to his growing success. #blkgrlmgclwyr says: More power to the brutha! ✊🏾
Oh, Tupuc! You were RIGHT! 😱😱
Tupac was a prophet, in my mind. He was sent here on earth for a specific purpose: to uplift, encourage, and love on the black community. Tupac was aware of his role: to change the world – tell the truth. In the above clip, notice that Tupac declares with confidence that he would either change the world or he would at least “spark the brain” of the person who would. Tupac was right. King Kdot picked up where Tupac left off. I saw Tupac’s interview years ago. Like the great prophet he was, Tupac was right 😱. I LIVE for full circle moments like these. All eyes. Thanks, Tupac!
Being a Black Woman = Tiptoed TightRope Crip Walk
The tiptoed tightrope Crip Walk made me scream 😱🔥; it is the perfect metaphor for being a black woman in America. We are told we have to be excellent to get half as much as our white counterparts. The notion of black excellence in a white supremacist society is a myth. We are excellent. We know it; we just know the white gatekeepers won’t acknowledge that truth. What we do daily is nothing short of a miracle. We are magical. We slay it; but we’re tired of doing it all the time. It’s exhausting, and many of us are retiring the tightrope in pursuit of peace ☮️ #exodus.
The Real N***a Challenge! 😱 I Know Kdot… 😂💕🙏🏾
The Krump Dance Battle in Not Like Us is a creative vehicle for storytelling. As a people, we speak with our bodies. No other racial group can dance like black people. We’re OG AF: the original man and woman. Science says the first humans were Africans. Us. Notice the dancers; they only mouth the lyrics, but they speak to us with such passion. This is what we do!
It is my strongly held belief that all roads lead to white supremacy! I was an Africana (Black) Studies minor in college; I know more than most people about race relations. As a black woman lawyer who survived Corporate America 🇺🇸 , I noticed that white supremacy love bi-racial/multi-racial black people because they are “less black” and therefore are, “less scary.” Most of the black attorneys high up at big law firms have light skin; I have been on the receiving end of “brown-paper-bag” bullying from multi-racial black supervisors. It is not coincidence. King Kdot knows what’s up! ✊🏾
Authentic black art is the best vehicle to share information on our history. We cannot rely on white Americans 🇺🇸 to take interest in us. We saw that Juneteenth did not get the love that Fourth of July always gets. I believe that we cannot wait for America 🇺🇸 to right the wrongs of chattel slavery; she’s just not that interested in us to do it! She won’t! She doesn’t even want to talk about it!
Like the legal profession, the entertainment industry reeks of chattel slavery fragments. There, I said it. King Kdot is in the field. Drake, like other bi-racial individuals, is in the house. King Kdot brought this analysis on a global stage. The truth is: Drake runs with Taylor Swift and Harry Styles: pop stars with teenage girls as the majority core fanbase. I’m grown.
Divinely Protected Family! 🧿💕🙏🏾
On his Pulitzer Prize Award-winning album “DAMN.” King Kdot said, “Ain’t nobody praying for me.” After I heard that, I DMed Kdot on IG to tell him that that wasn’t true! This clergy kid prays for King Kendrick of the Culture and his lovely family all the time!
Whitney is GORGEOUS 😍! She reminds me of my chosen sister friend, Tia! Sista can dance, too! Clearly, she is loved, happy, and blessed! From a PR stand point, having Whitney in this video is beneficial. This debunks Drake’s meritless allegations. There is LOVE here! I’m so proud of her and Kdot for what they built together. Gon head, Whitney! 💕💕.
Girls look like their dads: Kdot’s little girl is BEAUTIFUL! She looks like her beautiful father! I look like my dad, too! She reminds me of me.
Kdot’s little boy is ADORABLE!! 🥰 He knows what he’s doing with that basketball, too. Gifted!
Choosing a black and white family photo shot is smart. This establishes this family’s God ordained longevity, love, and prosperity. Blessings to this lovely family! 🧿💕💕🧿
Owl, Sit Down! Be HUMBLE. ✊🏾✊🏾
Owls have spiritual properties for they represent intuition, intelligence, protection, and wisdom. I can’t say if Drake knew this when he chose the Owl for his label. Looks like King Kdot beat him to this punch. By all means, in my mind, this scene of the Not Like Us music video is a spiritual exercise! Notice how King Kdot is staring at the owl, setting intention. He proceeds to place the owl in a cage and walks away. The King is moving on. DAMN. All I know is, I stand in agreement with any intentions King Kdot set here. I pray for continued divine protection for him and his family! 🧿💕🙏🏾
Message to Scorpios ♏️ : Holding Grudges Can Be EXPENSIVE!
We Locked 🔒 In, Friend! ✊🏾✊🏾🔥🔥💕💕🙏🏾🙏🏾
I am both grateful for and proud of who King Kdot has grown to become as an artist. He is ever-growing; he is ever-evolving. He is confident, black, and proud. Game recognizes game.
I was impressed with Kendrick Lamar (AKA Benz Is To Me Just A Car) when he introduced himself to the world. At the time, I was in college. My admiration and appreciation has grown with his message and talent. DAMN. is one of my favorite albums of all time; I could listen to it from start to finish any day. Yes, it’s that good.
Kendrick may not know me yet, but he should know that he has a friend in me. He looks like my chosen brother, Amir. In my Los Angeles apartment, I have a photo of Malcolm X and Kendrick Lamar in my office space. These two bruthas hold a special place in my heart, for we share ideology and a love for the Culture. ✊🏾✊🏾
Thank you, King Kdot, for giving black Americans something to celebrate this Fourth of July! For the Culture! ✊🏾✊🏾🔥🔥💕💕🙏🏾🙏🏾
Author’s Bio
Latrice Burks-Palmerio, Esq. (AKA #blkgrlmgclwyr) is a Los Angeles based impact litigator, activist, and author. She offers legal consulting services to black women experiencing workplace discrimination. Latrice also offers Intellectual Property consultations to black women entrepreneurs. For black women seeking #exodus, Latrice offers immigration law services, as well.
This role serves Latrice’s greater purpose because she is a champion for equality of all types. That said, she cares deeply for black women, as they are her community.
#blkgrlmgclwyr
IG: @tricie93
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