"Drake is a more viable product"— Azealia Banks thinks Kendrick Lamar 'embarrassed himself' at the Super Bowl halftime show

Azealia Banks stirred controversy once again after taking aim at Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl LIX halftime show. In a series of social media posts on February 15, the rapper criticized Lamar’s performance and claimed that Drake is a more "viable product" in the music industry.

Azealia Banks labeled Lamar’s performance as embarrassing and questioned his global appeal. She argued that Drake’s straightforward approach to language makes him more accessible to a global audience. According to Banks, Lamar's accent and delivery make it difficult for non-English speakers to connect with his music.

"Another reason Drake is a more viable product than Kendrick is that Drake speaks English in ways that are easier for a non-English speaker to understand," she wrote.

The Super Bowl LIX halftime show took place on February 9, 2025, with Kendrick Lamar making history as the first solo rapper to headline the event. While many applauded his performance, Azealia Banks had a different take. She posted a series of scathing remarks on social media, criticizing Lamar's stage presence and claiming that he lacked the charisma needed to be a global star.

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Azealia Banks says Kendrick Lamar embarrassed himself at the Super Bowl

Azealia Banks suggested that Kendrick’s streaming numbers appeared inflated and claimed they were manipulated.

"I saw you guys and Spotify lie about Kendrick having most monthly streamers common sense revealed that to be an absolute lie," she added in the tweet.

This is not the first time Banks has aimed at Kendrick Lamar or his label, Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE). Over the years, she has launched several online attacks against TDE artists, accusing them of being uncharismatic and lacking genuine star power, as reported by HotNewHipHop.

"You guys are actually super pathetic and quite possibly the most HERB music collective hip-hop has seen," Banks ranted in a previous post.

She went on to describe TDE’s artists as "non-stars" and "completely desperate impostors," claiming they rely heavily on talented songwriters and producers without possessing the necessary star quality themselves.

Azealia Banks also targeted label executive Punch, accusing TDE of being "corny" and "fake deep." Despite the backlash, Punch responded with a simple wink emoji, seemingly brushing off Banks' remarks.

Additionally, according to NL Times, Azealia Banks was recently dropped from the lineup of Milkshake Festival, an LGBTQ+ inclusive event in the Netherlands, following backlash over her past anti-LGBTQ+ remarks. The festival organizers cited her history of offensive comments as the reason for their decision, reaffirming their commitment to inclusivity.

Kendrick Lamar's Super Bowl performance followed a successful Grammy night on February 2, where he won five awards, including record of the year and song of the year for his track Not Like Us. Lamar is also set to embark on the Grand National joint tour with SZA, marking his first stadium tour in North America and Europe.