One of the biggest questions people had coming into the Super Bowl was whether Kendrick Lamar would perform his Drake diss “Not Like Us” on the biggest stage in entertainment during the halftime show. Lamar didn’t just perform it, he built the entire spectacle around the question — with an assist from Samuel L. Jackson.
Kendrick cheekily teased it in the middle of the show and then came back to it as the penultimate track, giving the camera an incredible smirk during the “Hey Drake” line and performing the song almost in full. Now, unlike at The Pop Out, Kendrick didn’t run it back over and over and over again (although, I’m sure he could’ve just done that as his full show and the crowd would’ve loved it), but much like his performance at The Forum, he did have a Compton sporting legend on the stage with him.
In Los Angeles, it was Russell Westbrook and DeMar DeRozan who joined him to dance around on stage during “Not Like Us,” but for the Super Bowl he went even bigger by getting Compton native and tennis legend Serena Williams (who was once rumored to have had a relationship with Drake) to dance during the performance.
Williams was one of just a few special guests for the halftime show, joining Samuel L. Jackson, SZA, and DJ Mustard as the lone celebrity cameos during the show, as Kendrick kept things very focused. I’m not sure anyone imagined they’d see Serena Williams crip walking on stage at the Super Bowl, but the lopsided Drake-Kendrick beef continues to be the gift that keeps on giving.
