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No. Lil Wayne’s July 2024 performance sparked speculation that he was taking a shot at Drake, but Wayne later said he did not know Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” was aimed at Drake. A source close to Wayne had offered a different, supportive reading of the lyric at the time.
What Lil Wayne performed in Las Vegas
On July 12, 2024, Wayne improvised over “The Motto” at Zouk Nightclub in Las Vegas. “The Motto” is his hit with Drake and Tyga. Wayne did not perform Kendrick Lamar’s full “Not Like Us”; instead, a line in his improvisation sounded like the hook of Lamar’s song. A clip circulated online, prompting speculation about whether Wayne meant it as a diss. Rolling Stone Canada reported on the performance.
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Why the lyric sounded like a Drake diss
“Not Like Us” had been publicly framed as a diss track about Drake. The disputed moment turned on whether Wayne said “they not like us,” echoing Lamar’s hook, or changed it to “they don’t like us.” Wayne also held up a chain reportedly associated with Drake’s OVO enterprises, adding to the competing interpretations of the clip. The Los Angeles Times described “Not Like Us” as a diss song in an August 21, 2024 profile and reported that it had reached the top of the Billboard Hot 100 and accumulated more than 1 billion Spotify and YouTube streams by that publication date. Those are historical figures, not current totals or chart status. Read the Los Angeles Times profile.
What a source close to Wayne said at the time
In its July 2024 report, Rolling Stone Canada attributed a supportive interpretation to a source close to Wayne: he was “repping his close ties to Drake” with the wording “they don’t like us.” On that account, the line referred to outsiders disliking Wayne and Drake as a pair, rather than Wayne attacking Drake. The report said Wayne had not publicly commented on the dispute between Drake and Lamar at that point.
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What Wayne later said about the performance
In an April 2025 report on Wayne’s Rolling Stone interview, Complex quoted Wayne saying he had gone onstage singing the song without knowing it was a diss against Drake. “I ain’t want my dude to be mad at me. I didn’t even know it was Kendrick!” he said. Wayne also explained, “If it don’t happen on [ESPN] or FS1, I wouldn’t know that happened.” Complex reported Wayne’s explanation.
The accounts are distinct: a source close to Wayne gave the lyric a pro-Drake meaning in 2024, while Wayne later said he had not known the song was aimed at Drake when he performed it. His own explanation supports the answer that he was not knowingly dissing his friend.
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