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Chart Beat

Kendrick Lamar's 'Not Like Us' Hits No. 1 In Canada For The First Time After Super Bowl Performance

The rapper's acclaimed half-time show gave the controversial song a boost to the top of the Canadian Hot 100. AP Dhillon's collab with Anuv Jain, "AFSOS," also debuts on the chart this week.

Kendrick Lamar

Kendrick Lamar

pgLang

Kendrick Lamar's "Not Like Us" is the No. 1 song in Canada this week — for the first time.

The diss track never managed to claim the top spot on the charts in Drake's home country like it did in the U.S. last year during the height of their heated rap beef. But after a Super Bowl halftime performance that saw record viewership, Canadians have pushed the controversial single to a new peak on the Billboard Canadian Hot 100 for the chart dated Feb. 22, 2025.


Going in to the Super Bowl, it wasn't clear if Lamar was even legally allowed to perform the track, as Drake is suing the label that released it. But after teasing it throughout the night, Lamar not only played the song, he included the lines that namedrop Drake and accuse him of predatory behaviour. Serena Williams, Drake's ex, danced alongside Lamar on the field.

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Following the success of "Not Like Us" last year, Lamar dropped a surprise album, GNX, which is at No. 2 on the Billboard Canadian Albums chart this week, and is all over the Canadian Hot 100, with 11 Lamar tracks charting there.

He performed his SZA collab from that album, "Luther," at the halftime show as well, with the R&B star joining for the duet. That track also got a post-show boost, rising 18-2 on the Canadian Hot 100, as did SZA's 2017 album Ctrl, which re-enters the Canadian Albums chart at No. 91. SZA's SOS, meanwhile, drops from 2-3 behind GNX. The two will perform together on the Grand National tour this summer, which stops in Toronto on June 12 and 13.

Also getting a chart boost this week following a televised performance is Chappell Roan. The best new artist Grammy winner won new fans with her mime rodeo performance of "Pink Pony Club" at the 2025 Grammys. The performance was especially resonant as a song about LGBTQ+ freedom and pleasure, coming amidst the Trump administration's ongoing rollbacks of trans rights and health care, and it re-enters the Canadian Hot 100 this week at a new peak of No. 5.

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Punjabi-Canadian star AP Dhillon has a debut entry on the Canadian Hot 100 at No. 88. "AFSOS" is a collaboration with Indian star singer-songwriter Anuv Jain, a melodic ballad driven by acoustic guitar and dulcet vocals from both singers. AP Dhillon is having a strong start to 2025, picking up three Juno nominations for breakthrough artist, South Asian music recording of the year, and songwriter of the year. He also played in the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game over the weekend.

Checking in with other Canadians on the charts: The Weeknd is at No. 1 on the Canadian Albums chart for a second week with Hurry Up Tomorrow, though his highest-charting single, "Timeless," falls 9-16. He has 13 tracks in total on the Canadian Hot 100 this week.

Tate McRae's "Sports Car" drops 17-24, Cameron Whitcomb's "Quitter" shifts 68-69 and his "Medusa" moves 74-76. Billie du Page's "Fake Friends" climbs 89-82 and PartyNextDoor's "Make It To The Morning" rises 96-86.

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Stay tuned for more potential entries from Party and his $ome $exy $ongs 4 U collaborator Drake — the album dropped February 14, meaning we'll likely see its impact on the chart next week if it connects.

Check out the full charts here.

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Crys Matthews at the International Folk Music Awards
Indie Montreal

Crys Matthews at the International Folk Music Awards

Awards

Indigo Girls, OKAN, Crys Matthews, Susan Werner Win International Folk Music Awards in Montreal

The awards helped launch the 37th edition of the annual Folk Alliance International Conference, which continues until Feb. 23. Find the full list of winners here.

The 2025 International Folk Music Awards were held last night (Feb. 19) at Montreal’s Queen Elizabeth Hotel as part of the 37th annual Folk Alliance International (FAI) Conference, the largest international gathering of the folk and roots music community.

Honoured with a lifetime achievement award were ground-breaking and Grammy-winning U.S. folk duo Indigo Girls, comprising Amy Ray and Emily Saliers. Accepting the award, Ray pleaded “Please stand up with us and make your voice be heard in these times. Gather together with other people. Raise your voice. Stand up strong. Day by day, song by song, we can make this world a better place.”

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