Kendrick Lamar’s Era: Rivalries, Fame, and Artistic Freedom

Is there a star shining brighter than Kendrick Lamar?

With “Not Like Us” winning five Grammys this month, and his performance at the Super Bowl being the most viewed half-time show ever, the Compton artist has accomplished something very few artists ever did: achieve global success while still being true to themselves.

Lamar also put an end to one of the most heated feuds in modern music, the one between him and rap superstar Drake. It’s hard to remember the end of a rivalry that had such a clear winner, and yet Kendrick Lamar obtained it in the most traditional way: by releasing phenomenal tracks that stood the test of time, even when they were clearly diss songs.

As Lamar comes out of this feud as the legitimate voice of his generation, let's celebrate this Pulitzer-award-winning rapper by looking at the recent evolution of his career and artistry.

Not Like Us: The Feud And the Track That Ended It

Kendrick Lamar and Drake have been in a rap feud since 2013, but last year, things started escalating rapidly.

In March 2024, Kendrick featured on Future and Metro Boomin's song "Like That," in which he challenged Drake and J. Cole openly after Cole ranked Lamar, Drake, and himself as "the Big Three" of hip hop in his track "First Person Shooter."

This led to a series of back-and-forths between Drake and Lamar. Drake released "Push Ups" and "Taylor Made Freestyle," and Kendrick fired back with his own tracks, "Euphoria" and "6:16 in LA."  At that stage, both artists were mostly questioning the other’s authenticity and values, but things got more personal soon after.

In May, Drake released "Family Matters," where he accused Lamar of domestic violence, to which Kendrick quickly replied with "Meet the Grahams," flipping the situation by suggesting Drake has a secret daughter.

Just a day later, on May 4, 2024, Kendrick released "Not Like Us," a song that not only openly criticized Drake but was also carefully designed to be a massive hit and put an end to the feud.

Everything about this diss track stands out, from the cover art featuring an aerial view of Drake’s Toronto mansion (with red markers to imply there are registered sex offenders inside) to the powerful and creative lyrics and Mustard’s catchy beat. Unsurprisingly, the song became an anthem in no time.

When it came out, "Not Like Us" felt like the ultimate victory, fans and critics loved it, and it quickly became a powerful summer hit that outsmarted Drake both musically and strategically.

While being clearly a diss song, “Not Like Us” is also a track that touches upon the importance of race and cultural issues in hip-hop, which is the reason why it became so successful among listeners and critics alike.

In 2025, "Not Like Us" went on to win all five of its Grammy nominations: Song of the Year, Record of the Year, Best Rap Song, Best Rap Performance, and Best Music Video.

While these kinds of feuds often don’t have clear winners, this one did.

The Super Bowl Half-Time Show

But Kendrick wasn’t done yet. A couple of weeks later, he delivered a Super Bowl half-time show that’ll never be forgotten.

Despite the half-time show being usually designed for mass appeal, Lamar's show was a combination of theatrical production, an avant-garde performance, and a cultural statement.

It felt as if the Compton rapper’s goal was to challenge his audience: an intentional rejection of easy spectacle (he started the show with an unreleased and unnamed track) and a powerful embodiment of artistic freedom.

Even in a stadium packed with NFL fans and a global audience, Lamar made it clear from the outset that he wasn’t there to please anybody. Instead, he emphasized the power of rap for modern storytelling, combining lyrics and visuals to deliver messages on culture, race, and modern struggle.

But Lamar’s real coup came with Not Like Us. After teasing the song with a sly remark about lawsuits (referring to Drake’s ongoing defamation case against Universal), the rapper initially diverted into more melodic tracks, Luther and All the Stars.

But that was a calculated move, allowing the set to breathe before the inevitable climax. Soon after, a knowing grin spread across Lamar’s face as he looked directly into the camera and said, “Hey Drake,” before launching into Not Like Us.

The moment was pure catharsis. Drake’s exes seem to appear everywhere, from SZA singing to Serena Williams crip-walking by a lamppost in the background. Lamar’s performance felt conceptually rich and immersive, blurring the line between art and entertainment in a show watched by 133 million people.

Final Thoughts

If any contemporary artist was going to push the boundaries of what a Super Bowl performance could be, Lamar was the obvious choice. Lamar’s show proved once again what his Pulitzer win already showed: that he’s an artist who thrives at the intersection of mainstream success and uncompromising artistry.

He demonstrated that stardom and intellectual depth are not mutually exclusive, and by emphasizing the complexity and depth of his art, he elevated himself as the unrivaled rapper of his era.