Is this Kendrick Lamar's plan to get around censorship calls and play Drake diss track at Super Bowl?
Kendrick Lamar's halftime performance - specifically his rendition of 'Not Like Us' - may need to be censored, and there was a potential hint provided on Thursday on how he could adjust his performance accordingly.
The hit diss song, which takes aim at Drake, has been the subject of litigation from the Canadian rapper, who recently filed a defamation lawsuit against Universal Music Group. In the track, Drake is referred to as a 'certified pedophile.'
And after TMZ reported that the nature of Lamar's halftime show 'hangs in the balance' amid legal meetings, a potential clue was given at his official Super Bowl press conference on Thursday.
At the end of the session, which was moderated by Apple Music's Ebro Darden and Nadeska Alexis, a censored version of the song played as media and other attendees exited.
Specifically, only the instrumental of 'Not Like Us' played for about a minute until the lyrics started playing.
By this point, however, the song had moved past the portion of the track where Drake is called a 'pedophile,' meaning the dig was not played in this moment.
Kendrick Lamar is seen at a pre-Super Bowl press conference on Thursday morning
Lamar's song 'Not Like Us' could be censored, as it calls rapper Drake a 'certified pedophile'
The music then cut to another one of Lamar's songs.
It's unclear if an uncensored version of 'Not Like Us' was played at some point before the start of the session.
Contrarily, the 'pedophile' line was played at the Grammys last weekend, with many members of the star-studded crowd reciting the lyrics.
Lamar was not asked about the song being potentially censored at the press conference, though Alexis praised the 'competitive spirit' of the track.
As TMZ previously reported, Wednesday typically marks the day prior to Sunday's game in which the designated artist announces their setlist.
Sources told the outlet that NFL and FOX executives liaise with their legal teams to review the materials that will be performed in the Halftime show and make sure they don't risk problems with the FCC.
Sources told the outlet that there was 'Kendrick is doing the song,' though it was a matter of how much of it would have to be edited out.
TMZ added that broadcasting some of the lyrics in the diss track could position the network or league for a potential lawsuit from Drake.
Both an NFL rep and a FOX will be working as censors during the game.
Dailymail.com previously reached out to reps for Lamar, the NFL and FOX for comment on the story.
