2024 is the year of “disstracks”
“Diss tracks” were a recurring theme for 2024, with major acts like Drake and Kendrick Lamar each releasing one or more of them.
Kendrick Lamar is on his way to the Super Bowl.
The 37-year-old “Not Like Us” rapper is set to perform during the 2025 Apple Music Super Bowl halftime show. He shared the news on Sunday in a YouTube video that shows Lamar on a football field in front of a giant American flag.
“My name is Kendrick Lamar and I will be performing at Super Bowl LIX,” he says in the clip. “Will you come? I hope so.”
Roc Nation, Apple Music and the NFL confirmed the news in a press release, and the NFL released a promotional poster for X that shows Lamar sitting on a football field.
“Rap music remains the most influential genre to date,” Lamar said in a statement Sunday. “And I’ll be there to remind the world why. You’ve found the right thing.”
NFL music director Seth Dudowsky noted, “Few artists have had as profound an impact on music and culture as Kendrick Lamar,” adding, “Kendrick has demonstrated time and again his unique ability to create moments that resonate, redefine and ultimately shake the foundations of hip-hop.”
All diss songs by Drake and Kendrick Lamar, including “Not Like Us” and “Part 6”
The performance comes amid a big year for Lamar, who has made headlines for a high-profile feud with Drake. The two rappers have taken barbs at each other in a series of diss tracks, including Lamar’s “Not Like Us.” “Not Like Us” was released in May, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart and is nominated for song of the year at the 2024 MTV Video Music Awards on Wednesday. In June, Lamar performed the hit five times during a Juneteenth concert in California.
Usher’s Super Bowl halftime show brought skates, abs, famous friends and Vegas atmosphere
The feud between Lamar and Drake escalated in March when Lamar appeared on Future and Metro Boomin’s song “Like That” and rejected the idea that there was a “big three” in rap consisting of himself, Drake and J. Cole. “I’m just big,” he rapped. Drake has hit back with his own diss tracks, including “Taylor Made Freestyle.”
Lamar has won 17 Grammy Awards throughout his career. The Super Bowl halftime show was last headlined in 2024 by Usher, who was joined by Alicia Keys, HER, Will.i.am., Lil Jon, Jermaine Dupri and Ludacris.
Super Bowl LIX is scheduled for February 9, 2025, at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans.
Contributors: Taijuan Moorman And Melissa Ruggieri
