Image credits: Chris Graythen/Getty Images

Lamar’s historic performance featured SZA, Samuel L Jackson, and Serena Williams.

Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” performance

In the weeks leading up to Super Bowl LIX, speculation swirled over whether Kendrick Lamar would perform “Not Like Us” given the ongoing defamation lawsuit associated with the track. Drake accuses Universal Music Group (UMG) of trying to “create a viral hit” out of a song that made “false allegations” about him. With over 120 million anticipated viewers tuning in to watch as the Philadelphia Eagles defeated the Kansas City Chiefs, the stakes were high.

Drake’s defamation battle with UMG continues

Lamar didn’t shy away from the moment. Halfway through his set, he teased the diss track that has earned one billion Spotify streams and won five Grammy awards just last week. “I wanna play their favorite song, but you know they love to sue” – a clear nod to the ongoing litigation. Initially, he pivoted to a performance of “Luther” with SZA, leading many to wonder if legal concerns had silenced them. But in the penultimate song of the night, Lamar went all in and delivered Not Like Us to a roaring crowd. Notably, he self-censored the song’s most controversial lyric, which labels Drake a “certified pedophile”, while keeping in the double-entendre line “tryna strike a chord and it’s probably a minor”.

A performance for the history books

This wasn’t Lamar’s first appearance at the Super Bowl halftime show, but it was a record-breaking one as he became the first solo hip-hop artist to headline the event. The set was theatrical, opening with Samuel L. Jackson as an emcee, dressed as Uncle Sam. The actor delivered a tongue-in-cheek monologue as he called Lamar’s tracks “too loud, too reckless, too ghetto”, before praising his duets with SZA, remarking, “That’s what America wants, nice and calm.”

Alongside performances with SZA, Serena Williams also made a surprise appearance dancing on the stage. The performance climaxed with Not Like Us, before Lamar took a victory lap with his West Coast Anthem “TV off”.

Lamar’s set managed to squeeze 11 songs across his discography into 13 minutes. Here’s the full setlist:

The performance is available to watch on YouTube.

Could the performance impact the defamation lawsuit?

Lamar’s Super Bowl moment reignites the legal controversy surrounding Drake’s lawsuit against UMG. One source suggested that Lamar’s performance to such a large audience could push potential defamation damages past the billion-dollar mark.   

However, industry experts believe the impact on the lawsuit will be minimal. Lamar has already performed Not Like Us to massive audiences before, and his decision to censor one of the track’s most inflammatory lines suggests a level of legal awareness. Additionally, many doubt that Drake would directly sue Lamar, as doing so would further cement his loss in the feud. Not only would this not sit well within hip-hop culture, but it would also make little sense given Drake threw accusations at Lamar throughout the feud too. 

For now, the legal battle continues, and it remains to be seen whether Lamar’s Super Bowl performance will cause more trouble for UMG.

Get your music heard on streaming platforms everywhere today. For free and seamless distribution use RouteNote. Find out more at www.routenote.com