About

Kendrick Better Play "Not Like Us" at the Super Bowl / Nah This Would Be Way Better refers to a short-form video posted by TikTok and Instagram Reels user @jaywestfilms in early 2025, about what he wanted rapper Kendrick Lamar to perform at Super Bowl LIX Half Time Show. He showed a character suggesting he should perform "Not Like Us" but @jaywestfilms attests that the track "m.A.A.d city" would be better. Two versions of himself are then shown dancing to the song, doing the Griddy and other viral dances. He's also shown in a fish-eye lens reacting to the dancers. The video was perceived as cringe by many internet users and it became an exploitable meme in the following months as meme creators replaced the audio and remixed the visuals.

Origin

On January 27th, 2025, Instagram^[1] user @jaywestfilms posted a video skit that starts with a character saying, "Kendrick better play 'Not Like Us' at the Super Bowl," and another character responding, "Nah, this would be way better." Two versions @jaywestfilms are then shown dancing to Kendrick Lamar's "m.A.A.d City" while another character reacts in a fish-eye lens shot. Over two months, the Reel received roughly 29,300 likes.

@jaywestfilms also posted the video to TikTok^[2] on January 27th, where it received over 309,100 likes during the same timeframe (shown below).

Spread

On January 29th, 2025, TikToker^[3] @advancedz reposted the original video with a different sound and added a text caption that read, "WDF am I looking at man 💔💔," gaining over 91,300 likes in two months (shown below).

On February 9th, X^[10] user @RiseOfTheTuna created a GIF that used the original video and cut to photoshop images of a cursed "ugliest" Elmo and a hypebeast Kermit the Frog, amassing over 11,000 likes in a month (shown below).

On February 15th, 2025, Instagram^[4] user @willawanna shared the abovementioned GIF as a Reel, adding music from the Twin Peaks soundtrack. The video gained over 6,300 likes in a month (shown below).

On February 20th, Instagram^[6] user @shroomer334 posted a slowed, black-and-white version of the original video, adding the Aphex Twin song "th1," gaining over 63,100 likes in 19 days (shown below).

On February 23rd, 2025, Instagram^[5] user @germed.avi posted an iteration of the meme in black-and-white, adding the song "Ravenholm Reprise" from Half-Life 2, gaining over 19,800 likes in 16 days (shown below).

On February 23rd, X^[7] user @shitfartnigga07 reposted @shroomer334's Instagram^[6] Reel, gaining over 13,000 likes in 16 days.

On March 6th, 2025, X^[8] user @turnami_ reposted the original video, writing, "I can't listen to maad city anymore without thinking of this stupid fucking video," receiving over 2,300 likes in five days.

Instagram^[9] user @ysl_bulgaria shared multiple iterations of the meme in March 2025, like one on March 6th that was posted with @kfc_serbia, which added biting and chewing sounds to the original video, receiving over 11,600 likes in five days.

Search Interest

External References