Photo Credit: @LoveIsBack24 (X/Twitter) / NFL
Despite pressure not to perform his hit “Not Like Us” at the Super Bowl, Kendrick Lamar (and the NFL) goes ahead with a preview featuring the track.
Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl halftime show is less than a week away, and a new teaser reveals his Drake diss track “Not Like Us” is on the setlist. That news comes on the heels of reports that Lamar was feeling pressure from multiple sides not to play the song. But the Compton native didn’t seem up for omitting the hit from his performance in the first place.
Over the weekend, sources close to the situation told Digital Music News that Drake’s legal team was putting pressure on the NFL to keep Kendrick from playing “Not Like Us.” And his decision to play it anyway could exacerbate the legal feud Drake sparked with Universal Music Group.
But since Lamar isn’t the one getting sued, he may not care. And fans will expect him to play the hit song, for which Drake is coming after UMG for releasing and promoting. Drake launched a petition in November against UMG with allegations that the company had orchestrated a scheme to promote Kendrick’s diss track and slander Drake in the process.
Now that petition has turned into a full-blown defamation lawsuit, which UMG isn’t taking too seriously. The label called Drake’s assertions “ridiculous,” and fans and critics alike have blasted the Toronto native for his decision to get the courts involved.
Meanwhile, Kendrick Lamar’s halftime show has led to a partnership between the rapper and designer Willy Chavarria for a limited collection of apparel to commemorate the event. “I absolutely love Kendrick’s message as a performer and his voice in society,” said Chavarria, who is also a native Californian.
Notably, Lamar wore Chavarria’s designs on his recent Big Steppers Tour, but he was already repping the designer’s pieces well before that. The new Super Bowl collection goes on sale starting Wednesday, January 29, ahead of the Super Bowl kick off this Sunday.