Kendrick Lamar - Somebody That I Used To Know -... -
Kendrick raps about a partner who is fixated on money—"the tallest 'fetti"—and overlookin' the person who was there before the fame. He contrasts his own artistic journey with a partner’s superficial demands.
The remix's themes were later interpolated into the T.I. track featuring Kendrick, B.o.B, and Kris Stephens. A New Perspective: In 2019, a different unreleased track titled "Somebody"
Lamar’s rendition, backed by his touring band, inverts this dynamic. The tempo is accelerated, and the instrumentation is thickened with live bass and sharper, more urgent drumming. This sonic shift is crucial. Where Gotye’s version sounds like the melancholic aftermath of a breakup, Lamar’s version sounds like the heated argument that caused it. The band creates a soundscape that demands attention rather than passive listening, setting the stage for Lamar’s high-energy vocal delivery. Kendrick Lamar - Somebody That I Used To Know -...
Would you like me to:
Kendrick Lamar did not create "Somebody That I Used to Know". The song was actually recorded by Gotye, featuring Kimbra, and was released in 2012. Kendrick raps about a partner who is fixated
Perhaps the most famous "almost" in Kendrick's history is the track with T.I. and B.o.B. Originally, the song featured a direct sample of Gotye’s hit, but clearance issues forced T.I. to remove it .
The unreleased stands as one of the most fascinating artifacts in modern hip-hop history, bridging a chart-topping indie-pop phenomenon with the raw, developing genius of Compton's defining voice. When Gotye and Kimbra released the original track in late 2011, it became a global juggernaut, completely dominating the Billboard Hot 100 and charts worldwide. Behind closed studio doors, a rising Kendrick Lamar—right on the cusp of releasing his magnum opus good kid, m.A.A.d city —laid down a verse and chorus interpolation that transformed the indie heartbreak anthem into a gritty narrative of street fame, changing relationships, and material pursuits. track featuring Kendrick, B
The cultural intersection of and Gotye's multi-billion-stream mega-hit "Somebody That I Used to Know" is one of the most fascinating phenomena in modern music history. While the two artists stem from completely different sonic universes, their worlds cross paths through an iconic, real-world 2013 unreleased hip-hop masterpiece, a resurgence of internet AI mashups, and a shared legacy of musical sampling.