Kendrick Lamar refrained from rapping some of the more explicit lyrics in his chart-topping Drake diss “Not Like Us” at the Super Bowl — but that didn’t stop the crowd from filling them in.
Lamar headlined this year’s halftime show as the Kansas City Chiefs took on the Philadelphia Eagles days after sweeping five Grammy Awards.
Samuel L. Jackson and Serena Williams were among Lamar’s special guests on Sunday as he rifled through hits including “DNA” and “All the Stars.”
Fans were waiting to see if the rapper would perform “Not Like Us,” which includes brutal lyrics about his rap nemesis Drake including allegations about his interactions with younger women.
In one line referencing Drake’s 2021 album, Lamar raps: “Certified Lover Boy? Certified pedophile.”
However, during his halftime performance, Lamar omitted the word pedophile as well as the n-word throughout.
“Kendrick is too good censoring himself, I'd slip up,” one fan tweeted during the show.
Last month, Drake sued his own record label, Universal Music Group — which also represents Lamar — for defamation over “Not Like Us.”
Though Lamar is not named in the suit, the filing claims that Universal knew the pedophilia allegations were false but “chose corporate greed over the safety and well-being of its artists.”
It additionally claims that Universal “approved, published, and launched a campaign to create a viral hit out of a rap track” that was “intended to convey the specific, unmistakable, and false factual allegation that Drake is a criminal pedophile, and to suggest that the public should resort to vigilante justice in response.”
In a statement, UMG told The Independent: “Not only are these claims untrue, but the notion that we would seek to harm the reputation of any artist—let alone Drake—is illogical. We have invested massively in his music and our employees around the world have worked tirelessly for many years to help him achieve historic commercial and personal financial success.”
Drake is currently in Melbourne, Australia, on his Anita Max Win tour.
The “God’s Plan” rapper has yet to address Lamar’s Grammy wins for the diss track; however, during his first show in Australia, the rapper assured fans he was “very much alive.”
“My name is Drake. I started doing music in 2008,” he told the audience. “I come all the way from Toronto, Canada. The year is now 2025, and no matter what, Drizzy Drake is very much alive and that’s all thanks to you. I love you.”
