Kendrick Lamar is about to take center stage at the Super Bowl halftime show, but let’s be real—at this point, football isn’t the only thing fans are hyped about. Sure, he might be the most celebrated hater right about now, but after snagging five Grammys, that too for a diss track of Drake, he’s riding a massive wave of momentum. And that’s what we’re gonna witness this Sunday at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Speaking of that diss track, Kendrick Lamar and Drake’s beef has been brewing for over a decade, and now, it’s been approximately one and a half years since the most intense phase of their feud began. It started back in October 2023 when rapper J. Cole collaborated with Drake on the song ‘First Person Shooter.’ In the song, Cole referred to himself, Lamar, and Drake as the ‘Big Three’ in rap. But nah, Lamar knew his worth and hit back with another banger.

He collaborated with Future and Metro Boomin and released the track titled ‘Like That’ back in March 2024. On the track, he declared that there weren’t any big three but just Big Me. Fast forward to April 2024, and this time, it was Drake’s turn. He released the diss track ‘Push Ups’ that took shots at everything—from Lamar’s shoe size to his history of teaming up with pop stars. “Maroon 5 need a verse, you better make it witty / Then we need a verse for the Swifties,” Drake mocked Lamar’s collaboration with Maroon 5 on their song ‘Don’t Wanna Know’ and Taylor Swift on her song ‘Bad Blood.’

Now, it was the time to counterattack. Remember HBO’s hit drama Euphoria? Yeah, Drake is an executive producer of the show. Lamar released his next track titled the same for insulting Drake, considering he was involved in the production of the show. Later, Drake took a drastic turn and got personal with Family Matters. Things got intense when he released an 8-minute diss track titled “Family Matters” and threw out accusations involving Lamar and his fiancée, Whitney Alford.

Now, that is when people say he crossed the limits. Lamar didn’t hold back, and within an hour of the release of Family Matters, he responded with a title, “Meet The Grahams.” The reason behind this? Drake’s legal name is Aubrey Graham. On this track, he went after Drake’s parents and even his parenting, accusing him of hiding a secret daughter.

All this was just part of the Infinity War, and later came the Endgame with a diss track for Drake titled ‘Not Like Us.’ In this five Grammy-winning track, Lamar made serious accusations against Drake. That being said, a decade-long beef is now part of courtroom drama. Talk about one of the wildest pop culture shifts ever. From an Endgame-level rivalry to straight-up Suits drama? That’s crazy!

Drake takes Not Like Us to the court

Last month, the Canadian rapper Drake took his own record label, UMG Recordings, Inc., to court, filing a lawsuit in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York. The reason? Well, if your rival literally accused you through a diss track. And when it’s your own record label that put it out, well… this is what happens. Drake accused UMG recordings of defamation over the publishing and promotion of “Not Like Us” and is now seeking both compensatory and punitive damages.

As per the Suit, Drake mentions what happened back in May 2024 after the release of Kendrick Lamar’s Not Like Us, “In the middle of the night on May 7, 2024 an armed group of assailants drove up to the Toronto house in which Drake and his family resided. Drake was inside,” according to the suit. “The car stopped in front of the residence, someone yelled ‘F–k Drake,’ and at least one gunman began to open fire. One bullet went through the security gate and hit Drake’s front door; another bullet struck and wounded a security guard, who was also one of Drake’s friends.”

See, Drake and the Suit believes that the rapper has been in the public eye for two decades. But these events or break-ins have never occurred. Later, the rapper alleges that the break-ins occurred as a result of the diss track and even calls for violent retribution against him.

Even though the lawsuit is about his song, Drake didn’t name Kendrick Lamar on it. So, it’s pretty unlikely this will mess with his Super Bowl halftime show. As of now, he’s all set to hit the stage with no legal drama getting in the way. But it would be pretty exciting to see if he performs the 5-Grammy-winning song, Not Like Us, in the Super Bowl or not. After all, he will make history as the first solo rap artist to headline the Super Bowl halftime show.