Kendrick Lamar brings out Drake’s ex Serena Williams during Super Bowl halftime show
Kendrick Lamar doesn’t need a fiery diss track to keep the buzz going about his Super Bowl halftime show.
The “Not Like Us” rapper made history on Sunday as the first solo rap artist to headline the event, setting social media on fire with surprise appearances from SZA and Serena Williams. Both women share a romantic past with Canadian rapper Drake, with whom Lamar engaged in a heated diss track exchange last spring.
SZA joined Lamar onstage to perform their collaborations “Luther” from his latest album GNX and “All the Stars” from the Black Panther soundtrack. Meanwhile, Williams brought energy to “Not Like Us,” showing off her moves as she crip-walked to Lamar’s No. 1 hit.
“Kendrick Lamar is proof that having an arch nemesis is a fundamental part of the human experience,” wrote X user @unloversciub.
SZA and Drake briefly dated in the late 2000s, with the R&B star later calling their relationship “so childish” in a 2023 Rolling Stone interview. Drake referenced their past in “Mr. Right Now,” his 2020 collaboration with 21 Savage and Metro Boomin.
Williams and Drake were rumored to be dating in 2015 after being spotted together. In August 2024, archival studio footage resurfaced online, seemingly confirming that their relationship inspired Drake’s 2016 hit “Too Good.”
Following her Super Bowl cameo, Williams took to Instagram, writing, “Let’s go Super Bowl halftime??! I died a little!”
Several fans online applauded Lamar’s bold move to feature Williams and SZA in his halftime show performance.
“Serena Williams crip walking to a song about you being a pedophile has to hurt existentially,” @_Zeets wrote on X.
“Kendrick getting the entire Super Bowl screaming ‘a minor’ with Serena Williams dancing has to feel like a shotgun blast to Drake’s chest,” @JBob_15 wrote.
“Drake watching SZA and Serena on stage,” @cybergirl300 wrote alongside a video of Jay-Z appearing to react to a live performance from wife Beyoncé and rapper Sean Paul.
“Panning to Serena Williams crip walking was so insane. Let alone teasing the song and then cutting to SZA,” @skyleezey wrote. “This man is insane, his mind omg.”
