Kendrick Lamar made history and stirred up a lot of buzz during his electrifying Super Bowl halftime performance on Sunday, February 9, 2025. This marked a groundbreaking moment as he became the first rap artist to headline the show solo. Although Lamar had previously performed at the Super Bowl in 2022 alongside an all-star lineup featuring Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige, and Eminem, this time around, he took center stage, delivering a performance that captivated millions. However, what truly set the internet ablaze was his inclusion of the Grammy-winning track “Not Like Us,” a song widely interpreted as a direct diss aimed at fellow rapper Drake. The performance not only showcased Lamar’s musical prowess but also reignited the intense rivalry between the two artists, leaving fans and critics alike eager to dive deeper into the backstory of their feud.
The rivalry between Kendrick Lamar and Drake has been a topic of discussion for years, with both artists vying for dominance in the hip-hop world. Their feud gained significant traction in late 2023 and escalated throughout 2024, with both rappers trading lyrical jabs through a series of tracks. It all began on October 31, 2023, when Drake released “First Person Shooter,” a song featuring J. Cole. In the track, Cole referred to the trio as “the Big 3,” seemingly placing Kendrick, Drake, and himself on the same pedestal. However, Kendrick didn’t take kindly to the shoutout, interpreting it as dismissive of his individual status. This prompted him to fire back on March 26, 2024, with a scathing verse on “Like That,” where he declared, “Motherf the big three, na, it’s just big me.” This bold statement set the tone for the escalating rivalry.
Drake wasted no time in retaliation. On April 13, 2024, he leaked the track “Push Ups,” revisiting the “Big 3” line and taking personal jabs at Kendrick, including remarks about his height and his former deal with Top Dawg Entertainment. The tension between the two artists continued to rise when Drake dropped “Taylor Made Freestyle” on April 19, 2024. In this now-deleted track, Drake employed AI-generated voices of Kendrick’s idols, Tupac and Snoop Dogg, to take aim at him. This controversial move led to a cease and desist from Tupac’s estate, further fueling the drama. Kendrick, however, remained unfazed and responded with “euphoria” on April 30, 2024. The six-minute track was a relentless attack on Drake, targeting his credibility, reputation, and even his role as a father. One particularly sharp line stated, “I got a son to raise, but I can see you don’t know nothin’ ’bout that.”
The back-and-forth continued at a rapid pace. Just days after “euphoria,” Kendrick released “6:16 in LA” on May 3, 2024, suggesting that someone from Drake’s team might be leaking information to him. Not one to back down, Drake fired back on the same day with “Family Matters,” a nearly eight-minute track that pushed the boundaries of personal attacks. Drake made controversial claims, suggesting that Kendrick’s child was actually fathered by his manager, Dave Free, and took aim at Kendrick’s relationship with his fiancée, Whitney Alford. The escalating nature of their feud reached new heights when Kendrick responded just 20 minutes later with “Meet the Grahams,” a track structured as a series of letters to Drake’s son, Adonis, his parents, an alleged secret daughter, and finally to Drake himself. One of the most explosive claims in the song was Kendrick’s allegation that Drake had an 11-year-old daughter, further intensifying the public’s fascination with their rivalry.
The track at the center of this storm, “Not Like Us,” is undeniably aimed at Drake. It serves as the culmination of their ongoing beef, with Kendrick delivering sharp, creative jabs throughout the song. In the track, he calls out Drake by name twice and doubles down on the allegations of sexual abuse he had previously mentioned in “Meet the Grahams.” The accompanying music video for “Not Like Us” further amplified the message, making it one of the most talked-about tracks of their rivalry. During his halftime performance, Kendrick cleverly adapted the lyrics, opting not to use the word “pedophile” directly but still managed to get the crowd— including tennis superstar Serena Williams, who was once romantically linked to Drake—singing along to the line, “Tryna strike a chord and it’s probably A minorrrrrr.”
While Kendrick’s track has been a focal point of the feud, it has also led to legal repercussions. Drake is not suing Kendrick directly but has taken action against Universal Music Group, the parent label for both artists. According to Billboard, Drake filed a defamation lawsuit against UMG, accusing the label of orchestrating an illegal scheme to promote “Not Like Us” and ensure its success, despite the song being a direct diss aimed at him. Drake’s lawsuit highlights the broader implications of their rivalry, which extends beyond music and into the business side of the industry. The feud between Kendrick Lamar and Drake has captivated fans and sparked debates about the limits of lyrical content and the consequences of diss tracks in the modern music landscape. Their rivalry continues to unfold, leaving audiences eagerly awaiting what comes next in this high-stakes battle of artistry and ego.
