In 2024, rapper Kendrick Lamar began a feud with Drake, one of the most successful rappers in the world with 13 chart-topping albums and 51 Grammy Nominations. Following Kendrick dissing Drake on “Like That,” the two rappers fired shots at each other through various songs over the course of nearly three months. In the end, Kendrick came out victorious after the release of “Not Like Us,” in which he refers to Drake as a pedophile while also connecting their feud to racism, slavery and systematic oppression through lyrics such as “The settlers was using town folk to make ‘em richer, fast forward, 2024, you got the same agenda” and “You’re not a colleague, you’re a colonizer.” Now, Kendrick Lamar’s 2025 Super Bowl halftime performance was more watched than the game itself, drawing in 133.5 million viewers.
Despite having maintained mainstream popularity for years, Kendrick’s career skyrocketed after he directed his hate towards Drake. As of Feb. 2025, Kendrick is the most streamed rapper on Spotify, gathering over 100 million monthly listeners. Kendrick advocated for peace his entire career—even having been invited to the White House in 2016 to discuss inner-cities and underprivileged youth with Former President Barack Obama—yet all of this seemed to fade during his feud with Drake, making him more popular than ever before.
In a country that is only becoming more and more divided, hate seems to be the one thing that brings Americans together. Whether it’s through music or politics, animosity and fear are driving forces in modern America. Both American citizens and politicians are becoming more and more extreme, from the Jan. 6 Capitol riots to the assassination of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO or even physical fights breaking out between members of Congress. In our country’s current state, peace can no longer be used as a distraction; it seems simply too far out of reach. People need someone to direct their hate and frustration towards, which is exactly what Kendrick Lamar took advantage of.
Kendrick performed two of his diss tracks against Drake during his 2025 Super Bowl halftime performance, as well as mentioning Drake by name with a smile on his face. With so much controversy and division in the United States, people are increasingly gravitating towards scapegoating, whether it’s blaming everyday problems on Trump or taking out decades of hatred on diversity programs. Kendrick has used Drake as a scapegoat, blaming cultural and music problems on him while giving Americans someone to take their hate out on.
In all of this, Kendrick is still using his platform to spread a larger message and to critique how African American culture has been sidelined in favor of whiteness. The show is broken up by interludes of actor Samuel L. Jackson (playing a fictionalized Uncle Sam) denouncing Kendrick’s performance, calling it, “Too loud, too reckless, too ghetto.” Despite “Uncle Sam’s” claims, Kendrick embraces his differences throughout the show while also allowing background dancers and special guests to express theirs. One notable example is Serena Williams crip-walking on stage during the show after being forced to apologize for performing the same dance move during the 2012 Olympics. Through instances like this, as well as the ultimate message of the halftime show, Kendrick is clearly using his platform to bring positive change and condemn racial inequality while prioritizing underrepresented voices.
Although Kendrick may have garnered much more popularity through hate, he’s using his stage for the greater good. Kendrick’s halftime show repeatedly references Drake, yet his performance is about so much more. He’s used hate to create a sense of unity, and through that, is attempting to bring peace.
