Kendrick Lamar - Somebody That I Used To Know -... |work| -

Reviews of Kendrick Lamar's 2012 remix of "Somebody That I Used to Know" highlight how he transforms Gotye's indie-pop hit into a stark reflection on personal growth and the bittersweet reality of past connections. While the original song focuses on the immediate sting of a messy breakup, Kendrick's version adds a narrative of moving on and finding success, looking back at someone from his past with a mix of pity and detachment. Notable Perspectives on the Track

Community discussions and reviews often touch on these key elements of the remix and its history:

Lyrical Contrast: Critics and listeners often note the "hip-hop vs. pop" dynamic. Kendrick's verse, which includes lines about his new life and "having options," provides a sharp contrast to the vulnerable, almost haunting melody of the Gotye sample.

Sample Clearance Issues: A major point of interest for fans is the track's history with T.I.'s song "Memories Back Then". Kendrick's verse was originally intended for that collaboration, but because the Gotye sample couldn't be cleared in time for the album release, the official version used a different instrumental.

Narrative Unreliability: Like the original Gotye track, which features two "unreliable narrators" presenting different sides of a story, Kendrick’s remix is praised for its nuanced storytelling. He portrays himself as "poppin'" now, contrasting his current status with a past acquaintance's more stagnant life. Where to Listen

The remix appeared on the 2012 mixtape Slight Work 5. You can find lyrics and community insights on platforms like Genius and discuss its legacy on forums like Reddit.

“Never would have thought that this song stemmed from them sampling Gotye. Kendrick's verse fits so perfectly over it too. My mind is blown.” Reddit · TIVEVO

Kendrick Lamar - Somebody That I Used to Know (Remix) Lyrics

Why It Works

Both artists excel at emotional precision – Gotye through hushed, building tension; Kendrick through voice cracks, tempo switches, and raw confession. The mashups you’ll find online (e.g., "Kendrick Lamar x Gotye – Swimming Pools That I Used To Know") highlight how well Kendrick’s rhythmic aggression fits the song’s haunting bassline.

The Cultural Takeaway

The enduring search for "Kendrick Lamar - Somebody That I Used to Know" tells us something vital about how we consume music in the 2020s. We are no longer satisfied with a song simply being a song. We want a vibe. We want a theory. We want a mashup that bridges the gap between our indie-loving past and our hip-hop-analytical present.

The track doesn't exist because two record labels couldn't clear the sample. But emotionally? It exists every time Kendrick Lamar turns a mirror on his audience and asks, "Do you love me? Are you playing a role? Or are you just somebody that I used to know?"

Final Take

While there’s no official Kendrick cover, the feeling of "Somebody That I Used To Know" runs through much of good kid, m.A.A.d city and Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers — the ache of outgrowing people, or them outgrowing you.

Would you like me to:

Help find a specific fan mashup of Kendrick and Gotye?
Write a deeper lyrical analysis of a Kendrick song that matches that theme?
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The intersection of Kendrick Lamar and Gotye’s 2011 diamond-certified hit "Somebody That I Used to Know" is a fascinating piece of hip-hop history. While many modern listeners might assume it’s a recent AI-generated mashup, the connection actually dates back over a decade to a specific remix and a shared lineage of samples that continues through Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE). The Official 2012 Remix

Shortly after Gotye’s original track dominated the charts, an official "Somebody That I Used to Know (Remix)" featuring Kendrick Lamar was released in 2012. Produced by The Blessings, the track appeared on the mixtape Slight Work 5.

In this version, Kendrick delivers a characteristically intricate verse that flips the original song’s themes of heartbreak into a gritty narrative about social status and changing dynamics:

The Narrative: Kendrick raps about a former acquaintance who only acknowledges him once he’s "poppin'".

Key Lyrics: He mocks the "overdue car notes" and "primadonna" attitudes of people who dismissed him before his fame, ending with a cynical "Fast forward, wait, is that you?". Kendrick Lamar - Somebody That I Used To Know -...

The Sample: The remix keeps Gotye's iconic chorus but recontextualizes it to represent the distance between Kendrick and the people from his past. The TDE Connection: Doechii’s "Anxiety"

The "Somebody That I Used to Know" melody saw a major resurgence in the Kendrick-adjacent world with the release of "Anxiety" by TDE artist Doechii.

Direct Sampling: While "Anxiety" is often cited as sampling Gotye, both tracks actually share a foundational sample from Luiz Bonfá’s 1967 instrumental "Seville".

The Evolution: "Anxiety" essentially "copy and pastes" the atmospheric backing of the Gotye track, creating a modern rap-pop hybrid that has been highly successful on rhythmic radio. Unreleased Tracks and Leaks

Outside of the 2012 remix, there are several "leaks" frequently discussed in fan circles: Kendrick Lamar – Somebody That I Used to Know (Remix)

* Somebody That I Used to Know (Remix) * 2012. * The Blessings. [FRESH LEAK] Somebody V3 : r/KendrickLamar

The Ghost of Familiarity: Kendrick Lamar and the Stranger Within

In Gotye’s 2011 hit “Somebody That I Used to Know,” the central anguish comes from waking up to find that a once-intimate connection has dissolved into cold indifference. The lyric—“You didn’t have to stoop so low / Have your friends collect your records and then change your number”—captures the paradox of memory: we remember someone perfectly, yet they no longer exist in the present. If we apply that lens to Kendrick Lamar’s discography, a different but equally haunting picture emerges. Kendrick’s music is less about romantic estrangement and more about the fractures between his past and present selves, between fame and poverty, and between the man he is and the city that raised him. In that sense, Kendrick Lamar has spent his career singing about people he used to know—including himself.

The Estranged Self: “u” and “i”

On To Pimp a Butterfly, Kendrick stages a raw conversation between his current, successful self and his depressed, guilt-ridden self. In “u,” he weeps in a hotel room, drowning in survivor’s guilt over a friend who died and a cousin he couldn’t save. The voice he addresses is his own: “Loving you is complicated.” By “i,” he flips to defiant self-love, but the tension remains. He has become somebody he used to know—the hopeful kid from Compton, the hungry rapper before the Pulitzer Prize. The gap between those versions of himself is as painful as any breakup.

The City as a Lost Lover: “good kid, m.A.A.d city”

Kendrick’s major-label debut is a concept album about losing innocence. The “somebody” he used to know is not a person but a version of his environment—before the peer pressure, before the van carrying Sherane’s cousins, before the drive-by. The album’s skits and voicemails from his mother ground the story in intimacy. By the end, when he raps “I pray my dick get big as the Eiffel Tower / So I can fuck the world for 72 hours,” the boy who just wanted a working stereo and a girl’s affection is gone. In his place is a scarred storyteller. Compton, too, becomes somebody he used to know: still beloved, still violent, but viewed from a tour bus rather than a back seat.

Friends, Enemies, and Ghosts: “The Art of Peer Pressure”

The most literal reading comes in songs like “The Art of Peer Pressure,” where Kendrick recounts committing crimes with friends who have since faded into prison, death, or estrangement. He raps, “Me and my nigga, we was scheming again / That’s all we knew, wasn’t nothing to it.” Those friends are now “somebodies he used to know”—not because of a dramatic falling out, but because survival and fame created an unspoken distance. The chorus of Gotye’s song insists, “We’re just somebody that we used to know.” For Kendrick, the tragedy is that both parties still remember the bond, but the context has rotted it away.

Conclusion: The Familiar Stranger

Kendrick Lamar has never covered Gotye, but their shared theme—the sorrow of recognition without reconciliation—runs through Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers. When he confronts his uncle for molesting him as a child on “Mother I Sober,” or when he addresses transphobia in “Auntie Diaries,” he is speaking to people he used to know: not as insults, but as acknowledgments of change. To write a song called “Somebody That I Used to Know” in Kendrick’s voice would not be a bitter kiss-off. It would be a quiet, bruised admission that growing up means accumulating ghosts—of places, of friends, of who you swore you would never become. And the hardest part is that you still recognize them in the mirror.

This mashup blends the raw, introspective storytelling of Kendrick Lamar with the haunting, minimalist indie-pop of Gotye. The Soundscape

The Beat: Gotye’s iconic xylophone riff is slowed down, layered with a heavy, dusty boom-bap drum break. Reviews of Kendrick Lamar 's 2012 remix of

The Bass: A deep, melodic sub-bass mirrors Kimbra’s vocal melody from the original chorus.

The Atmosphere: Distant sirens and vinyl crackle fill the empty spaces between the plucked notes. The Verse (Kendrick’s Perspective)

Kendrick tackles the theme of "estrangement" through the lens of fame and hometown roots.

The Narrative: He speaks to a childhood friend who now sees him only as a "celebrity."

The Flow: Starts with a conversational, weary tone (reminiscent of Section.80).

The Pivot: Mid-verse, the rhythm shifts into a rapid-fire triplet flow, venting frustration about being treated like a bank account rather than a brother.

Key Lyric: "You didn't have to cut me off / But you cut the check and forgot the bloodline."

The original Gotye vocal remains, but it's pitched down slightly to match the somber mood.

Layering: Kendrick provides "yeah, yeah" ad-libs in the background.

Impact: The transition from Kendrick’s aggressive verse to the airy, vulnerable chorus creates a jarring sense of heartbreak.

The Breakdown: The music strips back to just the xylophone and a faint heartbeat.

The Monologue: Kendrick whispers a final thought on how success creates a "necessary distance."

The Fade: A vocal sample of Kimbra’s bridge echoes and dissolves into static.

💡 Artistic Theme: This track explores the "cost of the crown"—how becoming a legend makes you a stranger to the people who knew you best. If you'd like to dive deeper into this concept: Full lyrics for a Kendrick-style verse A tracklist for a "Remixed Classics" EP A visual concept for the music video

While there is no official song titled "Somebody That I Used To Know" by Kendrick Lamar

, the connection typically refers to his unreleased track "Somebody" or high-profile samples of the Gotye classic within his circle. 1. Kendrick Lamar's Unreleased Song "Somebody"

Kendrick has an unreleased track titled "Somebody" that reportedly surfaced as a leftover from his 2022 album Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers. Would you like me to:

Leaks and Snippets: Fragments of this song have circulated on social media and fan forums like Reddit, often shared under titles like "Somebody | Unreleased | Part 1".

Themes: The lyrics are noted for their heavy, introspective tone, with Kendrick rapping about carrying "heavier hearts" like an Olympian powerlifter. 2. T.I.’s "Memories Back Then" (The Gotye Sample)

The most famous direct link between Kendrick and Gotye's "Somebody That I Used To Know" involves the song "Memories Back Then" by T.I., featuring B.o.B. and Kendrick Lamar.

The Original Sample: The original version of this track heavily sampled Gotye's "Somebody That I Used To Know".

Sample Clearance Issues: Due to legal trouble clearing the Gotye sample, the song was officially released with a new, original instrumental that mimicked the vibe but removed the direct Gotye elements. 3. Doechii's "Anxiety"

, an artist formerly signed to Kendrick’s label Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE), released the song "Anxiety," which prominently samples Gotye and Kimbra's 2011 hit.

Music Video: The video for "Anxiety" explicitly references the iconic Gotye music video style. 4. Fan Mashups

There are numerous popular fan-made remixes and mashups that blend Kendrick's vocals (such as from "Humble") with Gotye’s "Somebody That I Used To Know" backing tracks, often appearing on platforms like TikTok. I. collaboration?

Kendrick Lamar did release a Remix of Gotye’s hit song in 2012, your request likely touches on a few different ways Kendrick explores the idea of people he "used to know."

Here are the deep stories behind the different interpretations of your request: 1. The Literal Story: Kendrick’s 2012 Remix

In 2012, Kendrick Lamar added a verse to a remix of Gotye’s "Somebody That I Used to Know." While the original song focuses on the bitterness of a messy romantic breakup, Kendrick’s contribution adds a layer of urban storytelling. He uses the theme of "strangers who once knew each other" to reflect on the changing relationships in his life as he transitioned from Compton street life to global stardom. 2. The Narrative Parallel: "Memories Back Then"

Kendrick often tells "deep stories" about people he used to know in his own discography. A notable parallel is T.I.'s "Memories Back Then" featuring Kendrick. In this track, Kendrick tells a heartbreaking story about a girl he grew up with. He details her transformation from a promising student to a victim of her environment, capturing the pain of seeing someone you cared for become unrecognizable—a literal "somebody I used to know." 3. The "Unreliable Narrator" Story

The song "Somebody That I Used to Know" is famous for its dual perspectives, where both Gotye and Kimbra blame each other for the relationship's failure. Kendrick employs a similar storytelling device in his own deep narratives:

"We Cry Together": Much like the Gotye track, this song explores a vicious, toxic relationship through a back-and-forth argument, showing how two people can love and hate each other simultaneously until they become strangers.

"DUCKWORTH.": Kendrick tells the true story of how his father, Ducky, and his future label boss, Anthony "Top Dawg" Tiffith, knew each other in a different life (at a KFC) before Kendrick was even born. It’s a story of how a small act of kindness prevented them from becoming "somebody they used to know" through tragedy. Comparison of Themes Gotye Original Kendrick’s Storytelling Core Theme Romantic breakup and emotional distance. Survival, growth, and societal trauma. Perspective Two people blaming each other. Multiple characters shaped by their environment. Outcome Total estrangement. Often a mix of regret and hard-won wisdom.

Were you looking for a creative fictional story based on his remix lyrics, or did you want more details on a specific song from his albums that fits this theme?

Kendrick Lamar has never officially recorded or released a version of "Somebody That I Used To Know." However, you might be thinking of one of these possibilities:

A mashup / remix – There are fan-made mashups on YouTube blending Kendrick’s vocals (e.g., from "Swimming Pools", "u", or "Feel") with Gotye’s instrumental.
Confusion with a similar theme – Kendrick has songs about fractured relationships, loss, or betrayal, such as:
- "u" (self-loathing, broken connection with self)
- "PRIDE." (relationship strain)
- "We Cry Together" (toxic relationship)
- "Mother I Sober" (trauma and emotional distance)

If you want a solid piece of content comparing the theme of "Somebody That I Used To Know" with Kendrick Lamar’s work, here’s a draft: