If Drake thought he’d escape Kendrick Lamar’s hit diss song about him by February, he was wrong.
Lamar was announced as the halftime performer for Super Bowl LIX in February in New Orleans. It’s unfathomable that Lamar’s set will not include “Not Like Us,” which has been one of the biggest songs of the year, reaching No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Lamar, however, has an extensive catalog of hits beyond his tracks taunting Drake from this year. There’s also the possibility of a new album by the time the Super Bowl arrives, which would provide more options.
Working with songs Lamar has already released, here’s an early prediction for what the Pulitzer Prize-winning rapper might perform at the Caesars Superdome.
.@kendricklamar. #AppleMusicHalftime. NOLA. 2.9.2025. #SBLIX@applemusic @rocnation @nflonfox pic.twitter.com/Mdx7htWvaO
— NFL (@NFL) September 8, 2024
‘Not Like Us’
When the song was released, rapper-turned-podcaster Joe Budden said Drake should be thankful it wasn’t the HBCU band season because it would be played at games repeatedly. Well, the football season has started, and guess what? College marching bands are performing their renditions of the song, and that doesn’t figure to slow down. Pro teams are playing the song, and youth bands are picking up the song. This has to close the show.
Chance it’s played: 100 percent
‘Like That,’ Future and Metro Boomin feat. Kendrick Lamar
This song reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Lamar says in his verse there’s no “big three” in rap, declaring himself above Drake and J. Cole.
Chance it’s played: 95 percent
‘Humble’
The NBA used this song as its theme for the 2017 Finals. It’s one of Lamar’s most recognizable songs. Hard to imagine it doesn’t make it into the show.
Chance it’s played: 90 percent
‘Money Trees,’ feat. Jay Rock
This is an essential song for any Lamar fan. Jay Rock’s verse is one of the best in his career. If Jay Rock performs, it would give Lamar a chance to highlight his former TDE labelmate and boost his profile and streaming numbers.
Chance it’s played: 75 percent
‘All the Stars,’ feat. SZA
Lamar teamed up with SZA for this one from the “Black Panther” soundtrack when their label, TDE, handled the soundtrack. Lamar is no longer on TDE, but he remains close with those on the label. SZA would add soul as a guest performer.
Chance it’s played: 65 percent
‘Swimming Pools (Drank)’
A lot of alcohol is consumed on Super Bowl Sunday, so why not drop this song? It’s a slower tempo, but it’s a great song in a concert setting.
Chance it’s played: 60 percent
‘King Kunta’
This is one of Lamar’s more danceable tracks from the “To Pimp a Butterfly” album. Perfect concert song.
Chance it’s played: 60 percent
‘Family Ties’ with Baby Keem
Lamar joined his cousin on this song off Keem’s “The Melodic Blue” album. Keem has also toured with Lamar, so it wouldn’t be surprising for them to be on stage together.
Chance it’s played: 60 percent
‘Alright’
Lamar performed this at Super Bowl LVI at SoFi Stadium when he was part of Dr. Dre’s halftime show. That’s the only thing that makes it dicey as to whether it’ll be part of the upcoming show.
Chance it’s played: 50 percent
‘Collard Greens’ with ScHoolboy Q
This was a highlight of ScHoolboy’s “Oxymoron” album. It’s an uptempo song and would be another opportunity for Lamar to bring one of his former labelmates from TDE onto the biggest of stages with him.
Chance it’s played: 45 percent
‘Rich Spirit’
I’ve heard this song live, and it hits hard in front of a live audience. That doesn’t mean it translates to the Super Bowl. It’s not a dance song, but it’s not a slow jam. Nice, mid-tempo game.
Chance it’s played: 40 percent
‘B—-, Don’t Kill My Vibe’
A popular song, but the NSFW first word of the title means Lamar would have to work around it. It’s not impossible, as any song on this stage will have to be cleaned of profanity.
Chance it’s played: 40 percent
‘Euphoria’
This was the first solo diss from Lamar at Drake. It’s unlikely Lamar will want to turn the halftime show into 14 minutes of clowning Drake. But you never know.
Chance it’s played: 30 percent
‘6:16 in LA’
This Drake diss was never released on streaming services. It was only made available on Lamar’s Instagram. The song was a hit with fans during Lamar’s concert on Juneteenth, but again, how much time is he likely to dedicate to diss songs?
Chance it’s played: 25 percent
‘Meet the Grahams’
The darkest song of the Lamar-Drake feud. It doesn’t fit in this setting.
Chance it’s played: 5 percent
‘Bad Blood,’ Taylor Swift feat. Kendrick Lamar
Swift is too big of a star to be a featured performer, but this surprise would send social media into a frenzy. But there’s a better chance of Swift sitting in a suite cheering for Travis Kelce than joining Lamar on stage.
Chance it’s played: 0 percent
‘Poetic Justice,’ feat. Drake
Did you forget these two made music together in the past? This is one of those songs. Could this be the moment they publicly squash their beef? That would be wild, but I’m not betting on it.
Chance it’s played: minus-100 percent
(Photo: Timothy Norris /Getty Images)
