Kendrick Lamar - Somebody That I Used To Know -... |link| Today

for the T.I. song featuring Kendrick that almost used this sample. More information on Kendrick's actual discography and recent releases.

This final bar perfectly mirrors the emotional detachment of Gotye's chorus. The woman who once treated him like a nobody is now just a distant memory as Kendrick ascends into hip-hop royalty. 🌐 The Renaissance: AI and the Modern Mashup Culture

Sonic Architecture: Where Indie Pop Meets West Coast Realism

The story began when T.I.'s DJ brought the Atlanta rapper a beat produced by Keno, built around a sample of Gotye's global smash. T.I., known for his ability to bridge hip-hop and mainstream pop, was immediately captivated. "I rocked out as soon as I heard it. It felt relevant, it felt urgent," he later told Rap-Up TV. Kendrick Lamar - Somebody That I Used To Know -...

The originally surfaced around 2012, featured on the mixtape Slight Work 5 . Instead of a traditional collaborative studio session, the track stands as a masterful unauthorized remix where Kendrick overlays a searing, narrative-driven verse directly onto the canvas of Gotye's indie-pop masterwork. Lyrical Breakdown: Kendrick’s Perspective on Past Love

Here's a report on the song and a comparison to Kendrick Lamar's style:

: The song "Anxiety" by Doechii (a former label mate of Kendrick at TDE) prominently samples the Gotye track. for the T

This article explores the unexpected intersection of introspective alternative pop and West Coast hip-hop, analyzing how Kendrick Lamar took an iconic breakup ballad and transformed it into a narrative about fame, petty relationships, and loyalty.

A more polished version with a different beat and verses Kendrick later repurposed for a track titled "Abortion Money". The Beth Gibbons Connection: Some versions feature a hook sung by Beth Gibbons (of Portishead) rather than a direct Gotye sample. 3. The AI & Mashup Renaissance In 2024 and 2025, the track saw a massive resurgence on and YouTube due to the rise of high-quality AI.

In the opening chorus, Kendrick flips the perspective to an encounter outside the classroom walls: This final bar perfectly mirrors the emotional detachment

Once he achieves fame, the same person attempts to reconnect. Kendrick uses the familiar hook to realize she is just "somebody that I used to know," noting that her current interest is "selfish" and only driven by his success. Musical Legacy

The Context: 2012 — The Year of "Somebody That I Used To Know"

"Now and then I think of when we were together," the vocal echoed, but in Kendrick’s mind, the "together" was him and the neighborhood. He remembered the loyalty, the shared hunger, and the codes he once lived by. But the higher he climbed, the more that world felt like a ghost story.