'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Kendrick Lamar headlined the Super Bowl LIX halftime show at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana, on Sunday, February 9, 2025. He teased the Grammy-winning Drake diss track, Not Like Us, during his set, before playing it.
In the middle of a medley of songs, the rapper addressed four of his backup dancers as “Ladies," who replied, “Yes, Dot.” Following that, Kendrick said he wanted to "perform their favorite song," adding that people "love to sue."
“I wanna make a move. I want to perform their favorite song, but you know they love to sue,” Kendrick said, seemingly alluding to Drake’s lawsuit against Universal Music Group.
Trending
While the Not Like Us beat played right after his remark, the dancers asked him what song he was talking about.
“Yeah, that song. Ahh maybe I think about…” the rapper responded.
He then left it for later in the night and moved on to performing Luther and All the Stars, with a guest appearance from SZA.
Since the moment was shared on social media, netizens and fans of the rapper have had varied reactions to it. They took to X to comment on DiscussingFilm's post about the performance, with a user, @_ahm3x claiming that Drake was the "only reason" Lamar was there.
“Drake is the only reason he's there.”
Others responded to it, calling Kendrick Lamar "savage," as some noted that Drake was "about to end it all." As some fans called the performance a "power move," others also said that the move was "funny and unexpected."
“OMG HE IS DOING IT. SAVAGEEE,” a fan wrote.
“Now that’s taking a risk,” one fan wrote.
“Drake rly about to end it all,” wrote another.
“Someone PLEASE check on Drake,” a netizen wrote.
“Power move,” another netizen wrote.
“Please free Drake. Drake life matters,” a user quipped.
“That boy was up there talking just like Kanye West! It was so funny and unexpected!” wrote another.
It is worth noting that at the time of writing this article, Drake hadn't released a statement about the performance. Meanwhile, Kendrick played Not Like Us later in the night.
He wore an “A-minor” chain and pendant while delivering the infamous “A minor” lyric, and fans in the stadium rapped along. Samuel L. Jackson appeared as Uncle Sam, and former tennis star Serena Williams also took to the stage and danced/ crip-walked during the performance.
In brief, explaining why Drake is suing Universal Music Group over Kendrick Lamar’s Not Like Us
While Drake is signed to Republic Records, Kendrick Lamar is signed to Interscope Records, which are both divisions of Universal Music Group (UMG).
The Toronto rapper, whose real name is Aubrey Graham, filed a federal lawsuit at the US District Court for the Southern District of New York on January 15, 2025. In the suit, he accused UMG of defamation and harassment and of spreading a “false and malicious” narrative against him by promoting and releasing Kendrick’s diss track, Not Like Us.
The 81-page suit claimed that UMG “approved, published, and launched a campaign to create a viral hit out of a rap track that falsely accuses Drake of being a p*dophile and calls for violent retribution against him.” Drake has sought nominal, punitive, and compensatory damages, which include general, actual, consequential, and special damages, in an amount to be determined at trial.”
Meanwhile, his legal team claimed that the lawsuit was Drake’s way of holding the record label accountable for “knowingly promoting false and defamatory allegations against him.”
“UMG has used its massive resources as the world’s most powerful music company to elevate a dangerous and inflammatory message that was designed to assassinate Drake’s character, and led to actual violence at Drake’s doorstep,” the statement reads.
The rapper also demanded that UMG be asked to make public statements that claims against him in Not Like Us were “false” and to “stop making statements about the popularity of the Recording, Image, or Video” in the track. He also demanded that UMG should cover his legal fees.
Notably, Drizzy has sued UMG and not Kendrick Lamar with whom he had a rap battle and beef since March 2024. The two also released diss tracks against each other, one of which was Not Like Us, released on May 4, 2024.
“UMG wants the public to believe that this is a fight between rappers, but this lawsuit is not brought against Kendrick Lamar. This lawsuit reveals the human and business consequences to UMG’s elevation of profits over the safety and well-being of its artists, and shines a light on the manipulation of artists and the public for corporate gain,” Drake’s attorneys stated.
In the wake of the lawsuit, UMG responded via a statement on January 15, 2025. They claimed that Champagne Papi’s allegations were “untrue” and the theory that the label would “harm” any of their artists was “illogical.”
“We have invested massively in his music and our employees around the world have worked tirelessly for many years to help him achieve historic commercial and personal financial success,” the statement read.
It went on to add that over the course of his career, Drake "intentionally and successfully used UMG to distribute his music and poetry." It noted that the rapper did so to engage in "conventionally outrageous back-and-forth rap battles" where he expressed what he felt about the other rappers and artists.
“He now seeks to weaponize the legal process to silence an artist’s creative expression and to seek damages from UMG for distributing that artist’s music,” the statement added.
Drake’s legal team filed a petition against UMG in November 2024 accusing the collective of using payola and bots to boost Not Like Us on Spotify. At the time, UMG responded by stating that they used the "highest ethical practices" in their campaigns.
“We employ the highest ethical practices in our marketing and promotional campaigns. No amount of contrived and absurd legal arguments in this pre-action submission can mask the fact that fans choose the music they want to hear," the statement read.
Spotify didn’t issue any statement. Kendrick Lamar also maintained his distance from the legal dispute until recently. His track Not Like Us, which calls Drake a “certified p*dophile” and “predator” who should be put on “neighborhood watch” has earned over a billion streams on Spotify.
The diss track also won five Grammy Awards, including Song and Record of the Year.
Before the 2025 Super Bowl halftime show, K-Dot performed the song six times at his Juneteenth concert, The Pop Out: Ken and Friends, at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles. It was the first time he played Not Like Us, live.
