Kendrick Lamar says he felt like hip-hop was loosing it’s grit.
Kendrick Lamar says he felt like hip-hop was losing it’s “grit” and it’s “bite” going in 2024. He discussed the context in which he decided to take on Drake and why it inspired the move during an interview with Apple Music ahead of his performance at the Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show on Thursday.

“My intent from day one was to keep the nature of it as a sport,” Lamar explained. “I don’t care how motherf*ckers look at it as far as like a collaborative effort. That’s cool too, but I love when artists grit they teeth. I still watch battle raps, I still watch Smack URL, from Murda Mook to Lux to Tay Roc, my bro Daylyt. This always been the core definition of who I am. It’s been that way since day one so I don’t think it was a thing for this year. It was always a continuum. What I will say about this year is that it was more from a space where I think a lot of people was putting rap to the back and you didn’t see that grit, you didn’t see that bite anymore.”

Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” Wins 5 Grammy Awards

Lamar’s feud with Drake led him to massive success at the Grammy Awards, last Sunday. For his diss track, “Not Like Us,” he took home a total of five awards including Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Rap Performance, Best Rap Song, and Best Music Video. Of those wins, Lamar said: “I just think about the culture really. It’s always that for me first I’m not even bullsh*ting with you. When people talk about rap man, the conversations I hear they think its just rapping and not an actual art form. So when you put records like that in the forefront it reminds people that this is more than just something that came 50 years ago.”

Super Bowl LIX will be kicking off on Sunday, February 9th, at 6:30 PM, ET. For his halftime show performance, Lamar will be bringing along his Grand National Tour co-headliner, SZA.