CNN
 — 

Kendrick Lamar may not have won a most valuable player trophy at the Super Bowl on Sunday night, but perhaps he should have.

The cultural consensus is that the Pulitzer Prize-winning rapper not only definitively put to bed who won his rap feud with Drake, but Lamar also took his victory lap with his halftime performance.

And while the Philadelphia Eagles stopped what would have been an historic three-peat Super Bowl win by the Kansas City Chiefs, Drake was also defeated in the eyes of many hip-hop fans.

Going into Lamar’s performance, there was discussion about whether he’d perform his biggest hit to date, “Not Like Us.”

The diss track was arguably the song of 2024 and central to his highly publicized rap battle with Drake. Just last week, Lamar won five Grammys, including song of the year, record of the year and music video of the year for “Not Like Us.”

Lamar takes a swipe at the Canadian rapper in the song with the lyrics: “Certified Lover Boy? Certified pedophiles,” later followed by “Tryna strike a cord and it’s probably A Minor.”

Drake has not only denied the allegation, but filed a lawsuit.

Last month, he sued his own record label, UMG Recordings, Inc., accusing the company of defamation in the publishing and promotion of “Not Like Us.” He is seeking compensatory and punitive damages.

Drake is currently represented by Republic Records, a division of UMG, while Lamar is currently represented by Interscope records, also a division of UMG. Lamar is not named as a defendant in the lawsuit.

“We have not and do not engage in defamation—against any individual,” a spokesperson for UMG said in a statement to CNN when the suit was filed. “At the same time, we will vigorously defend this litigation to protect our people and our reputation, as well as any artist who might directly or indirectly become a frivolous litigation target for having done nothing more that write a song.”

The first clue about how Lamar would handle the song in his performance came by way of a large “A” worn on a chain around his neck.

He also broke the fourth wall, telling the millions watching, “I want to perform their favorite song, but you know they love to sue.”

Near the end of his set, Lamar primed the audience for “Not Like Is.”

“40 acres and a mule, this is bigger than the music. They tried to rig the game, but you can’t fake influence,” signaling that he had something to say.

The artist looked into the camera for added emphasis when he rapped, “Say Drake, I hear you like ‘em young.”

And while Lamar avoided use of the word “pedophile” during his halftime performance, the audience appeared to help him out by shouting the “A minor” line.

Lamar had a surprise that caused some to do a double take.

As he rapped the line “better not speak on Serena,” the camera went to superstar tennis player Serena Williams Crip walking, a style of dance with origins in Harlem that was later adopted in Los Angeles, specifically Compton, which is the area that both she and Lamar came from.

Those who know the history were impressed with the subtle and not-so-subtle shade in the moment.

Williams is believed to have dated Drake for a period of time, starting in 2011.

Drake referenced Williams in his 2013 song “Worst Behavior.” In his 2022 song “Middle of the Ocean,” he referred to her now-husband Alexis Ohanian as a “groupie.”

Williams fired back a bit while hosting the ESPY Awards last year.

“If I’ve learned anything this year, it’s that none of us, not a single one of us, not even me, should ever pick a fight with Kendrick Lamar,” she said, before breaking out in a dance to “Not Like Us.”

Even the dance was symbolic in that she had done it in celebration after winning the gold medal at the 2012 Olympics and was slammed for “glamorizing” gang violence since the moves are associated with the Crips gang in Los Angeles.

Williams, whose sister Yetunde Price was killed by a Southside Crips gang member in 2003, said during the 2012 uproar that it was “just a dance.”

“Man, I did not Crip walk like that at Wimbledon,” she joked on social media Sunday after the halftime performance. “Ooh, I would’ve been fined.”