Kendrick Lamar's fans were thrown into a state of confusion on Monday, 11 May 2026, when his most dominant visual assets abruptly vanished. Without warning or explanation, therecord-breaking music videos for 'Not Like Us' and 'Luther'were scrubbed from YouTube.
The deletion prompted discussion on social media, with many wondering why the music videos were removed. However, they were re-uploaded hours later. This unexpected move has left the industry and fans alike questioning the strategy behind sacrificing hundreds of millions of views for a fresh start.
The recent removal and re-upload of Kendrick Lamar's 'Not Like Us' and 'Luther' music videos have sparked significant debate. While the core content appears identical to the original, there are a few key differences and several theories regarding why it happened. One user on Reddit specificallyasked, 'Can anybody spot differences in what was up before and what was re-uploaded?'
In terms of the music and visuals, the video is largely the same, but with a few notable technical and 'meta' changes. The most jarring change is that the original 400+ million views were reset to zero. For a song of this magnitude, a manual re-upload that wipes such massive numbers is almost unheard of unless intentional.
Some sharp-eyed fans on social media also noted that the Universal Music Group (UMG) branding was missing or altered in the metadata of the new upload. This suggests a possible shift in how the track is licensed or distributed.
There are further unverified fan reports suggesting the video looks 'slightly zoomed in' or has minor colour grading tweaks, though major news outlets have not confirmed any frame-by-frame edits.
Since Kendrick's camp has not released an official statement, three primary theories are circulating about why the videos were removed and re-uploaded later. The first is the 'Iceman' strategy, noting the re-upload occurred just days before Drake's ninth studio album,'Iceman,' is scheduled to drop on May 15, 2026.
Many believe Lamar is 'trolling' by resetting the view count to force the song back into the 'New' and 'Trending' algorithms, effectively stealing the spotlight from Drake's release week.
Another theory involves licensing and rights. The simultaneous disappearance of his 2024 album GNX and the track 'Euphoria' from Apple Music suggests a back-end distribution shift. If Lamar moved the rights to a different entity or settled internal disputes with UMG, a re-upload is sometimes required to update the 'provided to YouTube' information.
Finally, some point to lawsuit fallout. Drake previously filed a series of lawsuits, dismissed in late 2025, alleging that 'Not Like Us' used botting to inflate numbers. Some speculate that by deleting the original and starting from zero, Lamar is proving the song's popularity is organic and can be replicated instantly.
Source: International Business Times UK
