Drake’s Reaction to Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl Halftime Performance Is Very on Brand

The beef between rappers Drake and Kendrick Lamar is the kind you see once in a generation. The former friends and collaborators have been at odds since 2024, which came to a head when Kendrick released "Not Like Us," a song that quickly rose from a diss track to a cultural phenomenon and forever changed the meaning behind terms like A-minor.

Drake and Kendrick's feud continued when the GNX rapper sang "Not Like Us" at the 2025 Super Bowl during his highly anticipated halftime performance.

The shady performance included Kendrick looking directly at the camera as he rapped, "Say Drake, I heard you like 'em young," and a cameo from the OVO rapper's ex, Serena Williams, crip walking to the song. Messy, messy!!

While many fans assumed Drake was somewhere crying in the car after "Not Like Us," he needed to lick his wounds before responding on his own terms.

Keep reading to see Drake's reaction to Kendrick!

Several days after Kendrick's Super Bowl halftime show performance, Drake seemingly responded to his adversary during one of his performances. During a performance in Melbourne, Australia, the "Nothing Was the Same" artist let his music do the talking by seemingly firing shots at the "Luther" rapper in his song "Knife Talk."

While performing the song from his 2021 album Certified Lover Boy, Drake altered the lyrics, which originally said, "Beef is live, spoiler alert, this n---a dies" to implying that he would survive his and Kendrick's fallout and the added public scrutiny that came from the feud.

"Beef is live, spoiler alert, I never died!” Drake yelled as the crowd cheered.

The "U My Everything" artist's stance on the matter showed that he wasn't "dead" or vanishing after being the subject of Kendrick's massive hit. This hit was also celebrated at the 2025 Grammys when artists such as Beyonce, Taylor Swift, and many others were seen bopping to the "Not Like Us" beat. Drake also confirmed his $200 million net worth was intact, as News.com reported he also gifted fans at his Australia concert with $45,000 to thank them for their continued support.

"It really touches my heart that—through all of that, you still take your hard-earned money, and you spend some of that money on tickets to this show to see this kid from Canada get up here and talk s--t," he told the crowd. "I really appreciate you. I would be nothing without you.”

Kendrick and Drake worked together for the first time in 2011 when Kendrick appeared in Drake's "Buried Alive Interlude" on his album "Take Care." Although Kendrick threw shots at the Canadian rapper in the past, their tension worsened when Drake and J. Cole included themselves and Kendrick as the "Big Three" in hip-hop. Kendrick rejected being lumped in with the rappers, stating in the song “Like That” by Future and Metro Boomin that he was "big me."

Kendrick's comment led to him and Drake beefing through multiple diss tracks. Amid the musical battle, Kendrick fought back with "Not Like Us," and the rest is history. The song became the top song of 2024, earning Song of the Year and Record of the Year at the 67th Grammy Awards. It's no wonder Drake reminded his fans that words will never hurt him. At least not publicly.