Kendrick Lamar puts the final nail in his Drake feud with subtle (and not-so-subtle) digs at the Super Bowl halftime show
“You picked the right time for the wrong guy,” Lamar said onstage.
A week after winning five Grammys for his Drake diss track “Not Like Us,” Kendrick Lamar took a victory lap at the Super Bowl halftime show.
During the under-15-minute set, Lamar played several new songs from his latest album GNX, as well as a few older hits, backed by a fleet of dancers.
His performance was introduced by Samuel L. Jackson wearing an Uncle Sam costume.
“You picked the right time for the wrong guy,” Lamar said.
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He played the opening notes of “Not Like Us,” pausing it to say that he’d like to play the fan-favorite song, but “you know they love to sue.” Drake filed a lawsuit on Jan. 15 against Universal Music Group, the record company he and Lamar are both signed to, alleging defamation and harassment over the song.
“Not Like Us” was released toward the end of an exchange of diss tracks between the two rappers last summer. Lamar emerged victorious with the most streams and the most Grammys.
X users seemed to support Lamar’s end of the feud as well. Though Drake is an enormously popular artist, many have turned on him in support of Lamar.
After playing a few songs, Lamar returned to “Not Like Us,” looking directly into the camera as he sang, “Say, Drake, I hear you like ‘em young.”
He censored the lyrics that call Drake a pedophile, but still sang the part where he says, “tryna strike a chord and it's probably A minor.” The crowd gleefully sang along.
Fans noted his “a” chain might have been a reference to “a minor.”
SZA joined him onstage to perform “Luther” and “All the Stars.” She frequently collaborates with Lamar, but she’s also one of Drake’s exes. The two dated in 2009.
Another one of Drake’s past flames present onstage was Serena Williams, who danced as Lamar performed.
Lamar performed “TV Off,” one of his newest songs, which wasn’t part of his back-and-forth feud with Drake but does diss him lyrically.
At the end, the lights behind Lamar stated, "GAME OVER."
His victory lap isn’t over, though — it’s continuing online. Between 9 p.m. on Sunday and midnight ET on Monday, streams of Lamar’s music spiked by nearly 175% on Spotify compared to last week at the same time, according to data the streaming service sent Yahoo Entertainment.
Several songs from his setlist saw substantial streaming spikes, with “Not Like Us” taking the crown at a 430% increase. “Humble” followed with a 300% increase, and “All the Stars (with SZA)” went up 290%. SZA also saw an 80% increase in Spotify streams herself after her halftime show appearance.
Lamar and SZA will be taking the show on the road. After their performance, they announced new dates for their “Grand National” tour, which kicks off in April. Chances are they’ll break the internet again when tickets go on sale this week.
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