The Ghost in the Machine: Kendrick Lamar’s History with “Somebody That I Used to Know”
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.
The legacy of this sound continues today through Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE) labelmate . Her hit song "Anxiety" prominently samples the same instrumental from Gotye’s 2011 classic . This direct lineage shows how the "Gotye sound"—originally rooted in Luiz Bonfá's 1967 instrumental "Seville" —remains a staple in the TDE creative toolkit. Kendrick Lamar – Somebody That I Used to Know (Remix) Kendrick Lamar - Somebody That I Used To Know -...
Imagine for a moment that the track did exist. A legitimate studio collaboration where Kendrick Lamar rewrites Gotye’s verses. How would it play out?
As the verse progresses, Kendrick targets the shallow consumer culture that drives a wedge between couples: The Ghost in the Machine: Kendrick Lamar’s History
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 final version replaced the sample with a new melody to avoid legal trouble, though the "ghost" of the original arrangement remains in the song's structure. 3. The 2019 Leak: "Somebody" The AI & Mashup Renaissance In 2024 and
Kendrick Lamar, for his part, has continued to evolve into one of the most acclaimed artists of his generation. His involvement in "Memories Back Then" offers a glimpse of the hungry, rising talent who was just beginning to capture the world's attention. The song also demonstrates a key reality of music production: samples don't always clear, but great verses find a way to survive.