Who owns Gatorade? Kendrick Lamar becomes the first musician to be physically featured in a commercial for the brand

Rapper Kendrick Lamar appeared in a sports-themed beverage company, Gatorade’s commercial, which was released on April 18, 2025. The ad was titled “Lose More. Win More.” and featured Lamar’s song Peekaboo from his 2024 album, GNX.

According to Bloomberg, Gatorade is owned by PepsiCo Inc. As the commercial rolls on, Kendrick Lamar’s voice narrates:

“How much are you willing to lose? Take the ’65 Gators. Losing steam. Losing players. Losing sweat. The solution?”

Another voice in the background hints that the solution would be a drink with better hydrating capacity than water. Lamar adds that this would improve the players’ efficiency. He goes on:

“Cause when you do that, you can surpass the hype. You can inspire generation after generation. You can compete against anything, even gravity. Expectations, or even yourself. So, how much sweat are you willing to lose? That’s how you know how much you are willing to win.”

Gatorade’s CBO, Anuj Bhasin, explained to Sports Business Journal that the campaign was meant to honor the brand’s beginnings at the University of Florida by uniquely sharing its original story. He also shared that they partnered with Kendrick Lamar because he represented determination, resilience, and a drive to break limits.

The advertisement also features brief appearances by Luka Dončić and Jayson Tatum from the NBA, as well as A’ja Wilson and Caitlin Clark from the WNBA.

Bloomberg notes that the advertisement will first be shown during the National Basketball Association playoffs, while other plans include events like Major League Baseball’s All-Star game and the National Football League’s draft.

What did DJ Akademiks say about Kendrick Lamar’s Gatorade commercial?

The news of the rapper getting featured in the Gatorade commercial was featured on the entertainment platform “Pop Base,” which claimed that the rapper became the first artist ever featured in the ad. However, the post was flagged under community notes, which mentioned that:

“This false. Kendrick Lamar was not the first artist to be in a Gatorade commercial. Lil Wayne starred in one in 2009.”

Internet personality DJ Akademiks shared a screenshot of Pop Base’s post, writing:

“Pop Base gets called out for blatantly lying.”

It now seems that the X account has taken down the post. However, a netizen reacted to Akademiks’ statement, commenting:

“Lil wayne did not appear in the commercial. He did a voice over.”

In the voiceover of the Gatorade ad, Lil Wayne described "G" as a symbol of strength and greatness. He explained that it stood for the spirit of a champion, the talent of a genius, and the drive and determination seen in sports. To him, it represented heart, hard work, and the true soul of the game.

Meanwhile, in other news, Drake updated his defamation lawsuit against Universal Music Group, arguing that Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl halftime performance was designed to damage his reputation.

His lawyer, Michael Gottlieb, stated that the show aimed to publicly attack Drake’s character and hoped such a thing wouldn’t happen again. Gottlieb explained in the updated complaint that Kendrick Lamar was only allowed to perform at the Super Bowl after removing the word "p*dophile" from the lyrics.

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