But as rap fans got to work deciphering Lamar’s new video, it became clear he wasn’t done dunking on Drake. Here’s a guide to the references and insults buried in the video.
Owls are a sort of mascot for Drake, who founded the record label OVO Sound and the lifestyle brand OVO. (Notice how the letters resemble an owl emoji.)
Unfortunately for Drake, Lamar also has access to owls, and he put them to the test for his music video.
In one scene, he beats an owl piñata with a stick until it explodes, while an on-screen disclaimer mocks “OVO” with an insult we can’t print here.
Then, toward the end of the video, Lamar stares at an owl in a cage. The background music stops as he walks off-screen and the bird turns to the camera, all alone.
Lamar’s children and fiancée Whitney Alford make a notable cameo
During a particularly heated point in the feud, in early May, Drake released a seven-minute diss track called “Family Matters” which contained unsubstantiated claims that Lamar was abusing his fiancée, Whitney Alford. The song also implied that Dave Free, Lamar’s longtime creative collaborator, was the real father of one of Lamar and Alford’s children.
Lamar responded to those accusations by tapping Free to co-direct his new music video, which features a scene of Alford, Lamar and their two young children dancing in a living room to lyrics clearly aimed at Drake: “The family matter and the truth of the matter / It was God’s plan to show y’all the liar.”
Drake isn’t the only one making serious accusations during the rap feud. “Not Like Us” contained several lines suggesting, without citing evidence, that Drake is a pedophile. Lamar doubled down on their stance in the video, playing hopscotch in one scene as he raps, “Ain’t you tired? Try to hit a chord, and it’s probably A-Minor.”
Push-ups, Tam’s Burgers and other hidden messages
Lamar was also filmed doing push-ups on concrete blocks, an apparent response to Drake’s diss track “Push Ups,” in which he attacked Lamar’s artistic integrity.
To add some extra flair, Lamar also peppered the video with nods to his Compton, California roots. Compton-born NBA star DeMar DeRozan made a cameo, as did Los Angeles-raised dancer Tommy the Clown. Crowds of people and dancers in the video visit local landmarks like the Compton Courthouse and Tam’s Burgers.
Lamar also sourced some of the fashion locally, including a hat designed by Ghetto Rodeo and Kaló Soil and a sweatshirt by Kaló Soil.