On Sunday (Feb. 9), Kendrick Lamar sent a strong message to his biggest opponent to date during the Super Bowl LIX halftime show. Near the end, he acknowledged his highly publicized beef with Drake, beginning with an acknowledgment of the artist’s highly publicized legal issues with UMG. “I wanna play their favorite song, but you know they’re gonna sue,” K. Dot stated.

He then broke into “Not Like Us,” complete with the now iconic “A-minor” line that sent Caesar’s Superdome into a frenzy. Cameo appearances came from Samuel L. Jackson, SZA, Mustard and Serena Williams, who broke out into a crip walk during the performance. The message was clear: Dot has no plans of taking his foot off of Drizzy’s neck.

Check out his full set below!

Drake’s closest followers may not admit it, but he had more than a few missteps following his iconic back-and-forth with Lamar in 2024. Both artists delivered plenty of heat, with the Toronto emcee landing haymakers like “Push Ups” and “Family Matters” – tracks that also targeted The Weeknd, Rick Ross and ASAP Rocky. Unfortunately for him, “Not Like Us” took on a life of its own, much like Drizzy’s “Back to Back” did during his clash with Meek Mill. The Mustard-produced banger topped the Billboard Hot 100, won five Grammys, and was likely a key factor in Lamar’s selection for the Super Bowl.

Following “Not Like Us,” Drake responded with a parting jab of sorts, “THE HEART PART 6,” a track that contained some of his sharpest – yet at times cringe-worthy – bars to date. He addressed accusations of police cooperation, inappropriate relationships with minors, and a track from Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers that he clearly misinterpreted. Shortly after, he cleverly flipped Metro Boomin’s “BBL Drizzy” instrumental on “U My Everything,” his collaboration with Sexyy Red. Add in his 100 Gigs fire sale, and it seemed he was closing that door and preparing for the next chapter of his career.

Or so we thought. Instead, Drake has continued spending an inordinate amount of time posting not-so-thinly veiled messages on social media, while allies like DJ Akademiks teased diss tracks that never materialized. Then came a move that truly placed him on the outskirts of Hip Hop tradition – he sued his label, Universal Music Group (Lamar is also on the company’s roster), for defamation over “Not Like Us.” If his ghostwriting controversy hadn’t already removed him from GOAT conversations, filing a lawsuit over a diss track likely did -- for all but his most loyal fans. Had Drake simply stepped back before returning to crafting global hits, we’d be having a very different conversation right now.

So, what’s next? On Valentine’s Day (Feb. 14), the genre-bending superstar will release Some Sexy Songs 4 U with longtime collaborator PARTYNEXTDOOR, an R&B-heavy effort that will undoubtedly reveal just how much Lamar’s attacks – and Drake’s own missteps – have affected his commercial momentum. Yes, his streaming numbers remain astronomical, but that’s largely due to his ability to churn out digestible dancefloor records across sounds like Afrobeats and Baltimore club. Call it what you want, but his standing in Hip Hop is shakier than ever.

Once his “Anita Max Win” Australian tour wraps, Drake would do well to focus on promoting his and PARTY’s body of work album and subsequently step away from the spotlight and social media for the rest of the year. Most importantly, that lawsuit needs to be a thing of the past before the court of public opinion can change. Only then can a clear-headed Drake return to the studio and deliver the rap album – not another mash-up of different genres – the culture has been waiting for since So Far Gone.

For now, even if you saw it live, watch Kendrick Lamar shut down the Super Bowl LIX halftime show one more time above!!