Kendrick Lamar ‘Not Like Us’ Video Trending Toward 20 Million YouTube Views After 24 Hours — Far Below Taylor Swift and K-Pop Record Holders

Photo Credit: Kendrick Lamar – Not Like Us

Kendrick Lamar’s highly anticipated ‘Not Like Us’ music video trends toward 20 million YouTube views in 24 hours. But that number is actually far lower than fans might have expected.Yesterday, on July 4, Kendrick Lamar dropped the highly anticipated music video for his smash hit Drake diss track, “Not Like Us,” which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Co-directed by Lamar and Dave Free, the music video features DJ Mustard, DeMar DeRozan, Tommy the Clown, Lamar’s partner Whitney Alford, and their two children.

The video amassed 1.5 million views on YouTube an hour after its release, and now trends toward 20 million in its first 24 hours. Its numbers have been the subject of celebration among fans online, with countless tweets and posts roasting Drake and remarking how Lamar “cooked” the Toronto rapper.

Meanwhile, some Drake fans are alleging that many of those numbers are fake, claiming bots helped push “Not Like Us” over the 1.5 million mark in that first hour. But while it’s impossible to completely rule out bot involvement, that allegation seems utterly ridiculous when you compare Lamar’s numbers to those of the record holders for the all-time most views in 24 hours.

In 2024, YouTube’s record for the most viewed video within 24 hours is still held by South Korean pop sensation BTS’ music video for their hit “Butter.” Released in 2021, “Butter” amassed an astonishing 108.2 million views on its first day. That achievement surpassed their previously held record for “Dynamite,” which had 101.1 million views in its first 24 hours.In fact, most videos with the highest views in their first 24 hours are K-pop hits, including more BTS songs and hits from girl group Blackpink. But even Taylor Swift’s video with the most single-day hits, “ME!” released with Brendon Urie in 2019, amassed 65.2 million views in its first 24 hours. That track broke Vevo’s previously held record with Ariana Grande’s “Thank U, Next,” which held 55.4 million first-day views.

Another Swift track, “Bad Blood,” which notably features Kendrick Lamar, accrued 20.1 million views in its first day — which makes Ken’s numbers for “Not Like Us,” currently sitting at over 17 million hits, 20 hours after its debut, seem a bit underwhelming by comparison.

Especially when you take into consideration the hype surrounding the release of a music video for the viral diss track, it seems as though “Not Like Us” should have warranted a better showing — particularly if naysayers want to allege significant bot involvement. As we close in on the video’s first 24 hours, the actual numbers might seem impressive on their own, but come across a bit lackluster when compared with its contemporaries.