Kendrick Lamar will take the stage at halftime of the 2025 Super Bowl in New Orleans on February 9 in one of the most talked about halftime performances in recent years. The biggest question remaining is whether he will perform his chart-topping Drake diss song “Not Like Us.” Drizzy’s recent lawsuit related to the song may be a sign that the Canadian rap star is determined to make sure that doesn’t happen.
Controversy surrounding ‘not like us’
Kendrick Lamar is having a big year in 2024, thanks in large part to “Not Like Us,” the song that seemed to bring an end to K-Dot and Drake’s lyrical feud. Spending two weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart, the song is undoubtedly one of the hottest records of 2024, as evidenced by its five 2025 Grammy Award nominations, including Record of the Year and Song of the Year Got this.
K-Dot was announced as the 2025 Super Bowl halftime show performer in September, adding to his epic performance in 2024. So, the idea is that he’s definitely going to shine in the big games, right? perhaps. Maybe not.
Drake’s lawsuit could complicate matters
Although K-Dot’s “Not Like Us” has become a West Coast record-breaking rallying cry, at its core, it’s a mean-spirited diss song that labels music industry’s golden boy, Drake, a child predator. Therefore, it is not the most suitable track for the Super Bowl. Kendrick has censored his infamous “certified lover boy, certified pedophile” line in past performances, changing “paedophile” to “pedophile style” during one live performance. And these games don’t get as much attention as the Super Bowl.
Drake’s recent legal action against Universal Music Group over the track has only made things more complicated. In November 2024, Drake filed two pre-suit petitions against UMG, the publisher of his and Kendrick Lamar’s music, accusing the music group of defaming and artificially exaggerating “Not Like Us” and damaging Drake’s Benefit. Drake withdrew a filing on Tuesday (January 14), only to reverse course and formally sue UMG for defamation over the release of the inflammatory track on Wednesday (January 15).
Some have speculated that Aubrey’s legal strategy was to get the NFL and Apple Music, which sponsors the halftime show, to prevent Kendrick from including the song on his show. Drake’s lawsuit only raises the stakes for the song to be banned from the Super Bowl to avoid being embroiled in a court case.
One The roof was ripped off.
Another post on the topic read: “Didn’t I tell you guys that Drake would go after the Super Bowl?” “He’s trying his hardest to stop Kendrick Lamar through everything and everyone. No matter what, he might Not even performing ‘not like us’.”
possible outcome
This situation has several consequences. One: Kendrick could have avoided performing the song after a) being told not to perform or b) deciding not to perform on his own. Either way, the web is going to have a blast. Second: He could perform the song and censor the part where Drake likes underage girls. Third: He could perform part of the song and completely avoid any references to Drake. Finally, he could perform the song as it is, regardless of pedophilia accusations and all, and get whatever reaction and fallout comes with it.
Either way, hip-hop fans will be glued to their TVs on Super Bowl Sunday.
