Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl performance on Sunday wasn’t just a show—it was a victory lap in his long-running feud with fellow rapper Drake.
The centerpiece of his set? Not Like Us, the Grammy-winning diss track that’s at the heart of an escalating libel battle.
As Lamar dominated the Super Bowl stage, Drake was thousands of miles away in Melbourne, Australia, handing out cash to fans at his concert.
Yet, all eyes were on the Compton star’s performance, which seemed to deliver one final blow in their ongoing beef.
Here’s how we got to this point after a heated 12 months of back-and-forth diss tracks:
Contents
The Spark: A Hidden Verse
The feud reignited in March last year when We Don’t Trust You, a joint album by Metro Boomin’ and Future, quietly featured an uncredited verse by Kendrick Lamar on the track Like That.
Lamar dismissed the idea of a “Big Three” in hip-hop—himself, Drake, and J. Cole—declaring: “Forget the Big Three, it’s just Big Me.”
Drake wasn’t about to let it slide. During a concert in Florida, he addressed Lamar without naming him: “Ain’t nobody on this earth that could ever [mess] with me!”
- Cole also joined the fray but quickly backtracked, apologizing at the Dreamville Festival and praising Lamar’s discography.
Drake Strikes Back
Drake fired the next shot with Push Ups (Drop and Give Me 50), mocking Lamar’s height (5ft 4in) and accusing him of being a puppet for pop collaborations:
“Maroon 5 need a verse, you better make it witty / Then we need a verse for the Swifties.”
The feud escalated as more rappers, including Kanye West and Rick Ross, got dragged into the conflict.
Drake released Taylor Made Freestyle, which accused Lamar of being too scared to drop music in the same week as Taylor Swift.
To up the ante, he used AI to mimic the voices of Lamar’s heroes, Tupac Shakur and Snoop Dogg, for his insults.
Kendrick Responds with Full Force
Kendrick didn’t hold back. His six-minute response, Euphoria, tore into Drake’s character, labeling him a manipulative liar and questioning his parenting skills.
“I hate the way that you walk, the way that you talk, I hate the way that you dress,” Lamar rapped.
Then came 6:16 in LA, where Lamar hinted at betrayal within Drake’s circle: “Everyone inside your team is whispering that you deserve it.”
Drake Goes Personal
Drake’s Family Matters took things to a dangerous level, insinuating domestic abuse allegations—claims with no basis in fact.
Lamar retaliated with Meet The Grahams, a track aimed at Drake’s family, where he accused the rapper of secretly fathering a second child and battling addictions.
On Instagram, Drake sarcastically asked whoever had his “hidden daughter” to hand her back.
The Breaking Point: Not Like Us
The most explosive track of all was Not Like Us, where Lamar made serious accusations, implying that Drake had inappropriate relationships with underage women.
The controversial lyric—“Say, Drake, I hear you like ’em young / Tryna strike a chord and it’s probably A minor”—left listeners stunned.
Drake immediately denied the claims, challenging Lamar to provide proof:
“Drake is not a name that you gonn’ see on no sex offender list, easy does it / You mentioning A minor … B sharp and tell the fans: Who was it?”
Despite the controversy, Not Like Us became a massive hit, amassing one billion Spotify streams and winning five Grammy Awards, including Song of the Year.
Feud Spills into Real Life
The feud took a dangerous turn when a security guard outside Drake’s house was shot, though no connection was proven.
Meanwhile, Drake’s OVO shop in London was vandalized in an apparent act of retaliation.
Lamar, however, leaned into the chaos.
During a star-studded Los Angeles concert intended to promote unity in West Coast rap, he performed Not Like Us five times—making it clear that there was no truce in sight.
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