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As you’re probably aware by now, Kendrick Lamar headlined the halftime show at Super Bowl LIX.
And as expected, the performance has generated quite a bit of controversy.
Much of the discourse has to do with Kendrick’s ongoing feud with rival rapper Drake.
Serena Williams Gets Involved in the Drake v Kendrick Feud
In what was either a brilliant display of trolling or sad proof of unfathomable pettiness (depending on who you ask), Kendrick brought out Drake’s ex-girlfriend Serena Williams to dance to the scathing diss track “Not Like Us.”
K-Dot’s fans loved the shade of it all, but several prominent pundits — including sports broadcasting legend Stephen A. Smith — thought the move was beneath Serena.
“If I’m your husband, I’m thinking, ‘Why are you up there trolling him — trolling your ex?’” Stephen said during a recent episode of ESPN’s First Take.
“If I’m married, and my wife is going to troll her ex — go back to his ass. Because clearly you don’t belong with me. What you worried about him for — and you with me?”
After he was widely accused of misogyny, Smith defended his remarks with a lengthy post on X (formerly Twitter):
“Please go back and look at exactly what I said. I was talking overall from a man’s perspective — highlighting what most men would think,” the post began.
“I didn’t utter a single disrespectful word about Serena. No issues with folks getting upset of literal serious stuff one’s pissed about. This doesn’t qualify peeps. Come on. We were joking around on @FirstTake. Damn y’all! It’s not that serious.”
Drake Claps Back
Never one to shy away from an opportunity to be petty, Drake allegedly replied to Serena’s performance in his own — very shady — way.
According to Vibe, the Drake reacted using the Instagram account that’s widely believed to be his burner.
The account shared a photo with his arm around the neck of Serena’s longtime agent, Jill Smoller. The pic was taken at Wimbledon in 2015, and many have noted that it seems to have an ominous tone.
Many of the comments on the post came from followers who were critical of Drizzy’s (alleged) subtle shade.
“A grown man said your name on a global stage but you got a rebuttal for the woman who was dancing,” one commenter wrote.
“‘Drake is so unbothered.’ This dude was definitely crying after watching the highlights,” another added.
“Kendrick been dog walking this ni–a since beginning of last year, and this is how he responds,” a third chimed in. “As someone who is one of Serena’s biggest fans, posting Jill is not a gag lmao. At all.
Of course, as always, Drake had quite a few defenders, as well:
“You really think Drake is bothered? The lawsuit is in motion Let him laugh now, he’ll cry later,” one fan wrote.
“Drake owns Serena,” another added.
“Such a man of the culture. His son got a perfect role model. Kendrick could never touch this greatness,” a third remarked.
Drake Addresses Feuds on ‘Gimme a Hug’
All of this comes as Drake and frequent collaborator Party Next Door released a new album.
One track, titled “Gimme a Hug,” seems to address the rapper’s recent feuds.
“Bulletproof doors so heavy, got me rolling ’round like a dignitary / Funny how it’s only bitch n-ggas that are waiting on The Boy’s obituary,” Drake raps on the song.
“Cause if I die, it’s these n-ggas that become the sole beneficiary / And what the fuck are they gon’ do with it? / Have the girls up at 29 on stage twerking with a dictionary?”
The last line seems to be a reference both to Kendrick’s hyper-literate rhymes and the fact that “Euphoria” — one of his diss tracks aimed at Drake — features as its cover, a dictionary definition of the word.
Needless to say, it seems that this beef is far from over.
Drake Responds to Serena Williams’ Super Bowl Dance as Stephen A. Smith Stands By … was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.