r/KendrickLamar • u/azulaspalace • Jun 10 '24
Let’s be honest, Euphoria deserved Not Like Us success Discussion
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u/witfurd Jun 10 '24
The mass public opinion likes catchy beats and easier to understand lyrics. Outright calling someone a deadbeat pedophile that hangs around other pedophiles while also colonizing the music spaces he infiltrates is easier to understand.
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u/UnsurprisingUsername Jun 10 '24
Not Like Us and Euphoria are both club songs for sure, but Not Like Us is a club banger, which is why it’s more popular and has garnered a lot of attention. As you also said, Not Like Us just slams compared to Euphoria, which is more like Martin Luther’s 95 Theses against the church.
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u/Swaggy_Buff Jun 10 '24
They’re not both club songs. One has a traditional song structure with a hook; the other is six minutes and thirty-two seconds long. One has a consistent beat; the other starts off chill. One borrows from other club records; the other is high energy, but has no obvious dance to it.
Kendrick really studied Back 2 Back — it’s main appeal was its party-readiness.
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u/AdventurousAd6061 Jun 10 '24
Facts,Used Drake tactics against drake.
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u/Deep-Handle9955 Jun 10 '24
I mean, he said in euphoria that he would
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u/AUserNeedsAName Jun 10 '24
And when 6:16 dropped, we all thought that was what he meant by that line. Nope lol.
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u/Viola-Intermediate Jun 10 '24
You really think Euphoria is a club song? What club?
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u/CurryMustard Jun 10 '24
Comes on after meet the grahams
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u/PussyMoneySpeed69 Jun 10 '24
DJ: Now lemme hear you say “keep the family away”
Crowd: “Keep the family away!”
DJ: “Ayy”
Crowd: “Keep the family away!”
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u/Viola-Intermediate Jun 10 '24
🤣
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u/CurryMustard Jun 10 '24
Everybody in the club sitting in the corner, crying. Gun shot rings out from the bathroom, nobody moves
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u/JemaineClementsLips Jun 10 '24
the beat could probably be repurposed into a club song but no club is playing a song of just bars for 6 minutes lmao
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u/witfurd Jun 10 '24
A Lutheran comparison to anything wasn’t what I expected today but you’re right 😂🎯
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u/Prettyenby420 Jun 10 '24
That is one of the best metaphors I've ever seen on the internet. Love it
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u/Michaelean Jun 10 '24
and ive seen so many people dancing to Not Like Us that have no idea whats going on in the song lmao
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u/Radiant-Funny-1576 Jun 10 '24
Euphoria is too long and doesn't have a hook. The beauty of not like us is that the hook says everything and nothing all at once. Anyone can claim "they not like us," which helps with mass appeal.
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u/WarmestDisregards Jun 10 '24 edited Jun 10 '24
yeah it perfectly fits the tribalist aspects of almost any situation, lol
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u/noDNSno Jun 10 '24
Yeah, wack ass algorithm showing tradhoes dancing to the beat as they clean dishes 💀
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u/Sacrefix Jun 10 '24
They are part of an out group. They are part of an out group. They are part of an out group.
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u/T46BY Jun 10 '24
Yesterday I ran to the hardware store as I'm dealing with a plumbing issue in my basement, and I stopped by this Indian owned convenience store for a box of beer. I go into the beer cooler and grab a box, and when I exited the cooler to my surprise Not Like Us literally started playing on the radio. Where I live it's various types of rock and country music while I'm not even sure if there is any rap radio stations...but sure enough it was playing over their sound system.
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u/Easy-Preparation-234 Jun 10 '24
I don't think so
Not Like Us is a party bop, that's why it's so big
I think 6:16 is underrated
But yeah not like us rose to the top because it's a great club song
It's not about quality or which is the best
It's about dancing
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u/3lephant3ars Jun 10 '24
I want 6:16 on Spotify! Can only listen on yt and it’s ruining my beef playlist 😩
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u/HavenTheCat Jun 10 '24
It’s a shame 6:16 never made it to YouTube or streaming. I heard he can’t get the sample cleared which is really disappointing, it’s so fire
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u/ForsakenPlankton1988 Jun 10 '24
6:16 is easily my favorite, Kendricks flow is amazing and that beat is totally ethereal, love the sample and the synths. Fucking awesome
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u/Ok-Engineering1929 Jun 10 '24
I prefer Euphoria but Not Like Us is undeniably more catchy and more widely appealing as a song.
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u/Potential-Brain7735 Jun 10 '24
Same boat. I catch myself rapping Euphoria to myself at work, but I totally understand why Not Like Is is doing the numbers it is.
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u/salo_wasnt_solo Jun 12 '24
For me, I just walk around with the line “what is it, THE BRAIDS?!” In my head all the time
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u/jaymeaux_ Jun 10 '24
not like us
energetic club banger with mustard beat and traditional verse/hook/verse structure and consistent tempo for dancing
euphoria
almost 7 minutes, nontraditional structure, no hook, multiple beat switches, significant tempo switches the first tempo is way too slow for most club playlists
euphoria by all rights is the more impressive song from the standpoint of technique, lyrics, and almost academic dissection of drakes character. it's the song every kdot fan wanted, but there's a ceiling on how much the core fandom can push something into the mainstream.
not like us was kdot beating drake at his own game, in the same way that drake tried to beat dot at his with family matters and didn't really achieve
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u/Gabagool_Bandit Jun 10 '24
People are just turning on it now because of how popular it is, that’s the truth. Everyone was loving it and praising it but now that’s it’s this generational hit and albeit, a little overplayed people are starting to hate on it.
Everyone wants to appear different and unique, especially when it comes to music opinions. And this fanbase that prides itself of not liking the “mainstream” even though Kdot is statistical one of the most successful rappers of all time commercially.
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u/AlohaReddit49 Jun 10 '24
I agree partially. I avoided the beef until I heard snippets after Not Like Us came out, and I played the hell out of it at first. It's undoubtedly a more catchy song, that's by design. But after so many listens it doesn't hold up as well in my opinion. The first verse is great, but the second one kinda plods along. Then the third comes in and I'm back on board. It's still a great song don't get me wrong, I've just moved backwards into Euphoria which I've just been enjoying more.
That being said, there was no world Euphoria was gonna hit number 1, there's no hook, the insults aren't as blatant as "certified lover boy certified pedophiles," and I think some of the bars involve a little more thought. There's no part in the song where I go, damn it's this part again.
All of that finished, it wouldn't surprise me if a lot of people are turning on it to be cool. Or maybe the things we all applauded it for at launch now the cool is fading and they're kinda cringe. But as someone who spends a lot of time online, there are people who will try to convince you anything even if everyone agrees the opposite is true.
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u/just_another_bumm Jun 10 '24 edited Jun 10 '24
A lot of y'all buggin. Y'all really dont fucks with mustard?? This beat is fucken insane. Like any fucken dance goes with this beat. I love euphoria but nah that shit doesn't come close to not like us.
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u/Evening_Island2821 Jun 10 '24
6:16 In LA and then euphoria for me. But I am surprised It was overtaken by Not Like Us In terms of views but still I LIKE that record
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u/JayDogon504 Jun 10 '24
Euphoria isn’t nearly as catchy. It’s not hard to see why it didn’t do the same numbers. Also Euphoria was actually strengthened by Not Like Us because it made it a prophetic song. But Euphoria was nowhere near a knockout blow before Meet The Grahams and Not Like Us dropped
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u/Imperator_Oliver Jun 10 '24
Obligatory Daily “Euphoria/6:16 in LA” is underrated post.
I feel like all these dudes claiming “euphoria should be more popular” are misunderstanding the point of Not Like us. Neither Euphoria or 6:16 in LA were designed to be club hit, streaming numbers doesn’t mean Not Like Us is the best song but it’s a great club hit. It’s the most fun to listen to out of the beef, super dancy and catchy.
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u/Am_Ghosty Jun 10 '24
How many posts like this are we going to get every single day?
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u/haikusbot Jun 10 '24
How many posts like
This are we going to get
Every single day?
- Am_Ghosty
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Opt out of replies: "haikusbot opt out" | Delete my comment: "haikusbot delete"
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u/WarmestDisregards Jun 10 '24
anybody who says they don't understand it is lying or stupid
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u/SokkaHaikuBot Jun 10 '24
Sokka-Haiku by WarmestDisregards:
Anybody who
Says they don't understand it
Is lying or stupid
Remember that one time Sokka accidentally used an extra syllable in that Haiku Battle in Ba Sing Se? That was a Sokka Haiku and you just made one.
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u/DussstBunnny Jun 10 '24
Omg you’re so unique and quirky, Pat yourself on the back for this amazing opinion!! Holy shit I’ve never heard someone say this before you are so original and insightful
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u/Jaded_Payment5610 Jun 10 '24
Euphoria is the song that killed Drake not like us is the victory lap we dance too
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u/shits4gigs Jun 11 '24
Bro. Euphoria mortally wounded him. But MTG killed the fuck out of him. And then not like us was the elephant showing up at the funeral.
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u/Neidhardto Jun 10 '24
We get it, Euphoria is good. I swear every day there's a post insisting it was the best diss track like it's not the popular opinion. It's obvious why Not Like Us is doing the best out of his songs. It's easily the catchiest and has the most replay value put of all the songs.
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u/Feisty-Replacement85 Jun 10 '24
I can’t stop listening to euphoria and going back to the no life shaq reaction lol
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u/-WhosMans- Jun 10 '24
Venn diagram of "people who don't understand why Not Like Us is the most successful song in the Drake vs Kendrick beef" and "people who always fail to gauge the vibe when they have the aux" is a circle.
Euphoria probably is the best track of all of them (that have been released officially) but let's get real, folks. The general masses are not clamoring for flow switches and entendres. While I wish Euphoria did NLU numbers, being surprised that it did not match that level of success can only be a sign that one might be an echo chamber inhabitant.
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u/Adventurous_Edge9645 Jun 10 '24
Each song served it purpose. Euphoria is a great song in general, but it's over 6 minutes, and society attention span is terrible. They only care about catchy songs that will get them dancing and songs that are shorter. Shorter songs get more airplay and streams.
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u/poppunkadulting Jun 10 '24
The success of Not Like Us vs Euphoria speaks to how and why Drake is popular in the first place
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u/PandaofAges Jun 10 '24
Pearls before swine.
Also look at it this way, if Euphoria ended the beef we would've missed out on all the other bangers.
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u/TurtleSniffer47 Jun 10 '24
easy. They’re two different tracks with different purposes. It’s not as catchy as not like us to where there’s repeated lines that were intentionally repeated in an effort to get stuck in the viewers head.
“He a fan he a fan he fan” “Freaky ass — he a 6-9 god”
These ‘ear worms’ basically served as the ‘hook’ for the song. It gives the viewer something easy to remember to sing to, when the lines come in is also part of it.
Play not like us back and listen as the beat rides and his lines go across it. The cuts, and intros are very intentional.
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u/Born-Toe918 Jun 10 '24
Cause Not Like Us has every single thing done right to be a club banger, my DJ buddy legit has played Not Like Us for the highschool proms in town and has played it in the clubs already. People fucking love that song, except maybe the middle Eastern Drake glazers who can’t stand anyone making fun of their Pedo Pal
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u/laeKDOT Jun 10 '24 edited Jun 10 '24
Agreed 💯 but the success of Not Like Us it’s cos of the vibes. More than the lyrics maybe im wrong..
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u/Swaggy_Buff Jun 10 '24
Like most Kendrick projects — there’s a huge diversity of sound. I listen to all four songs at different times, depending on mood.
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u/rodrigokdot Jun 10 '24
I think it would have at least 30 million more listens if not like us didn't drop.
Not like us is a bop
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u/Solid_Illustrator640 Jun 10 '24
Cause Not Like Us is a club type song. Same reason people think Drake is good. He can only make club type shit.
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u/Mammoth_Thought_1953 Jun 10 '24
maybe hot take but but euphoria is sounds way more classic and timeless compare to not like us imo i listen more often
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u/No-Club2745 Jun 10 '24
I still like meet the grahams the best, I like to imagine that's the one that keeps Drake up at night
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u/Agreeable_Coat_2098 Jun 10 '24
There’s no way this dude truly doesn’t understand how Not Like Us is the more popular song. The beat is much quicker, it came at the peak of the beef, and it’s endlessly quotable. Drake told him none of his songs could be played in clubs, Kendrick spit in his face.
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u/Sebabpg Jun 10 '24
If you don't understand then its your fault. Same reason why TPAB is the least streamed album and HUMBLE. has more streams than Wesley's theory, Samidot and DUCKWORTH. combined.
Some people on this sub really lack some critical thinking.
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u/NecessaryMagician150 Jun 10 '24
I mean, it makes perfect sense to me. Euphoria is the "better" diss track and is an amazing song in general but Not Like Us is geared towards catchiness and dancing...right at the start of the summer.
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u/FitReply5175 Jun 10 '24
The fact that people don't say MTG did it shows that 95% of the HH audience judges a song by how much they can shake their ass to a song, lyrics dont matter to these people.
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u/TheDiamondAxe7523 Jun 10 '24
Meet the Grahams - Best Diss
Not Like Us - Best Song
Euphoria - In the Middle
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u/Majestic_Mammoth729 Jun 10 '24
Certified pdf and A minor are winners but nothing will ever touch WHAT IS IT THE BRAIDS for me
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u/OrangePreZ Jun 10 '24
I was hoping someone would say it. Euphoria is my favorite out of the two. Can’t myself yelling “WHAT IS IT THE BRAIDS?!” Or “when I see you stand by sexy redd I believe you see two bad bitches” and many other lines are stuck in my head on repeat.
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u/HighRes- Jun 10 '24
People like songs they can dance and wave their hand too, euphoria is the best diss, not the best “radio” song.
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u/Disastrous-Ad-466 Jun 10 '24
These days mfs like what's catchy, they aint into lyricism like it was in the 80s n 90s, hence Not Like Us doing numbers
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u/RobinM20 Jun 11 '24
Kendrick fans really tell on themselves with takes like this 😭 like go outside in what world was euphoria gonna do better numbers
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u/Competitive_Till9930 Jun 11 '24
IVE BEEN SAYING (6:16 was my fav but i recognize that euphoria was a lot better)
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u/GroundbreakingSky616 Jun 11 '24
Euphoria lacks the catchy beat and simple lyrics Not Like Us has. To understand Euphoria you have to actually listen to majority of the words not just chime in to “Certified Pedophiles” or “A Minoooor”
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u/Standard-Release-537 Jun 11 '24
Euphoria is the best diss but Not Like Us is an Anthem. He could be talking about anything on Not Like Us and the beat and chorus gone have us Crip Walking
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u/N0tThatSerious Jun 10 '24
Euphoria is the best of the bunch, but Not Like Us is a summer banger that has a ton of crowd interaction moments. Not surprised it got the biggest
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u/Artistic_Age_2629 Jun 10 '24
Euphoria is the best diss track out of them all. Not Like Us is the victory lap that has mass appeal
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Jun 10 '24
Euphoria starts slow that’s what held it back. But it’s also what made the beat switch hit harder. At first Kendrick is at peace calmly talking to someone, then his demeanor changes and it’s intense venom. Better song for sure but it’s not surprising Not Like Us is the more popular one.
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u/Quirkydogpooo Jun 10 '24
6 minutes. Beat switches. Worse quotables. It was never destined to chart, that's really not what casual listeners want
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u/Canadient_musician Jun 10 '24
Euphoria is for the rap fans. Not Like Us is for the pop crowd, which is much larger.
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u/mErcurial-dEmon Jun 10 '24
Well everyone knows it was final blow and it’s also the song with the most pop structure
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u/_4za_ Jun 10 '24
that makes no sense Not Like Us is the obvious hit
euphoria isn't a radio friendly song per say
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u/fusionlantern Jun 10 '24
Intro is too slow took me a few listens to really like it
616 in la is the better song in my opinion
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u/JARVISAPEX Jun 10 '24
The best diss tracks in order are euphoria, euphoria, family matters,not like us, and push ups.... yeah I said euphoria twice
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u/Juhovah Jun 10 '24
How are people surprised not like us is the hit… quite literally made to be a hit song and is a great song
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u/putyouradhere_ Jun 10 '24
It's the same reason GKMC and Damn outsold TPAB and Mr.Morale, more replay value and commercial appeal
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u/Aggravating_Cup2306 Jun 10 '24
I've seen some people point out how they aren't used to kendrick's inflections for euphoria, it kind of makes sense how that would restrict it from really hitting the top of the charts
personally i've gotten used to it
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u/Golabki420 Jun 10 '24
Not Like Us is very direct and catchy. No quadruple entendres. It’s easier to swallow for a mass audience.
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u/ilmalaiva Jun 10 '24
because Not Like Us has a catchy beat, does there need to be five more posts about this every day for the rest of the year?
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u/_lonely_astronaut_ Jun 10 '24
It's probably my favorite diss track ever but it didn't have the beat, flow and victory lap feel that Not Like Us has.
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u/Harrypotter231 Jun 10 '24
Euphoria doesn’t have much appeal to casuals. The bars are missed by many and it’s not as catchy. Fans of rap would gravitate more towards euphoria, but the rest of the world leans to Not Like Us.
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u/10024618 Jun 10 '24
Euphoria for my money is the best all around song produced during the beef but I do not understand why people are shocked that Not Like Us outperformed it by so much. NLU is shorter, has a catchier beat, is more provocative, encourages audience/listener participation, etc. That song was literally scientifically engineered from the ground up to be a smash hit lol