One of the biggest non-football questions of the Super Bowl appears to have been answered.
During Sunday’s Eagles-Commanders broadcast, Fox teased Kendrick Lamar’s upcoming halftime show Sunday with the instrumental track from “Not Like Us,” the rapper’s smash hit accusing Drake of being a pedophile. And on Monday, The U.S. Sun reported Lamar planned to perform the song at Super Bowl LIX on Feb. 9 in New Orleans.
Fox didn’t use the cleanest song to promote Kendrick Lamar’s upcoming Super Bowl halftime show.
While teasing the show during the Commanders-Eagles NFC championship game Sunday, the network used the instrumental version of Lamar’s “Not Like Us,” which he released in May 2024 as a diss track aimed at Drake amid a feud between the two rappers.
It was the second song in which he accused Drake of sexual misconduct, following “Meet the Grahams.” (Drake’s given name is Aubrey Drake Graham.)
In January, Drake filed a lawsuit in the Southern District of New York against Universal—the label for both rappers—alleging that the label “approved, published and launched a viral hit out of a rap track that falsely accuses Drake of being a pedophile.” The suit alleges that Universal artificially boosted the popularity of the song, made a “significant financial investment,” and “leveraged its professional connections” to get the song played at the Super Bowl. On Tuesday, Drake is set for his first hearing in Texas, where he filed a similar suit in November against Universal and iHeartMedia, alleging they conspired to artificially inflate the popularity of “Not Like Us.” Universal has sought to have the Texas case dismissed.
Drake is seeking nominal, punitive, and compensatory damages.
Fox Sports, which will broadcast the game in the United States, is facing its own allegations of rampant sexual misconduct. A former hairstylist for the network is suing, alleging sexual harassment and abuse from talent and executives.
It was announced last week that the singer SZA would join Lamar in New Orleans. The Eagles and Chiefs face each other for the second time in three years on Sunday, Feb. 9. A year ago, the Super Bowl drew a record audience of 123.4 million viewers in the U.S.
