Kendrick Lamar releases surprise song on Instagram

Following up his smash diss-track hit, “Not Like Us,” Kendrick Lamar is back with a surprise single, supposedly titled “Watch the Party Die.”

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On the five-minute song Kendrick dropped on IG, he references Christian rapper Lecrae, Terrace Martin and, what some speculate to be a reference to DJ Akademiks . “The radio personality pushing propaganda for salary / Let me know when they turn up as a casualty,” he flows on the melodic production.

A deeper look into his bars could also suggest that the beef with Drake isn’t entirely over — but no surprise there. “Just walked that man down, that’ll do everyone a solid / It’s love but tough love, sometimes gotta result in violence.”

The single’s cover art could also be construed as another calculated jab. An image of a pair of beat-up black Air Force 1s, potentially a reference to the single cover for Drake’s “Push Ups” that made fun of Lamar’s shoe size.

The track is the first new music from Lamar since essentially ending the back and forth rap battle with Drake with a W. “Not Like Us” has become one of Lamar’s biggest hits to date, debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in May, and topping the Hot Rap Songs, Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Streaming Songs charts in the time since. As well as peaking at No. 2 on the Billboard’s Song of the Summer chart.

Kendrick’s latest offering arrives on the heels Lamar being announced as the performer for the 2025 Apple Music Super Bowl LIX Halftime show. While the honor marks the Lamar's first time headlining the show, it will be his second halftime appearance, following his featured spot during Dr. Dre ’s 2022 superstar Halftime show line-up, also featuring Mary J. Blige , Snoop Dogg , Eminem and 50 Cent .

“Rap music is still the most impactful genre to date,” Lamar said when discussing the Super Bowl LIX Halftime gig scheduled for February 9, 2025, at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans. “And I’ll be there to remind the world why. They got the right one.”

Check out Lamar's latest track above.