Kendrick Lamar, Sza bring surprise guest to Las Vegas show
Kendrick Lamar has cultivated a dozen-year feud with Drake, recorded a “diss” track accusing his rival of pedophilia, performed that track at the Super Bowl, and collected five Grammys — a record for one song — as a result.
Expecting Lamar to shy away from this public skirmish, or from anything, is folly. He uncorked “Not Like Us” deep in his “Grand National Tour” set at Allegiant Stadium on Saturday night. The sellout crowd exploded at this moment, but it was far from the night’s lone highlight.
Featured guest star Sza brought out Doja Cat for “Kiss Me More,” the two sashaying around the stage that encircled the gyrating GA pit.
Sza’s three sets alternated with Lamar’s in a seven-act production. You could feel the counter-balance of Lamar’s stark, often black-and-white rap tracks, and Sza’s color-splashed set and melodic vocals.
The Compton-born Lamar also rolls with his signature ‘87 Buick Grand National Experimental (GNX), the inspiration for the tour title and Lamar’s 2024 album releas. This is the same car Lamar’s father once owned (this make and model was spotted in the VIP parking lot before the show, and it it is the same car, it’s very cool).
Conversely, Sza grooved with life-size praying mantis, the most hallucinogenic production effect not used by Dead & Company at Sphere. The oversized figure is evidently to show her independence and sense of humor in the production. Whatever the desired result, during this segment the set recalled the 1957 horror movie “The Deadly Mantis.”
The stars showed their performance and personal chemistry as they dueted in two mini-sets, early in the show for “Doves in the Wind,” “All the Stars,” and “LOVE.” They closed with “luther” — which spent a 13 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 (another record for Lamar) — and “gloria.”
The three-hour excursion was the length and scale of a Super Bowl itself. That’s where Lamar met the masses as he performed “Not Like Us” in a polarizing performance that drew 133 million viewers — another record. Critics didn’t like the profanity, suggestive dance moves, the unfamiliar hip-hop sensibility. Those who yearned of the days of Katy Perry’s “Left Shark” were sufficiently disappointed.
But the appearance only heightened Lamar’s fame, generating sales and streams and bolstering interest in this current world tour. “Not Like Us” has not only soared to the top of the charts and won a stack of Grammys, but initiated legal action from Drake.
The Toronto rap icon has sued Universal Music Group (UMG) — the record label he shares with Lamar — alleging the song is defamatory and has been promoted by UMG with “illegal tactics.”
Lamar shakes it off with a video skit of a staged “deposition” interwoven into his touring show. He’s asked by an off-camera, attorney type about the dates “Not Like Us” was released in May 2024, and the Super Bowl halftime show this past February. The unshakable superstar is asked if the line in directed at him in Drake’s song, “Family Matters,” “drop drop drop” is familiar to him.
As an answer, the “I see dead people” line opening “Not Like Us” is played. The crowd rejoices. The dispute rages on, and Kendrick Lamar has made it his own show.
It’s @DojaCat w/ @sza and the place get crazy … @AllegiantStadm @neonlasvegas pic.twitter.com/QRSFquQfBw
— John Katsilometes (@johnnykats) June 1, 2025
John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on X, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.
