Kendrick Lamar Issued Big Red Flag as NFL Partner’s Lawsuit Threatens Super Bowl Half-Time Show

“They not like us, they not like us.” You’ve probably heard this song while you’re scrolling through TikTok or taking a walk in a mall; it’s literally everywhere. That’s not just because it has vibey hip-hop beats, but also because the lyrics are the main essence of this Lamar track. And guess what? This year’s Super Bowl halftime show will be under the spell of Kendrick Lamar himself. From the streets of Compton to making it to the NFL stage, Kendrick has proven he is one of the greatest MCs in the rap game. At the biggest party on February 9th, Lamar will make sure people don’t stay humble. But there’s a small glitch too.

Let me enlighten you quickly with a fact, alright? This song surely bops, but it actually takes a shot at fellow entertainer Drake. Yes, it’s a diss song, with a lot of disturbing allegations against Drake – mainly focused on his involvement with kids and teenagers. And when you get a tag like that on your head, not only would you risk jail time, but you’d also tarnish your reputation. While the accusations haven’t been cleared out yet, Kendrick’s words made for some heavy stuff, which led to Drake filing a lawsuit against the Universal Music Group last month. Ouch, that’s going to be a fish in the throat for Kendrick, who may not be able to play the most famous track in the world right now.

If you missed the Grammys recently, Kendrick Lamar took five awards for this one song he put out. Even though he was up against great rappers like Eminem in the competition, his hard work says that 2025 is his year. But the origin of this defamation case and the whole rap beef goes way back. Rap battles are one of the important traditions in hip-hop. It’s all about saying the most utterly disrespectful things about each other, but whoever wins the audience’s hearts comes out as the winner – and Lamar’s dig at Drake was no different.

To pinpoint this lawsuit’s origin, it started from the Drake song featuring J. Cole called, First Person Shooter, in which the lyrics reference Kendrick and say, “we the big three.” To that, Kendrick replied in the song Like That, “no big three, it’s just big me.” Then there were diss tracks after diss tracks from both – nobody was about to let up. In the end, one managed to stand out – and we all know which one that is. But despite the ugly legal troubles, there’s a possible silver lining for Lamar here.

Drake didn’t actually file the suit against Kendrick Lamar; in his crosshairs is actually the record label that signed the rapper. And plot twist: it’s the same company Drake is signed to as well. His scathing allegations are that Universal has been defaming him by promoting the “malicious narrative” of his . If you ever indulge yourself in a hip-hop environment, this is an example of a Karen move. Drake going legally behind Kendrick made him look more like a clown on the internet. One of Kendrick’s fans wrote on X, “Somebody rap GOAT just called the feds instead of taking it back to the booth.” Whatever it is, Eagles and Chiefs fans may not get the chance to enjoy this song.

Could the lawsuit impact Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl performance?

Imagine yourself in the shoes of Kendrick Lamar. If you’ve got a song loved by millions around the world, wouldn’t you want to perform it at the Super Bowl? A hundred times, yes! But this ongoing defamation case could put serious pressure on Kendrick to leave “Not Like Us” out of his performance. With the legal battle looming, the stakes are high, and there’s even talk of corporate concerns pushing Kendrick to skip the song. Legal challenges, the risk of unwanted litigation, and pressure from UMG or the NFL could steer the rapper to make some tough decisions come performance time.

Adding fuel to the fire is also their shared volatile history – of course within the scope of their musical beefing. In previous iterations of his back-and-forth diss tracks, Drake took a dig at Lamar by hinting at instances of violence against his fiance, and even that one of his children might have been fathered by someone else. But undoubtedly, the knockout punch in the exchanges was Lamar’s Song of the Year.

And hey, if you’re a Kendrick fan, you probably are aware of his laid-back personality. Do you really think the Grammy winner only has one hit song? He’s got a whole hard drive full of fan-favorite songs. Even Usher gave advice for Kendrick in the latest episode of The Jennifer Hudson Show: “The one thing I would say is savor the moment ‘cause you get obsessed in trying to build the best performance, but you don’t realize that it’s really about enjoying it.” That’s actually some wise advice from an artist who performed in the Super Bowl himself. Even if he won’t play that one song, it won’t make any difference to his amazing showmanship.