If you thought Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs were the only people who had a rough night after the Super Bowl on Sunday…I’m gonna need you to spare a thought for Drake.
As I’m sure you know, Kendrick Lamar was the halftime performer, and when he took to the field, he performed not one but two of his diss tracks aimed at Drake: “Euphoria” and “Not Like Us.”
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For context, Drake and Kendrick have been enemies in the rap game for over a decade, but “Euphoria” and “Not Like Us” came out last spring when the pair were embroiled in a heated back-and-forth involving a string of scathing diss tracks. I won’t get into it, but you can read a full breakdown of the beef here.
As one of the most brutal — and popular — diss tracks of all time, the five-time Grammy Award-winning hit “Not Like Us” levels all kinds of wild accusations at Drake, which he quickly and vehemently denied. So, there was a lot of speculation as to whether it’d even be legally wise for Kendrick to perform it on national TV.
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But, as we now know, the rapper brushed off any potential legal ramifications and performed the song anyway — much to fans’ delight. In fact, one of the most viral moments of the halftime show came when Kendrick looked directly into the camera, smiled, and rapped the lyrics: “Say, Drake, I hear you like ‘em young.” Seconds later, the crowd also gleefully sang along to the infamous “A MINORRRRRR” line while Kendrick sported a very pointed lowercase “a” necklace.
NFL / YouTube / Via youtu.be
Once again, we’re just making it very clear that Drake has denied any allegations about pursuing underage women.
And if that wasn’t bad enough, Kendrick was also joined on the field by not one but two of Drake’s exes — R&B icon SZA, who came out to perform “Luther” and “All the Stars,” and the one and only Serena Williams, who made a surprise cameo during “Not Like Us.”
Kevin Mazur / Kevin Mazur / Getty Images for Roc Nation, Christopher Polk / Penske Media via Getty Images
Inevitably, Drake was the talk of the internet after the halftime show wrapped up. Although, as it stands, he’s not directly addressed the topic. Instead, the Toronto native seems mostly unbothered as he tours Australia and prepares to drop a new collab album later this week.
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But, despite how things may seem, an inside source recently spoke to Entertainment Tonight to suggest that Drake’s unfazed attitude is all a facade and that the halftime show actually left him very “angry.”
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The insider said that Drake is “not trying to outwardly show” that he’s upset and is, therefore, “acting like he doesn’t care.”
As we said, Drake has not directly discussed the latest Kendrick developments, including the “Not Like Us” Grammy wins earlier this month. He has, for what it’s worth, posted a number of cryptic Instagram captions and made a few dramatic statements on stage at his recent shows — but that’s hardly anything unusual for him.
We’ll be sure to let you know if he ever speaks out directly. In the meantime, you can find the full Entertainment Tonight report here.
