With the Super Bowl LIX less than a few weeks away, fans are already making predictions for Kendrick Lamar’s halftime show performance. One special guest many likely saw coming was SZA, who confirmed in a teaser posted on Friday (Jan. 24) that she'd be joining the eagerly anticipated lineup.
After spending a good part of last year discussing the Kendrick Lamar-Drake beef, Joe Budden decided to weigh his thoughts on the announcement. On Saturday (Jan. 25), during his podcast, the “Pump It Up” artist shared a direct message for the Canadian hitmaker: “It’s really SZA.”
“SZA was in that studio ratting, being a mole [and] holding down for [the] gang,” he elaborated. “If you thought Drake was mad at that SZA-Kai Cenat s**t, then the tour announcement, now a Super Bowl commercial. You got the nerve to be pouring Gatorade on him? You know what Gatorade means.”
Given Drake and SZA’s history — from dating when they were younger to teaming up on 2023’s “Slime You Out” and “Rich Baby Daddy” — her joining the Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show lineup mostly definitely stings. “I think the SZA part hurts,” Budden said.
More than anything, though, fans are excited to see what records she and Lamar do live renditions for. They worked together on “Doves in the Wind,” “All The Stars,” “luther,” “gloria,” and most recently, “30 For 30.” The Big Game is scheduled to take place on Feb. 9 at New Orleans’ Caesars Superdome.
Elsewhere on his podcast, Budden touched on Drake’s tentatively titled “Fighting Irish Freestyle,” where the Toronto rapper seemingly referenced LeBron James, DeMar DeRozan and others. “I think the LeBron [James] stuff hurts. I agree with what he said [about] a lot of this [being] personal for me, and I’m hurt by it,” the New Jersey native detailed.