The legendary NFL Super Bowl halftime show is never short on controversy and last weekend’s Super Bowl LIX was no exception.
In what some on X are calling the worst halftime performance ever, Kendrick Lamar, 37, didn’t just deliver a lacklustre show—he delivered a shocking message to his former music lover Drake.
The Pulitzer Prize-winning rapper took the stage and performed his explosive Drake diss track, “Not Like Us,” sending shockwaves through the music world. The track, which accuses Drake of being a “certified paedophile” and a “predator,” has been at the center of their bitter feud since 2023. “This was a nuclear move,” a former rep of Apple Music tells America’s Number One Newstainment Source, GWU!
She goes on to add that the vertically challenged Kendrick Lamar is just a bitter and angry bottom, using the Super Bowl to lash out at Drake for using him and then throwing the Compton native to the curb.
Baby oil for social media burn
And Drake? He’s not staying silent. Just hours after Kendrick’s performance, the Canadian superstar and former crippled cast member of TV’s Degrassi Junior High hit back with a subtle but savage Instagram post.
Sharing snaps of himself performing in front of thousands of age-of-majority adoring fans, Drake captioned the photos, “$$$inema,” a clear flex of his own star power. But the real kicker? A close-up of his custom OVO owl chain, dripping with over 100 carats of diamonds and a kilo of gold. The message? I’m still the top in this relationship, beatch! Uh, which group of sickos worship a giant Owl on a creepy island again? Never mind!
Who’s on top?
Fans were quick to weigh in, with one commenting on Instagram, “Drake’s undefeated,” while another added, “Let them watch and enjoy.” But Kendrick’s supporters weren’t having it, flooding social media with memes and jokes about the “A minor” line from “Not Like Us.” Even brands like Duolingo and Apple Music joined the fray, with Duolingo tweeting, “Learn A minor in our music course #SuperBowl,” and Apple Music spamming, “They not like us,” 48 times in a row.
The feud has now spilled into the courtroom, with Drake suing Universal Music Group (UMG), claiming they artificially inflated streams of Kendrick’s diss track to damage his reputation. Drake’s legal team argues that UMG knowingly released a song that “falsely accused him of being a sex offender, engaging in paedophilic acts, and committing other criminal sexual acts.” UMG, however, has fired back, calling the claims “offensive and untrue.”
Celebs get freaky
Meanwhile, celebrities are picking sides. 90s Rapper and grandpa Flavor Flav praised Kendrick’s performance, tweeting, “The way the WHOLE stadium just yelled ‘A MINOOOOOOOOOORRRRR.’” ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith called it “the best halftime show ever,” while Ben Stiller simply declared it “iconic.” Even Sesame Street’s Elmo chimed in, gushing over Kendrick’s collaborator SZA: “Ms. @sza, YOU WERE FANTASTIC!!!”
As the legal battle rages on and the diss tracks keep dropping, one thing is clear: this rap war isn’t ready to hit the showers just yet.
