Is Kendrick Lamar allowed to perform ‘Not Like Us’ at the Super Bowl?
Last year, much to the disappointment of Lil Wayne, it was announced that Kendrick Lamar would be the halftime act of Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans. The game, which will see the Philadelphia Eagles take on the Kansas City Chiefs, is set to have 100 to 150million viewers. That said, following his Grammy wins, many are questioning whether or not Lamar will be allowed to perform his hit Drake diss track, ‘Not Like Us’.
Since its release, Lamar has performed the song live many times, most notably at his Pop Out: Ken & Friends concert at Inglewood’s Kia Forum Stadium. However, whether or not he will be allowed to include it in his Super Bowl setlist is an entirely different question.
Jay-Z’s Roc Nation has curated the entertainment provided at the Super Bowl since 2019 when the Brooklyn mogul signed a deal with the NFL, and last year, the league’s commissioner Roger Goodell confirmed that the despite the rape allegations made against Jay-Z, he intends to renew Roc Nation’s partnership with the NFL.
During a press conference, he stated, “We’re aware of the civil allegations and Jay-Z’s really strong response to that. We know, obviously, the litigation is happening now. Our relationship is not changing including our preparations with the next Super Bowl.”
That said, although Jay-Z has partial control of the setlist, it is not evident why he would discourage the song from being performed during the halftime show. In fact, the biggest threat being posed is from Drake, and if ‘Not Like Us’ is to be ruled out, it will be at the request of Universal Music Group (UMG), which is currently facing a defamation lawsuit concerning the track.
Last year, Drake filed two pre-action petitions in a New York court. One threatened legal action for the alleged use of bots and payola to promote the diss track, but the second alleged that UMG defamed his character by releasing the song, which Drizzy insists is a defamatory recording.
Although it was unclear whether or not Drake would file an actual lawsuit, on January 15th, the Toronto rapper filed a federal lawsuit in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York, accusing the company of valuing “corporate greed over the safety and well-being of its artists” and defamation.
However, Universal Music Group swiftly and boldly hit back at the claims. They then insisted the ‘Hotline Bling’ rhymer’s claims were illogical, stating, “Not only are these claims untrue, but the notion that we would seek to harm the reputation of any artist — let alone Drake — is illogical. We have invested massively in his music, and our employees around the world have worked tirelessly for many years to help him achieve historic commercial and personal financial success.”
As such, it seemed that UMG was ready to fight Drake in court. Since then, there has not been much progress in the case, and it has not been dismissed. Therefore, it is safe to say that the decision concerning a performance of ‘Not Like Us’ at the Super Bowl will entirely depend on Universal Music Group’s hubris. A performance of the song in front of nearly 150million people on February 9th could provide Drake and his legal team with much ammunition in a trial and could potentially put the label in more trouble. As it stands currently, he is allowed but UMG will undoubtedly make the decision on the day.