Kendrick Lamar doesn’t need a fiery diss track to keep people talking about his Super Bowl halftime show.
The “Not Our Love” host, who became the first solo rap star in the headlines of the halftime show on Sunday, burned social media with his special guests SZA and Serena Williams. Both women have a romantic history with Canadian hip-hop artist Drake.
SZA joined Lamar on stage to sing a collaboration “Luther” from the rapper’s latest album, “GNX,” “Black Panther,” “All the Stars,” the soundtrack for the rapper’s latest album, “GNX,” and “Black Panther.” Meanwhile, Williams drifted between “Not Like Us” as the tennis icon clip was walking to the beat of Lamar’s first hit.
“Kendrick Lamar is proof that having an arch nemesis is a fundamental part of the human experience,” X user @unloversciub wrote.
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SZA and Drake were previously dating in the late 2000s, but the R&B diva was “very childish” in a 2023 interview with Rolling Stone. Drake referenced his romance with the Grammy-winning singer for 21 Savage and Metro Boomin song “Mr. Right Now,” released in 2020.
Williams and Drake sparked dating rumors after being spotted hanging out together in 2015, and the “too good” rapper was found circulating on social media in August 2024 at Archive Studios The footage reportedly confirmed their relationship and the inspiration for their 2016 hit.
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“Let’s go to Super Bowl halftime?! I’m a little dead!”
Fans echoing through Kendrick Lamar, bringing Drake’s exes sza and Serena Williams to the Super Bowl
Several fans praised Lamar’s bold move to feature Williams and SZA in his halftime show performance.
“The Serena Williams clip walking around to songs about you being a pedophile has to be existentially hurt,” @_zeets wrote to X. And his OVO sound artists Party Nextdoor and Baka are not good.
“Kendrick has to scream the entire Super Bowl as “minor” in Serena Williams’ dance and feel like a shotgun explosion in Drake’s chest,” wrote @JBob_15.
“Drake is watching SZA and Serena on stage,” @CyberGirl300 wrote along with a video of Jay-Z that appears to respond to live performances of his wife Beyoncé and rapper Sean Paul.
“The pan to Serena Williams Clip Walking was so crazy, let alone tease the song and then cut it to SZA,” wrote @Skyleezey. “This guy is crazy, his heart is OMG.”
Contributions: Maeve McDermott and Pamela Avila, USA Today