00:00Kendrick Lamar took his Super Bowl halftime performance to another level, complete with
00:03surprise A-list cameos and a direct address of the Drake beef in front of millions.
00:08Let's break it all down.
00:10Rapper Kendrick Lamar took to the field during Super Bowl 59, where he debuted an unreleased
00:14song snippet, followed by Squabble Up, the second track from his latest album, GNX,
00:19according to USA Today. Of course, fans were on the edge of their seats to see if Lamar would play
00:24his diss track to Drake, not like us, especially considering Drake is suing his record label,
00:28UMG, and Kendrick for defamation and harassment over the song, calling its release and promotion
00:34unlawful, as reported by the New York Times. During the performance, Lamar was joined by
00:39singer-songwriter SZA, who dated Drake for an unknown period of time in 2009, according to the
00:44New York Post. Kendrick Lamar also brought out a surprise cameo from Serena Williams. Fans grew
00:50more anxious as the 37-year-old rapper stated, I want to play their favorite song, but you know
00:55they love to sue. Actor Samuel L. Jackson, dressed as Uncle Sam, popped in and out of the
01:00performance as a sordid narrator, giving Kendrick time to reset before performing again. After
01:06Kendrick and SZA performed their song, All The Stars, Samuel L. Jackson reappears on the screen
01:11to compliment the performance, stating, This is what America wants. Nice. Calm. Continuing with,
01:17You're almost there, only to be cut off as Not Like Us began to play. In the middle of the
01:22performance, Kendrick looked straight into the camera and said, Say Drake, before continuing his
01:27famous lyrics, I heard you like him young. Despite multiple reports citing, he said, Hey Drake.
01:33Kendrick continued his performance, reaching the part of the song where he refers to Drake
01:37as a certified lover boy, yet he censored himself and did not say pedophile. On X,
01:43hashtag Kendrick Bowl began to quickly trend with mixed reactions about the performance.
01:48One fan wrote, Let's be real. Halftime show was trash. None of Kendrick's real hits, just a mid
01:54mashup, just to say Drake's name. Another fan jokingly stated, Drake calling his lawyers after
01:59seeing Kendrick perform Not Like Us. Some even showed concern, stating, That halftime performance
02:05was a snooze fest and I love Kendrick, but the hate for Drake has manifested too much, I fear.
02:10And others pointed out their takeaways of Kendrick's Drake call outs from his lyrics to
02:15his chain. Lawyers for Drake made a statement before the Super Bowl, stating, UMG is masquerading
02:20as a champion of artistic freedom by calling its actions merely entertainment, but there is nothing
02:26entertaining about pedophilia or child abuse in the real world. So did Kendrick push the beef too
02:31far or is this just hip-hop history in the making? Share your thoughts and follow us everywhere at
02:36What's Trending.
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