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On April 19, 2025 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Kendrick Lamar formally kicked off his Grand National Tour's The Pop Out – Ken & Friends: The Last Leg segment. Lamar took a gamble in starting his set with a rendition of Not Like Us, a song well known for containing savage insults at rival rapper Drake.
Before the song, the crowd was treated to a pre-recorded video that was presented in the style of a courtroom deposition. In the video, Lamar appeared to be answering questions about the ongoing legal battles over the song, directly alluding to Drake's recent lawsuit against Universal Music Group (UMG).
Is Kendrick Lamar still dissing Drake on tour? Yes — at least according to opening night. The Not Like Us performance was not subtle or buried in the middle of the show. It was the introduction. The skit featured Lamar answering off-screen questions regarding if he would be singing the polarizing song again or not.
His answer, along with the abrupt drop of the song, did not leave much ambiguity about his intentions. With the crowd exploding as the beat dropped, it was apparent that the diss remains a focal point of Lamar's live performance.
Background: The ongoing rivalry between Kendrick Lamar and Drake
The feud between Kendrick Lamar and Drake has been building over the years, but it escalated exponentially in 2024 with an exchange of diss tracks between the two. Not Like Us was one of the biggest drops during this back-and-forth, and received huge recognition for its straight-up lyrical dissing.
The song wasn't just hot — it has emerged a phenomenon. At Lamar's Pop Out performance, it turned into an anthem, and at the 2025 Grammy Awards, it won both Song of the Year and Record of the Year. While fans basked in glory, these awards fueled the fire further, particularly in light of the legal developments now underway.
UMG lawsuit and Kendrick's involvement
Earlier this April 2025, Drake modified a previous lawsuit against UMG, accusing the label of distributing content that, he alleges, defames him, such as Lamar's Super Bowl halftime performance of Not Like Us. According to Reuters, in his amended defamation case, Drake has filed a lawsuit against the label for distributing Kendrick Lamar's song Not Like Us, which, he claims, falsely labels him a pe*ophile and has incited attacks against him.
According to Drake, Lamar's performances of the song at the Super Bowl and Grammy Awards fueled the rumors further, leading more people to make threats to him and his family.
Lamar is not directly named as a defendant in the suit, but the song's prominent inclusion in his tour's set list can be seen as an indirect reply.
UMG’s response to the accusations
Universal Music Group (UMG) has replied to Drake's revised defamation lawsuit, by cautioning the rapper. Here is an excerpt of UMG's reply, as reported by Music Business Worldwide:
Two weeks ago, his representatives celebrated a ‘win’: the granting of a routine discovery motion. That ‘win’ will become a loss if this frivolous and reckless lawsuit is not dropped in its entirety because Drake will personally be subject to discovery as well. As the old saying goes, ‘be careful what you wish for.’
What's next in this controversy between Kendrick Lamar and Drake?
As the Grand National Tour continues, everyone is anticipating whether Not Like Us will continue to feature as a regular at Kendrick's live performances, or if the rapper will exclude the song from his set list owing to the current legal scenario. Even though Kendrick Lamar never made any statements regarding the suit, his touring selection indicates that he is persistent.
Whether Drake publicly — or musically — addresses the situation or not is uncertain. At the moment, Kendrick's tour has made it very evident that the song is still a part of the narrative.
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Also read: Stars align for Kendrick Lamar's NFL halftime show: Everything you need to know
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