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Drake Changes Lyric In ‘Knife Talk’ After Kendrick Lamar’s Halftime Show | Billboard News

Drake changed the lyrics on “Knife Talk” after Kendrick Lamar’s halftime show this past Sunday, teases music from his joint album with PartyNextDoor, $ome $exy $ongs 4 U, and new solo music in the works. 

What do you think of his lyric change and his teaser of new music? Let us know in the comments!

Tetris Kelly:
It seems like Drake may be down, but he’s not out. At a recent tour stop in Melbourne, Australia, Drake changed the lyrics on his hit song “Knife Talk” from “Beef is live, spoiler alert, this n—a dies” to “Beef is live, spoiler alert — I never died.”

Not only is Drake declaring he’s not dead yet, he’s also letting us know his beef with Kendrick isn’t over. We’ll have to wait and see what response the Canadian superstar has planned, but until then, Drake has teased his next project.

Drake is getting ready to drop a joint project with PartyNextDoor. While performing in Australia, Drizzy teased the crowd on what to expect from the project, which drops this Friday the 14th, just in time for Valentine’s Day. Drizzy then took to Instagram to preview one of the songs, titled “Crying in Chanel.” A tracklist for the album has not been revealed. Talking to his fans on the second night of Anita Max Win tour, Drake teases that he’s working on a solo album. “Eventually when the time is right, Drizzy Drake alone by himself is gonna have to have a one-on-one talk to y’all.”

Drake clearly has “More Life” in him, and we can’t wait to see what music he’s been cooking up. His joint album, $ome $exy $ongs 4 U, drops this Friday.

For updates on everything music, stay locked here at Billboard.

Spike Lee Thanks Kendrick Lamar for His Super Bowl Halftime Show: See What He Said

Spike Lee was a big fan of Kendrick Lamar‘s Super Bowl 59 Halftime Show.

Kendrick used frequent Spike Lee collaborator Samuel L. Jackson as the show’s “Greek chorus,” just as Spike used him as Dolmedes in his 2015 musical satire Chi-Raq. Lamar also took a moment to bring up the Reconstruction Era proposal to give newly freed slaves land and a mule to help fold them into society by offering them a chance to make some money. “40 acres and a mule, this is bigger than the music,” the rapper told the audience during his set. “They tried to rig the game, but you can’t fake influence.”

Spike noticed and took to Instagram to speak on the parallels between his work over the years and pgLang’s impressive production.

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“I want to thank my brother Kendrick for the 40 acres and a mule shoutout which has been the name of my production company since NYU grad film school,” the legendary filmmaker wrote. “And I want to send a special shoutout to my Morehouse brother Samuel Jackson who started this Super Bowl Halftime extravaganza as Uncle Sam and you might’ve seen him as Dolmedes in Chi-Raq.”

He added: “The term 40 acres and a mule was a proposal for reparations to former enslaved African-Americans in the aftermath of the civil war. The proposal was intended to provide land and resources to provide land and resources to help free people achieve economic independence. This promise was ultimately broken. Happy Black His-Herstory.”

Kendrick’s right-hand man Dave Free told the Wall Street Journal that their mission was to try to convey “Black America” to the audience watching, something Spike Lee has made a career of. “The feel of it is Black America. What does Black America look like, and how to control that narrative of what it means to be Black in America versus what the world’s perspective of that is,” he said.

The day after the Super Bowl, on Monday (Feb. 10), Jackson posted a photo of himself and Kendrick before the game on his X account. “Super huge honor to be asked to be part of @kendricklamar halftime revolution,” he wrote.

NBA Star Kevin Durant Says Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl Halftime Show ‘Meant Nothing to’ Him

Kevin Durant wasn’t too enthralled with Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl Halftime Show. When asked about Lamar’s performance on Monday (Feb. 10), the Phoenix Suns star called the day “boring” and said it was of little interest to him.

“It meant nothing to me,” he said to reporter Dana Scott. “No thoughts — I didn’t really pay attention to it to be honest. It was a little boring day for a Super Bowl. The game got out of hand. The Super Bowl Halftime Show — I didn’t pay attention to it. I kinda skimmed through the whole thing, to be honest.”

With Durant being a diehard Washington Commanders fan, who lost to the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship, and a vocal Drake supporter, Super Bowl LIX wasn’t exactly the broadcast geared toward him.

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The Super Bowl scoreboard doesn’t do the game justice, as the Eagles blew out defending champions Kansas City Chiefs more than the 40-22 final score indicated on Sunday (Feb. 9) in New Orleans.

Durant has been tight with Drake for years now. KD even earned an A&R credit on Drizzy’s 2023 For All the Dogs album, and he spent some time with the 6 God in Toronto over the summer.

“Whenever Drake just wants to talk about life I’m there for him and he just gave me that title,” the Suns star previously said of his A&R role with Drake.

It appears Drake may have sent some records from the $ome $exy $ongs 4 U collab project with PartyNextDoor to Durant before the album arrives on Friday (Feb. 14). Durant championed the effort and deemed that Drizzy and PND have a “classic otw” with the project.

Drake dropped off another snippet from $$$4U along with showcasing the joint project’s snowy cover art on Tuesday (Feb. 11). The cover features Drizzy and PND in fur coats backed by the Absolute Towers in Mississauga.

Kendrick Lamar, Beyoncé, Doechii, Chappell Roan & More See Chart Gains After 2025 Grammy Awards

The 2025 Grammy Awards held Feb. 2 shine bright on both the Billboard 200 albums and Billboard Hot 100 songs charts (dated Feb. 15), as a starry lineup of winners and performers racked up big gains. Let’s take a look at some notable movers and shakers on both lists.

On the Billboard 200

Kendrick Lamar’s GNX gains 9% in equivalent album units earned in the U.S. in the tracking week ending Feb. 6 (65,000), according to Luminate, though the album is pushed down a spot to No. 4. While Lamar did not perform on the Grammy Awards, he did win five trophies — the most of any artist this year — with two of those presented on-air during the CBS television broadcast: record of the year and song of the year, both for “Not Like Us.” Lamar also took home the awards for best rap performance, best rap song and best music video – all for “Not Like Us.” (“Not Like Us” is not included on any of Lamar’s albums, but GNX is his most recent album release.)

Lamar has four more albums on the Billboard 200 — and all post gains. Good Kid, M.A.A.D City climbs 31-27 (21,000; up 11%), DAMN. rises 36-29 (20,000; up 9%), To Pimp a Butterfly rises 196-167 (9,000; up 9%) and Mr. Morale and The Big Steppers reenters at No. 185 (8,500; up 13%).

Billie Eilish’s Hit Me Hard and Soft gains 47% (jumping 10-5), following her performance of the album’s “Birds of a Feather” on the show. The album was also nominated for multiple awards, though did not win. Eilish also logs gains on the Billboard 200 with When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? (95-83; up 10%), Happier Than Ever (135-115; up 17%) and Dont Smile at Me (reentering at No. 160; up 14%).

Best new artist winner Chappell Roan sees her The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess bound 14-6 with a 56% gain in units earned. Roan performed the album’s “Pink Pony Club” on the show.

Two-time winner Sabrina Carpenter is pushed down 6-7 with Short n’ Sweet, despite a gain of 20%. Carpenter won best pop vocal album (for Short n’ Sweet), which was presented on air, and best pop solo vocal performance (for the album’s “Espresso”). Carpenter also performed a medley of “Espresso” and “Please Please Please” on the broadcast. An earlier Carpenter album, Emails I Can’t Send, also logs a gain on the chart, increasing by 8% and climbing 131-125.

Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department bumps 11-9 with an 8% increase, even though the album didn’t win any of the six awards it and its songs were nominated for. Still, Swift was an attendee at the event, was frequently seen by the CBS cameras, and presented the best country album award to Beyoncé for Cowboy Carter.

Speaking of Cowboy Carter, the album of the year winner gallops back onto the chart, reentering at No. 19 with 25,000 units earned — up 254%.

Doechii, who performed on the show and won the on-air-presented best rap album award for Alligator Bites Never Heal, sees that album vault 62-14 for its best week yet, gaining 107% to 31,000 units earned.

Best new artist nominee and show performer Benson Boone gets a big boost, as his Fireworks & Rollerblades album rises 49-23 with 24,000 units earned — up 44%. On the show, he performed an acrobatic rendition of the album’s “Beautiful Things.” Fellow best new artist nominees, and performers, Teddy Swims and Shaboozey also see gains — the former for I’ve Tried Everything But Therapy (Part 1), which rises 25-24 with an 8% increase, and the latter for Where I’ve Been, Isn’t Where I’m Going, which rises 50-38 with a 13% gain.

All eight of the best new artist nominees had their own dedicated solo performance on the CBS broadcast: Boone, Carpenter, Doechii, Khruangbin, Raye, Roan, Shaboozey and Swims. (While Raye and Khruangbin aren’t on the Billboard 200, they also see gains with their most recent albums. Raye’s My 21st Century Blues is up 65% to 5,500 units; and Khruangbin’s A La Sala is up 36% to nearly 2,000 units.)

Performer and three-time winner Charli XCX sees her Brat album bump 52-26 with 22,000 units earned — up 38%. Brat won best dance/electronic album and best recording package, while the set’s “Von Dutch” won best dance pop recording. While none of Charli’s awards were presented during the CBS broadcast, she performed a medley of the album’s “Von Dutch” and “Guess” on the show.

Kendrick Lamar & More Leap on the Hot 100

As previously reported, the Hot 100’s top 10 reflects Grammy action, led by Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars’ “Die With a Smile,” which won for best pop duo/group performance during the CBS broadcast. The pair also performed on the show, but didn’t sing “Die With a Smile,” instead, they did a cover of The Mamas and the Papas’ “California Dreamin’” in tribute to Los Angeles following the January wildfires in the area.

Songs in the top 10 by Eilish, Shaboozey, The Weeknd and Playboi Carti, and Benson Boone also bask in a post-Grammy glow.

Just outside the Hot 100’s top 10, Lamar’s “Not Like Us” vaults 29-15 with a 55% blast to 19.2 million official U.S. streams. The Drake-eviscerating track, which topped the chart for two weeks last May and July, swept all five of its Grammy nominations.

Roan surges with two songs in the Hot 100’s top 25: “Pink Pony Club” (45-18, a new high, surpassing its prior No. 26 peak) and “Good Luck, Babe!” (30-23, after reaching No. 6). The songs soared by 98% to 13.4 million streams and 26% to 13.2 million streams, respectively, after she performed “Pink Pony Club” and won the Grammy for best new artist, accepting the award with her buzzy speech calling for improvements in artists’ healthcare.

Plus, Doechii’s “Denial Is a River” hits the Hot 100’s top 40, jumping 55-27, up 66% to 13.8 million streams. It’s a new best rank for the rapper, who previously hit a No. 29 high in October 2013 with “What It Is (Block Boy)” featuring Kodak Black.

Kevin Hart to Serve as First-Ever NBA All-Star Game Emcee, With H.E.R., Gelo & More to Perform

The NBA continues to innovate with its All-Star Weekend and announced on Tuesday (Feb. 11) that four-time NBA All-Star Celebrity Game MVP and comedian Kevin Hart will serve as the first-ever NBA All-Star Game emcee.

There will be a star-studded cast of performers hitting the stage throughout the Bay Area’s All-Star Weekend, with the NBA paying homage to San Francisco and Oakland’s roots.

DJ Cassidy is set to lead a Bay Area edition of Pass the Mic Live! featuring E-40, Too Short, En Vogue and Saweetie at the 2025 NBA All-Star Game on Sunday (Feb. 16), while Oakland’s own Raphael Saadiq will get the Chase Center crowd warmed up, helming player introductions. Grammy-winning singer H.E.R. has also been tapped to perform at the 74th NBA All-Star Game.

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Gelo will be swerving and bending that corner to the Bay, as he’s set to make his live television performance debut on All-Star Saturday Night (Feb. 15) ahead of the 2025 STARRY 3-Point Contest. Fans are going to get a taste of the “Tweaker” madness, which shook up the rap game and debuted at No. 29 on the Billboard Hot 100 dated Jan. 18.

On the anthem front, LAFD firefighter Dennis Rodriguez will perform “The Star-Spangled Banner,” while Brampton native Alessia Cara will handle the Canadian national anthem.

Bay Area resident Larussell is also slated to perform at the Rising Stars Game on Friday night (Feb. 14). As part of the NBA All-Star Concert Series, The Chainsmokers, Zedd, Flo Rida and 2 Chainz will be performing across the weekend at Pier 48. Tickets are available on the NBA Events website.

As previously announced, Chance the Rapper will headline the NBA on TNT American Express Road Show Fan Experience with a show on Feb. 13 at Pier 48.

Tune into the 74th NBA All-Star Game on TNT on Sunday at 8 p.m. ET.

RZA Is the ‘Heart’ of PowerBeats Pro 2 Campaign Starring A-List Athletes: Shop the New Earbuds Here

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To help launch the Powerbeats Pro 2 earbuds, Beats assembled the infinity stones of sports icons — LeBron James, Lionel Messi and Shohei Ohtani — for a motivational new campaign titled “Listen to Your Heart.” If that wasn’t enough star power to convince you to grab these impressive fitness-focused headphones and immediately go on a three-mile run, the video also features rap legend RZA as “the heart” narrating throughout.

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Move over, Morgan Freeman: Wu-Tang Clan leader RZA delivers a powerful voice-over highlighting the powerful connection between passion, performance and heart as the video explores the respective journeys of each superstar athlete.

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In a statement launched with the campaign, Messi reveals, “Even though we come from different sports, what connects us is our shared passion to perform at the highest level. This campaign reflects how true power comes from the heart—how we’ve all used that inner drive to fuel our journeys and push ourselves throughout our careers.”

After almost five years since the launch of their original Pro earbuds, Beats have finally released the highly-anticipated Powerbeats Pro 2. The upgraded headphones are more fitness-focused, with a sleeker build and tons of enhanced fitness tech including a heart rate sensor, advanced active noise cancellation, IPX4 water and dirt resistant, 45 hours of battery life, and Apple’s impressive H2 chip, which is also included in the brand’s AirPods line.

Listening to music is still at the heart of these Beats earbuds. The Powerbeats Pro 2 has a redesigned acoustic architecture and upgraded venting to enhance your sound and comfort, alongside personalized spatial audio with dynamic head tracking to fully immerse you in your music. They also feature adaptive EQ that continuously scans your specific ear shape to optimize your listening experience in real time.

“I’ve been a huge fan of the Powerbeats line since it first launched, and seeing it evolve into the new Powerbeats Pro 2 is incredible,” LeBron James says in a statement. “Music has always been a key motivator in my training, and these earphones take an already iconic product to the next level.”

The Powerbeats Pro 2 come in a variety of colors, including jet black, quick sand, hyper purple and our favorite, electric orange. Releasing for $249.99, grab a pair of the new Powerbeats Pro 2 on Apple’s site now.

Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 Wireless Earbuds

$249.99

$249.99

Check out the motivational “Listen to Your Heart” campaign video starring LeBron James, Lionel Messi, Shohei Ohtani and RZA below.

Ye’s Yeezy Website Taken Down Following Swastika T-Shirt Sale

Ye’s — formerly known as Kanye West — Yeezy website has been taken down following backlash to the sale of his swastika T-shirt in recent days.

The rapper’s website used Shopify to make e-commerce transactions. Variety reported on Tuesday (Feb. 11) that Shopify said Ye had violated the company’s terms in recent days.

“All merchants are responsible for following the rules of our platform,” a spokesperson for Shopify relayed to Variety. “This merchant did not engage in authentic commerce practices and violated our terms, so we removed them from Shopify.”

In place of the Yeezy website is now an error message that reads, “Something went wrong. What happened? This store is unavailable.”

Billboard has reached out to reps for West and Shopify.

Just prior to the website’s shutdown, Ye paid for a Super Bowl commercial promoting Yeezy and encouraging fans to shop the marketplace. He shot the spot on an iPhone while sitting in a chair at the dentist. Variety reports the ad was shown on three Fox stations, including KTTV Los Angeles.

“What’s up, guys? I spent all the money for the commercial on these new teeth,” he says in the clip while showing off his diamond-encrusted teeth. “So, once again, I had to shoot it on the iPhone. Um … go to Yeezy.com.”

Before deactivating his X account on Monday (Feb. 10), the rapper spent the weekend going on several X tirades filled with antisemitic, misogynistic and homophobic remarks, which also included him calling for the freedom of Diddy and praising Hitler.

Ye’s latest string of hate speech has been rebuked by the Anti-Defamation League, Friends star David Schwimmer and Charlie Puth, who took to his Instagram Story to beg the Chicago native to stop posting.

“@ye The message you are sending out to the world is incredibly dangerous,” wrote Puth. “Please man, I beg you to stop. You are selling a T-shirt with a Swastika on it, and MILLIONS of people are influenced by you. Please I BEG you to stop, PLEASE.”

Drake Makes Subtle ‘Knife Talk’ Lyric Change Following Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl Performance

Drake appears to have heard about Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show, and made his subtle response by flipping some lyrics to his “Knife Talk” track while performing in Melbourne on Monday night (Feb. 10).

Beef is live, spoiler alert — I never died,” he raps on the reworked version following Lamar’s headlining performance at the Super Bowl Sunday (Feb. 9).

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The original lyrics find Drizzy rapping, “Beef is live, spoiler alert — this n—a dies” over menacing Metro Boomin production.

Kendrick took shots at Drake throughout his Super Bowl Halftime Show in New Orleans, as he included Drake diss records “Euphoria” and “Not Like Us” as part of his set.

Lamar also recruited tennis legend Serena Williams — who is rumored to have briefly dated Drake — for a cameo as she crip walked on stage, and he even made a reference to Drake’s lawsuit against Universal Music Group surrounding the success of “Not Like Us” before performing it.

Drake continues his Anita Max Wynn Tour with a pair of shows in Melbourne this week before heading to Sydney, Brisbane and New Zealand.

The OVO rapper will have his chance to respond to Kendrick in the booth when Drake and PartyNextDoor’s $ome $exy $ongs 4 U collab album arrives on Friday (Feb. 14).

“I got an album coming out on Feb. 14 with my brother PartyNextDoor. It’s called $ome $exy $ongs 4 U, but it’s some turned-up songs for you on there, too, and there’s some personal feelings on there for you,” Drake told the crowd during a recent show. “Hopefully, whoever you’re with on Valentine’s Day, hopefully y’all can share that experience together.”

Drake shared another moody snippet from the collab tape for a song titled “Crying in Chanel” to social media along with the snowy cover art.

Find Drake’s concert clip along with the snippet and cover art below.

How the Golden State Warriors Are Helping Make the Bay Area’s Next Great Hip-Hop Album

P-Lo stands under a basketball hoop on a rooftop outdoor court that overlooks downtown San Francisco, surrounded by the Bay Area Avengers — Saweetie, Larry June, Kamaiyah, G-Eazy, thuy, LaRussell and YMTK, all local MCs gathered to shoot the video for their new track “Player’s Holiday ’25.” The song is part of an upcoming project spearheaded by P-Lo and Golden State Entertainment (GSE), the record label and content division of the NBA’s Golden State Warriors, which is planning to release the album in partnership with EMPIRE to celebrate the local music scene ahead of NBA All-Star Weekend in San Francisco in mid-February. The vibe on-set is breezy and free; the collection of talent, both on the song and hanging out here today, makes the afternoon feel like the modern-day, Bay version of the Great Day in Harlem celebrating the 1950s New York jazz scene.

“Just having all the creatives and artists in the Bay there for that and just being able to be present in that moment and really put that thing together to represent the Bay correctly [was special],” P-Lo says. “There’s been so much negative talk about San Francisco and Oakland [Calif.] and how dangerous it is, and all these bad things about our region and our area, and we wanted to just show the unity and our resilience to all of that.”

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All told, the album — called For the Soil — will feature over a dozen Bay Area artists, including icons like E-40 and Too $hort. It’s the latest project from GSE, which formed in 2022 with EMPIRE as its distribution partner and has released music by K-pop act BamBam and Oakland artist MAYZIN.

EMPIRE founder and CEO Ghazi and his company “have global reach but have maintained deep roots in and genuine love for the Bay,” says David Kelly, chief business officer for GSE and chief legal officer for the Warriors. “When Golden State Entertainment wanted to do something special in connection with NBA All-Star 2025 coming to the San Francisco Bay Area, it was only right that we linked up with P-Lo and release it via EMPIRE. The project is a celebration of Bay Area music and culture and a testament to the rich music scene that EMPIRE has helped create in and for the Bay.”

It’s also part of a suite of projects that EMPIRE is spearheading ahead of All-Star Week, including several parties in the area and a collaboration with NBA 2K for a limited-edition vinyl package featuring EMPIRE artists, on which “Player’s Holiday ’25” is also featured.

“Growing up a Warriors fan and going to the games all my life,” P-Lo says, “just to be able to work with a company that really is like one of the better franchises in all of sports, to be able to do something like this with them, is a dream come true.”

This story appears in the Feb. 8, 2025, issue of Billboard.

Cardi B Slams Donald Trump’s Secret Service Detail For ‘F–kin’ Up My Shoe’ At Super Bowl

Cardi B was already not a huge fan of Donald Trump, but after the President became the first sitting commander in chief to attend a Super Bowl on Sunday (Feb. 9) the “WAP” rapper said he’s definitely on her nope list.

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“I was too f–king mad today because, you know, Donald Trump… He was at the Super Bowl today, and they was giving us a hard time,” Cardi said during an Instagram Live on Monday during which she sampled a series of snacks while talking to fans mukbang-style. “Oh my gosh. The Secret Service was not playing at that motherf–ker. The Secret Service was not playing to get in that motherf–kin’ stadium. Oh my God,” she added as she munched on chips and salsa.

The rapper then asked someone to bring over her dinged-up $3,000 black leather spiked Christian Louboutin pump, lamenting, “Look how f–ked up my shoe is. This shoe cost me three bands,” she said of the fashion piece that appeared to have some of its spikes dented or torn off. “All ‘cause of Trump. Now I like him lesser. Now I like him lesser because you ain’t have to go to no damn Super Bowl. F–king up my shoe… Now I don’t really like him!” Cardi did not explain how the shoe was damaged, or by whom in the video.

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Cardi, who supported Democrat candidate Vice President Kamala Harris in last year’s election, did have one method for Trump to get back in her good graces, though. “Bring my uncle… grant my uncle to come back because my uncle got deported,” she said without revealing when her uncle was removed from the country.

As promised during his campaign, the Trump administration has been rolling out what it has called the “largest deportation operation” in U.S. history over the past two weeks, though the President is reportedly “angry” that more people have not been detained and deported so far.

Watch Cardi talk about her Super Bowl shoe drama below.