Kendrick Lamar actually popped up and confirmed out.
On Sunday, Feb 9, the rapper delivered a Tremendous Bowl halftime efficiency like no different. This marked the primary time a rap star headlined the halftime present solo. Lamar had beforehand carried out on the Tremendous Bowl in 2022 as a part of a star-studded lineup with Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige, and Eminem.
Nevertheless it wasn’t simply the headline efficiency with particular visitor SZA that had followers buzzing; it was the execution—particularly when KDOT carried out his Grammy-winning monitor “Not Like Us,” his notorious diss monitor aimed at Drake.
To dive deeper into their historical past, study extra in regards to the music, and extra, hold studying.
Kendrick Lamar & Drake’s Feud (The Brief-ish Model)
Right here’s the timeline:
- October 31, 2023: Drake Drops “First Individual Shooter”
- Within the music that includes J. Cole, Drake and Cole rap about their celebrity statuses. Whereas they have a good time being on the prime of the sport, Cole provides Kendrick a shoutout, referring to the trio as “the Large 3.” Nevertheless, Kendrick didn’t appear to understand the point out.
- March 26, 2024: Kendrick Lamar Responds With “Like That” Verse
- Kendrick determined to go on the assault, addressing the state of affairs and particularly calling out the “Large 3” line from “First Individual Shooter“ with: “Motherf*** the large three, n***a, it’s simply huge me.”
- April 13, 2024: Drake’s Music “Push Ups” Leaks
- Drake fired again by mysteriously leaking “Push Ups,” revisiting the “Large 3” line and taking pictures at Kendrick’s top. Extra notably, he additionally insulted the rapper’s take care of his former label, Prime Dawg Leisure.
- April 19, 2024: Drake Drops “Taylor Made Freestyle”
- Whereas awaiting Lamar’s response to “Push Ups,” Drake additionally launched the now-deleted monitor “Taylor Made Freestyle,”the place he used AI-generated voices of Lamar’s idols Tupac and Snoop Dogg to take pictures at him. This transfer led to a stop and desist from Tupac’s property.
- April 30, 2024: Kendrick Hits Again at Drake With “euphoria”
- With “euphoria,” Kendrick takes quite a few pictures at Drake over the six-minute monitor, concentrating on his credibility, popularity, and even his skills as a father. At one level, he raps, “I bought a son to boost, however I can see you don’t know nothin’ ’bout that.”
- Could 3, 2024: Kendrick Again-to-Backs Drake With “6:16 in LA”
- Simply as Drake adopted up his 2015 diss monitor “Again to Again” with “Charged Up” towards Meek Mill, Kendrick wasted no time with a response of his personal. Lower than three days after dropping “euphoria,” he launched “6:16 in LA,” aimed toward Drake. Within the monitor, Kendrick suggests that somebody from Drake’s workforce could also be leaking info to him.
- Could 3, 2024: Drake Fires Again With “Household Issues”
- On the identical day Kendrick dropped “6:16 in LA,” Drake launched “Household Issues” together with its music video. The practically eight-minute monitor included controversial traces, suggesting that Kendrick’s baby was truly fathered by his supervisor, Dave Free. Drake additionally took intention at Lamar’s relationship along with his fiancée, Whitney Alford.
- Could 3, 2024: Kendrick Lamar Instantly Responds With “Meet the Grahams”
- Simply 20 minutes after Drake dropped “Household Issues,” Kendrick responded with the monitor “Meet the Grahams.” The music is structured as a sequence of letters to Drake’s son, Adonis, his dad and mom, an alleged secret daughter, and at last to Drake himself. One of the vital talked-about claims within the music was Kendrick’s allegation that Drake has an 11-year-old daughter.
- Could 4, 2024: Kendrick Jabs Drake Once more With “Not Like Us”
- The subsequent day, Kendrick took one other shot at Drake with the music “Not Like Us,” the place he doubled down on the allegations of sexual abuse towards Drake and people related to OVO that he made in “Meet the Grahams.”
- Could 5, 2024: Drake Responds With “The Coronary heart Half 6”
- Drake launched his five-minute rebuttal, “The Coronary heart Pt. 6,” enjoying off Lamar’s groundbreaking “Coronary heart” franchise. Within the monitor, he addresses the daughter rumor, claiming that his workforce fed false info to Kendrick, and denies each the sexual abuse allegations and the accusations of being concerned with underage girls.
Is “Not Like Us” About Drake?
The monitor “Not Like Us” is undeniably aimed toward Drake.
It got here as a part of Kendrick’s ongoing back-and-forth with Drake (as outlined above), and in the end, it turned the music that marked Kendrick popping out on prime.
Along with the direct references to Drake, comparable to calling him out by identify twice, the music is filled with artistic traces and delicate jabs, that are much more obvious within the accompanying music video. The visuals solely amplified the message Kendrick was sending, making it some of the talked-about tracks of their rivalry.
In Kendrick’s halftime present efficiency, the rapper avoided utilizing the phrase “pedophile,” however he nonetheless managed to get lots of people singing together with the road: “Tryna ring a bell and it’s in all probability A minorrrrrr.” Notably, tennis celebrity Serena Williams, who was as soon as romantically linked to Drake, was seen dancing throughout the monitor.
From Compton to NOLA. @SerenaWilliams @KendrickLamar #AppleMusicHalftime pic.twitter.com/mnzuP7fJ1N
— NFL (@NFL) February 10, 2025
Is Drake Suing Kendrick Lamar?
No, Drake shouldn’t be suing Kendrick. Nevertheless, the “Not Like Us” monitor turned the middle of a defamation lawsuit filed by Drake towards Common Music Group, the mum or dad label to which each he and Lamar are signed.
In keeping with Billboard, the Canadian rapper determined to sue the music label, accusing UMG of conducting an unlawful “scheme” to advertise Kendrick’s music, guaranteeing that it obtained further consideration. Drake alleges this was completed regardless of the monitor serving as a diss aimed toward him and referencing his identify immediately.
