This weekend, on one of the grandest stages of all,Kendrick Lamarkept his word and didn’t pass the aux as Sweet Chin Music rained down inside the Caesars Superdome (well, except a quick assist to Drake’s ex-girlfriend SZA). Lamar’s performance was a stand-out, and one of themost memorable Super Bowl halftime shows of all time.
Lamar’s backup dancers were dressed in the patriotic red, white and blue color scheme and joined together to form depictions of the American flag throughout his performance, using the focus of Lamar centered among this imagery to seemingly highlight and combat the racial division that’s plagued the country for centuries. On top of that, Lamar welcomedSamuel L. Jackson to serve as the show’s Uncle Samnarrator, but for all the deeper messages in the performace, one rings loudest.
For some, Kendrick Lamar has already won the war with Drake — in terms of cultural relevance, awards, streams, and chart performance — but performing your diss track during themost-watched Super Bowl Halftime Show in history?That’s game over.
Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl Disses Of Drake Explained
Multiple details in Lamar’s Super Bowl performance have been widely taken as escalations of Kendrick Lamar’s beef wih Drake, and it’s hard to argue with the assessment:
Why Kendrick Lamar & Drake Have Beef
Lamar and Drake’s beef slowly started to surface back in 2013 when Lamar floated a subtle Drake diss on Big Sean’s “Control”:“Pusha T, Meek Millz, A$AP Rocky, Drake, Big Sean, Jay Electron', Tyler, Mac Miller — I got love for you all, but I’m trying to murder you n****s.”
Lamar had previously served as the opener for Drake’sClub Paradise Tour, though similar to what we saw play out over a decade later,friendly competition allowed a cutthroat clash to marinate in the shadows of hip-hop culture, Both rap icons refuted allegations of disses toward each other over the years, that is of course until an unexpected response to Drake and J. Cole’s “First Person Shooter” (2023) shook the entire landscape of the music industry,
Cole had simply presented the argument that he, Drake and Lamar were members of the modern hip-hop ‘big three,’ to which Lamar pushed back on Future and Metro Boomin’s “Like That” in March 2024, claiming the only cultural leader in rap music is ‘just big me’ —thus publicly and aggressively distancing himself from Cole and Drake.
In April 2024, the strays continued. Cole dissed Lamar on “7 Minute Drill”, which was later followed by an apology and ultimately the overall removal of the track from all streaming platforms. Drake was far from reserved in comparison to Cole, soon after releasing “Push Ups” and “Taylor Made Freestyle” that same month to fight Lamar’s growing dominance in the newly-found feud.
Lamar returned fire with “Euphoria” and “6:16 in LA” within a matter of days, leading to Drake’s “Family Matters” track that speculated that Lamar may be guilty of domestic violence, despite a lack of any such accusations, and generated speculation as to the real father of one of his children.
Less than 24 hours removed from Drake’s bombshell drop, in most scenarios a track that would end any existing beef,Lamar pulled out the heavy artillery with both “Meet the Grahams” and the most iconic hip-hip track of the decade in “Not Like Us.” The latter first accused Drake of inauthenticity, and then using suggestive language that has been interpreted widely as allegations of predatory behavior.
Drake attempted to save face with “The Heart Part 6,” vehemently denying those allegations, and subsequently kicking off legal proceedings that culminated in accusing label UMG for defamation, rather than Lamar.
Why The Super Bowl Was Kendrick Lamar’s Haymaker On Drake
How could this not be considered the finishing blow we all saw coming?Lamar reportedly pulled 126 million viewers during the Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show, not to mention hundreds of millions worth of digital impressions from viral clips circulating all across the Internet. Once rap’s hottest lyricist took the time to stare into a camera, smiling as the words, “Say Drake,” were uttered, there was officially no counter left for the opposition. Check mate, Drake.
Will Lamar go down as one of the greatest Super Bowl halftime performers ever? Absolutely not. The overwhelming consensus doesn’t seem to hold Lamar’s artistic display in high regard relative to the historical value of these events. However,relative to his rap beef with Drake, it was the ultimate display of disrespect.
While one side resorted to an ongoing legal battle, Lamar took an all-time diss anthem to the world’s biggest stage. No matter where the showcase ranks for you across the beloved Super Bowl archives, it will still be remembered by all asa memorable victory lap that solidified landside dominationover a man once considered the face of hip-hop.
