Kendrick Lamar may not have walked away with the Super Bowl MVP trophy on Sunday night, but he undoubtedly claimed a different kind of victory. In what has become one of the most defining moments in recent hip-hop feuds, Lamar used his Super Bowl halftime performance to decisively put an end to his beef with Drake, sending a clear message to fans and critics alike.
While the Philadelphia Eagles denied the Kansas City Chiefs a historic Super Bowl three-peat, Lamar’s performance buried Drake deeper than the Chiefs’ failing offensive line. The night wasn’t just about football; it was about cultural dominance, and Lamar seized his moment.
Teasing That Lawsuit
In the lead-up to the Super Bowl halftime show, the biggest question on everyone’s mind wasn’t about the final score of Super Bowl 2025, but whether Kendrick Lamar would perform his scathing diss track, “Not Like Us.”
The song, which became the defining hip-hop anthem of 2024, was central to Lamar’s battle with Drake. It even helped Lamar secure five Grammy wins, including Song of the Year, Record of the Year, and Music Video of the Year. However, Drake wasn’t just losing in music awards—he was also fighting a legal battle.
Just last month, Drake sued his own record label, UMG Recordings, Inc., for defamation in connection with the publishing and promotion of “Not Like Us.” Although Lamar was not directly named as a defendant, Drake’s lawsuit became a desperate attempt to control the narrative.
Before performing, Lamar made his stance crystal clear, addressing the audience:
“I want to perform their favorite song, but you know they love to sue.”
It was a mic-drop moment before the performance even began.
‘Not Like Us’ Becomes the Star of the Show
When Lamar finally launched into “Not Like Us,” the stadium erupted. He didn’t hold back, rapping his most controversial lines, including the now-infamous:
“Say Drake, I hear you like ‘em young.”
Though Lamar strategically avoided saying “pedophile” live on stage, the audience filled in the blanks. The crowd chanted along, making it clear that the song had already been embedded in pop culture as one of the most brutal diss tracks in rap history.
Lamar made sure the moment would be unforgettable. Standing center-stage, draped in his signature Amazon chain (a nod to the “A” he wears proudly), he delivered one of the most talked-about Super Bowl halftime show performances of all time.
Serena Williams: The Ultimate Troll Move
The performance had another unexpected twist.
When Lamar rapped the line, “Better not speak on Serena,” the cameras cut to none other than Serena Williams—Crip walking for the world to see.
For those unfamiliar, Serena Williams and Drake have a complicated history. Rumors of their romance began in 2011, with Drake even referencing her in multiple songs, including “Worst Behavior” (2013) and “Middle of the Ocean” (2022), where he took a shot at her husband, Alexis Ohanian, by calling him a “groupie.”
Williams, however, had her own clapback moment. While hosting the ESPY Awards, she quipped:
“If I’ve learned anything this year, it’s that none of us, not a single one of us, not even me, should ever pick a fight with Kendrick Lamar.”
She followed it up by dancing to “Not Like Us.”
This moment at the Super Bowl halftime show wasn’t just a callback—it was a statement. Williams’ history with Drake made her presence a poetic form of payback. And she didn’t just dance—she did the Crip Walk, a style deeply associated with Compton, Lamar’s hometown.
Williams had previously been criticized for performing the Crip Walk at the 2012 Olympics, with some claiming she was “glamorizing gang culture.” However, after Lamar’s halftime show, she jokingly posted:
“Man, I did not Crip walk like that at Wimbledon. Ooh, I would’ve been fined.”
It was a moment of pure, unfiltered hip-hop and sports crossover perfection.
Drake: The Real Loser of Super Bowl Sunday
While Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs were struggling to make plays against the Eagles’ defense, Drake was taking a loss of his own—in front of millions.
His feud with Lamar has now taken an irreversible turn, with Lamar walking away with the Grammys, cultural relevance, and the biggest stage in entertainment. And while Mahomes will have another chance at a Super Bowl ring, Drake’s reputation in hip-hop may never recover.
Even the presence of Samuel L. Jackson, a longtime staple of hip-hop culture and film, in the stadium only added to the spectacle. Jackson, a known Kendrick Lamar fan, was seen vibing to “Not Like Us”—further proving that even Hollywood icons were siding against Drake.
Lamar not only dominated the Super Bowl halftime show, but he also cemented his place in hip-hop history, proving once and for all that in 2025, there’s one clear winner in the Kendrick-Drake feud—and it’s not the Certified Lover Boy.
At the end of the night, the Philadelphia Eagles secured their second Super Bowl win, stopping the Kansas City Chiefs from making history. But in the bigger cultural game, the final score read:
- Kendrick Lamar: Undefeated.
- Drake: Defeated—worse than the Chiefs.
The Super Bowl halftime show wasn’t just about football. It was about dominance, cultural influence, and legacy.
And if this Super Bowl proved anything, it’s that Lamar not only won the battle—he won the war.
