The “war of words” between two world rap icons, Kendrick Lamar and Drake, continued to escalate after their performance at Super Bowl LIX. Accordingly, after being publicly mocked by Kendrick Lamar during the game’s halftime show, Drake seemed to have a fierce response during his concert in Melbourne, causing a stir in the hip-hop world.

At his February 10th performance at Rod Laver Arena, Drake didn’t miss the opportunity to respond to his rival. Amidst the frenzied atmosphere, as the bass shook the arena, Drake made a subtle but meaningful change in his performance of Knife Talk , a collaboration with 21 Savage and Project Pat.

Specifically, the rap lyrics are adjusted as a sharp warning: “When I meet you, better put that damn pride aside,” Drake emphasizes with a cold gaze: “Many, many times, I survived/ Raw beef, spoiler alert, I never die.” 

Compared to the original recording, Drake changed the line “Beef is live, warning, this nigga must die” to a more confrontational but less controversial message. This action is considered a strong blow to Kendrick Lamar after previous provocations.

It all started at the game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles on February 9. When the lights at Caesars Superdome came on, Kendrick Lamar confidently stepped out and immediately exploded the stadium with a series of songs with a sarcastic meaning.

The audience immediately recognized the irony when the rapper opened with Squabble Up , before moving into his hit HUMBLE. But what surprised everyone was when he bluntly mentioned the lawsuit between Drake and Universal Music Group. “I want to make a move,” Kendrick Lamar said, turning a cold gaze to the audience. “I want to play their favorite song, but you know, they like to sue. Maybe I’ll consider it.” 

Not long after, the tune of Not Like Us rang out – a direct diss rap aimed directly at Drake. In front of millions of viewers watching the Super Bowl, Kendrick smiled meaningfully and continued to take the fight to the next level: “Hey Drake, I hear you like young girls.” 

Kendrick Lamar continued his attack: “Aren’t you tired? Trying to hit the right note and maybe it’s a small note.” 

This sharp rap quickly went viral on social media, causing the hip-hop community to talk non-stop. The public provocation on the Super Bowl Halftime Show stage – one of the biggest sporting events on the planet – made the battle between the two rappers more intense than ever.

Not stopping there, Kendrick Lamar’s performance became even more special when SZA – one of Drake’s ex-lovers – appeared. This has sparked much speculation that Kendrick Lamar was deliberately bringing up his rival’s personal relationships to provoke. More notably, Serena Williams, who is said to have had a relationship with Drake, also appeared in a video on stage.

The online community quickly made many speculations about this performance, claiming that Kendrick Lamar not only wanted to rap but also wanted to attack Drake’s personal life. The “stabs” were not only in the words but also in every detail of Kendrick Lamar’s performance.

While Kendrick’s Super Bowl performance left a lasting impression, he himself insisted that he didn’t have high expectations for the event. “I didn’t think about being at the Super Bowl ,” the five-time GRAMMY winner shared at a press conference on February 6. “The passion that I have now is the same passion that I had then. And I think that carried over to the Super Bowl. So it’s all about showing up.” 

Kendrick Lamar added: “As long as I’m in the studio or I’m in any verse, or any mistake, rap or backing vocals, chorus or whatever, I’m in that moment, I feel that passion.” 

With the latest moves from both artists, the war between Kendrick Lamar and Drake is not just a rap battle but has become a public confrontation in front of millions of fans. 

The question now is: Will Drake continue to fight back more strongly in the coming days? Or has Kendrick taken the initiative in this game?