Did Kendrick Lamar’s Canadian Tuxedo at the Grammys Have a Deeper Meaning?

As my colleague Josh Rosenberg so fittingly put it last night, the Grammys declared the Kendrick-Drake beef officially over. After a months-long back-and-forth with the Toronto-born rapper last year, Lamar’s final, brutal volley in Drake’s direction just swept the music industry’s biggest event. “Not Like Us” took home Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Rap Song, Best Rap Performance, and Best Music Video—meaning Lamar was wrapping his arms around five gramophone statues by the end of the night.

FREDERIC J. BROWN – Getty Images

In his acceptance speech for Record of the Year, the Compton rapper dedicated the award to Los Angeles. “This is my neck of the woods that’s held me down since a young pup,” he said. “I was in the studio scrapping to write the best raps and records like these. I can’t give enough thanks.”

CBS Photo Archive – Getty Images

But while the hometown love was apparent, there was something about his outfit that seemed to nod to a different part of the world. The washed-down denim jacket and jeans—plus a matching hat—practically screamed “Canadian tuxedo.” Lamar’s always been the kind of guy who piles layer upon layer of meaning into his expression. Are we really supposed to believe that he didn’t know what he was doing when he showed up to the Grammys with a slate of nominations for a diss track about a famously Canadian rival?

Hey, maybe so. Maybe it’s all one big coincidence. But that seems just a little unlikely, don’t you think?

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