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Arguably, the most brutal snipe from Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” comes in the third verse, when the Compton rapper cuts Drake from one of his cultural hubs: Atlanta. “You’re not a colleague, you’re a f*ckin’ colonizer,” Lamar raps. Drake might have a complicated relationship with Atlanta, but the same can’t be said about Houston, which has been his second cultural home since his career was “discovered” by Jas Prince and Lil Wayne more than 15 years ago.
Since its arrival on May 4, “Not Like Us” has been ubiquitous in terms of melody, one-liners and disrespect. From clubs to arenas to stadiums—no one has escaped the No. 1 song of the summer. Not even Houston—even as if fans on social media wondered how much influence the self-proclaimed “J. Prince investment” had on the nation’s fourth-largest metroplex.
On July 22, Houston-based DJ Ari responded to a user on X, formerly Twitter, who asked if the song was “banned” in the city. “Yea i done already got in trouble a few times for playing it at some clubs,” she posted. The comment quickly went viral with several commenters listing venues who were blackballing the record. (Complex reached out to Ari and Drake’s camp for comment. Neither responded.)
If such a “no fly” list exists, is “Not Like Us” among the few records that can’t fly within city limits? According to Houston DJs we spoke to, it’s less about the song but the relationships between an artist and a venue—even if out-of-towners request the song repeatedly.
“As DJs, you have to be mindful about who is at your venue at all times and what songs you need to be cautious about playing,” DJ AudiTory said. “Especially when celebrities are involved.”
AudiTory, who has played the song at venues he’s spun at and frequently DJs at Kamp, an outdoor club Drake has been spotted at on several occasions, recalls what he’d be told, not from promoters, but members of an artist’s entourage.
“I might get a warning from someone in their camp to avoid playing a particular artist’s song(s),” he said. “There are places in Houston that [Drake] frequents that you would be mindful of what you play. But saying that the song is not played in Houston at all would be inaccurate. Most venues don’t have an issue with it. If you’re a good DJ, you can do your set without it, so it shouldn't need to be an issue. As far as [J. Prince Jr.’s brand] Mob Ties or OVO, I’ve never been directed by them not to play certain music.”
JR Martins, one of the men behind A-Life Hospitality Group, which operates Kamp and Prospect Park, confirmed that the venue itself doesn’t dictate what songs DJs can and can’t play.
“No, there hasn’t been any communication of that with any DJs,” he said.
Elsewhere around Houston, patrons request the song with zero hesitancy, reliving several viral videos that hit social media when the song first dropped. At The Locker Room, a popular sports bar and grill in Third Ward (affectionately referred to as “Cheers” by locals), owner Cedrick Ntuk can attest that even as a Drake fan, he’s not stopping DJs from spinning the song.
“I was being funny when I posted [on my Instagram Stories] they couldn’t play it, but honestly, I don’t care that much,” he said. “I think certain establishments are doing that based on the relationship with Drake and how much he’s been a part of the city. So I get it, but it’s also sending a message about him that’s not true.”
As far as songs that are banned, Ntuk remains firmly against one artist. “I have told every single DJ that R. Kelly cannot be played for obvious reasons.”
Ashley Nicole, the owner of popular lounges Urban Social and Urban Smoke, says there’s zero emphasis put on “Not Like Us” being played, overplayed or not played at all.
“We are an equal opportunity song player,” she said.
Drake’s ties to Houston nightlife are well known in his lyrics, concerts, and presence. In 2014, he launched Houston Appreciation Weekend, a sprawling multi-day affair that benefited the city from charity via celebrity softball and basketball games to a litany of parties, themed nights at strip clubs, and, of course, concerts. (The rapper used the 2014 edition to pay homage to his fabled 2009 concert at Warehouse Live.)The charity aspect died down after the 2016 edition, and there hasn’t been a follow-up to HAW since 2017. It’s unclear whether the concept will return, but many Houstonians who were in town, worked and partied during those days remember them fondly, if only for the “access” and “exclusivity” it came with.
Still, the belief of Drake’s alleged power within the city regarding “Not Like Us” feels seeped in online exaggeration from both stans and detractors, creating additional drama for mixers in the city who merely want to entertain the crowd, get paid and go on about their lives. His affiliation with J. Prince and Rap-A-Lot and its Mob Ties offshoot has often been a topic of conversation, but not to a point where the “6 God” is viewed as anything other than a patron who spends plenty of money and highlights select DJs and clubs.
Some DJs in the city have witnessed feuds affect what they play and when they play it. Vanilla Trill, who spins at several clubs in the city and is part of the Texans' gameday atmosphere, laughs when looking back in time during the height of T.I.’s feud with boxing legend Floyd Mayweather Jr.
“I worked for [Floyd’s] club in Vegas,” he said with a laugh. “You think I played one T.I. song in those two years? For me, I think people are getting caught up in the idea that Drake is going out of his way to stop DJs from playing songs that go against him, and that’s not the case at all. I’m sure he couldn’t care less.”
He continued: “The reality is, in Houston, we operate on respect and as a respectable DJ, I’m not going to play the music of an artist that has beef with an artist that’s in the building or anyone that’s affiliated with the artist in the building cause my job is to make sure everyone has fun. There’s plenty of ways to do that without playing certain songs. Out-of-towners try to sh*t on us over this, but we operate differently out here. They’re overcomplicating it.”
As a whole, Houston nightlife doesn’t rotate around one singular entity or even one stretch of clubs, whether you choose to party downtown, midtown, in Third Ward, off Almeda, or along Richmond and Westheimer. Its status in the fallout from the Drake vs. Kendrick war remains one of slight indifference. Drake still has country in Houston, whether insulated by close friends or people who’ve long supported him before Thank Me Later dropped. But even in this country of concrete, dizzying partying and Sunday Fundays that seemingly stretch into Tuesdays, “Not Like Us” still quakes from speakers at bars, clubs, hookah lounges and more.
Sometimes, fiction gets louder and more easily digestible than the truth, only because it feels good.
