"Drake knew so he ran away to Australia" — Internet reacts as NFL and FOX execs ponder over broadcasting Not Like Us lyrics amid UMG lawsuit

Kendrick Lamar is set to headline the 2025 NFL Super Bowl Halftime Show on February 9. However, recently questions around whether the rapper will perform Not Like Us, his Grammy-winning Drake diss track, floated on social media.

According to a TMZ report published on February 5, both the NFL and FOX (the media house set to telecast the NFL games) are pondering over allowing the rapper to perform Not Like Us without encountering any legal ramifications in light of Drake's defamation lawsuit against UMG regarding the track.

For the unversed, Drake sued Universal Music Group on January 15, accusing the record label of defaming him by releasing Not Like Us which accused him of being a "certified p*dophile."

"Certified Lover Boy? Certified p*dophiles/ Wop, wop, wop, wop, wop, Dot, f**k 'em up/ Wop, wop, wop, wop, wop, I'ma do my stuff/ Why you trollin' like a b***h? Ain't you tired?/ Tryna strike a chord and it's probably A minor," Lamar rapped on Not Like Us.

According to Billboard, the Federal Communications Commission forbids the airing of “obscene, indecent, or profane content” on broadcast television, which is why artists refrain from singing s*xually explicit lyrics and curse words when performing on stage. This rule could lead to Lamar facing trouble for the p*dophile line and other lyrics if performed without a censor.

While TMZ claimed its sources revealed that Kendrick Lamar is confirmed to perform Not Like Us on the NFL stage, neither Lamar's team nor the NFL have confirmed the same.

The news of Lamar potentially performing Not Like Us was met with mixed responses on social media. One user jokingly claimed Drake ran away to Australia to shield himself from the upcoming incident. For context, Drizzy is currently touring in Australia and New Zealand.

"Drake knew so he ran away to Australia," one person wrote.

Lamar's fans cheered at the possibility of the rapper performing Not Like Us on stage. Here are some of their reactions.

"60k people singing the "A minor" bar at the same time," one person posted.

"Kendrick might go down as one of the biggest haters of all time," another person added.

"It would be better for Drake if they played the lyrics honestly," someone else commented.

"I mean, he won a Grammy for it and had the whole arena singing along as he accepted the award. Can’t start worrying about defamation now lol," another user wrote.

Others wondered how Lamar could circumnavigate the situation to allow him to perform Not Like Us without facing legal issues.

"What if he mutes the specific lyrics but let the thousands of people fill it in, would be just as cool imo," one person tweeted.

"Kendrick is clever with wordplay. He can omit Drake's name easily and change up the lyrics. Kendrick's got this! I'm looking forward to what he comes up with. #SuperBowl 22-time #Grammy winner," another person added.

"Kendrick will pause but the entire stadium will sing it. Lawsuit avoided," someone else wrote.

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Kendrick Lamar made Grammy history with Not Like Us

Kendrick Lamar's Not Like Us, which made waves when it first dropped in May 2024 amid his intense rap beef with Drake, made Grammy history after it became the first diss track to win two of the biggest awards of the night.

The Mustard-produced track took home Song of the Year and Record of the Year during the music awards ceremony on February 2. Not Like Us also won in three other categories, including Best Rap Song.

This is the third time Lamar won five Grammys in one night, after his first time in 2016 during his To Pimp A Butterfly era and the second time in 2018 during his Damn era.

According to Vox, Kendrick Lamar is also set to make history as the first solo rap act to headline the Super Bowl. The rapper previously performed at the 2022 Super Bowl as a part of Dr. Dre's ensemble, which also included 50 Cent, Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige, and Eminem.

It is unclear whether Lamar will be joined by other artists on stage, however, singer SZA is confirmed to perform with the rapper. SZA and Lamar have collaborated many times before, including on the Oscar-nominated song All the Stars from the Black Panther soundtrack. They also recently joined forces on Lamar's track luther, from his latest album GNX.