Kendrick Lamar took his high profile feud with Drake to the next level during his much-hyped Super Bowl halftime show.
While it was up in the air if he would perform his Grammy-winning hit "Not Like Us," a diss track that both went to #1 on the Hot 100 and is at the centre of a lawsuit between the two rappers, Kendrick didn't hold back, with a performance of the song featuring a cameo by Drake's ex, tennis star Serena Williams.
Kendrick definitely had the crowd waiting with bated breath, as he first broke out tracks “squabble up,” “Humble,” “DNA,” “euphoria,” “man at the garden” and “peakboo,” accompanied with his producer Mustard. He then teased that he wanted to “play their favourite song but you know they love to sue.”
Instead, he brought out fellow Grammy winner SZA to join him on “luther” and “All the Stars.”
But in the end, he couldn't resist. Even though he called out Drake by name, Kendrick dropped the word “pedophiles,” but got the 73,000 strong crowd to yell out “Tryna strike a chord and it’s probably A minor" with him. To add insult to injury, Kendrick had Drake's one-time flame, Serena Williams, join him as a back up dancer.
After the show, Williams tweeted, “I did not crip walk like that at Wimbledon. I would’ve been fined. It was all love.”
Actor Samuel L. Jackson introduced the performance dressed as Uncle Sam, proclaiming, “This is a great American game!”
One collaborator of Kendrick's who did not take the stage was Taylor Swift, who was there to support her boyfriend, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. The heavy presence of Philadelphia Eagles fans even booed her when she appeared on the jumbotron.
Watch the full halftime show below.
KENDRICK!!! @KendrickLamar #AppleMusicHalftime pic.twitter.com/FAo4ALNhsU
— NFL (@NFL) February 10, 2025
From Compton to NOLA. @SerenaWilliams @KendrickLamar #AppleMusicHalftime pic.twitter.com/mnzuP7fJ1N
— NFL (@NFL) February 10, 2025
Super Bowl halftime show babyyyyyyyyy pic.twitter.com/zufoSNdNhe
— Serena Williams (@serenawilliams) February 10, 2025