F1 Team Uses Unreleased Kendrick Lamar Snippet In New Promo Video

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2023 Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival
MANCHESTER, TENNESSEE - JUNE 16: Kendrick Lamar performs in concert during Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival on June 16, 2023 in Manchester, Tennessee. (Photo by Gary Miller/WireImage)
Mercedes has their ear to the streets.

The world is still waiting on Kendrick Lamar to drop new music. The Compton set the world on fire with "Not Like Us" and its accompanying video. Those who watched closely, though, know that Dot played a snippet of an unreleased song at the beginning of the video. The snippet was wildly catchy, and featured a sample of a classic 80s single. It's been months without any update on the snippet, but that didn't stop the Mercedes F1 team from using it to their advantage. The team weaved the snippet into a social media promo for their drivers.

The video, which was posted on Instagram, sees the Mercedes F1 team in action while Lamar raps. It's a pretty slick melding of sight and sound. It may seem a bit random, combining racing with rap, but there's actually a precedent with regards to Kendrick Lamar. Lewis Hamilton, the star driver on Mercedes, posed for a photoshoot in on October 14. The photoshoot saw the driver pose sitting down, front of a white and red flag. It was a striking pose on its own merits, but what really caught fans off guard is the tribute that was being paid to Kendrick Lamar.

Kendrick Lamar Teased The Song In His Last Video

Hamilton's pose and color scheme was a direct reference to Lamar's Super Bowl announcement video. The Compton rapper confirmed he was playing the 2025 Halftime Show by posing with a football and sitting in front of a white and red flag. The irony is that Lewis Hamilton was actually linked to Kendrick Lamar's opponent, Drake, during the start of the beef. Fans discovered that the F1 superstar followed Drake on Instagram, and criticized him for seemingly siding with the 6 God over Kung-Fu Kenny.

Hamilton has corrected this narrative. He has firmly positioned himself as a Kendrick Lamar supporter in the last few months. Lamar has also proven to have a passing interest in F1 racing. The Compton rapper attended a team reveal at the beginning of the year. He also performed alongside his cousin, Baby Keem, at the VCARB Launch in Las Vegas, Nevada. The rapper still has fans on the edge of their seats for new music. Hopefully we get to hear this F1 snippet in its entirety soon.

About The Author
Elias Andrews is a music and entertainment writer for HotNewHipHop. He joined HNHH in 2024 as the lead night shift contributor, which means he covers new music releases on a weekly basis. In the year since joining, Elias has covered some of the biggest and most turbulent stories in the world of music. He covered the Drake and Kendrick Lamar battle, and the release of the disses “Family Matters” and “Meet the Grahams,” in particular, in real time. He has also detailed the ongoing list of allegations and criminal charges made against Diddy. Elias’ favorite artists are Andre 3000, MF Doom, pre-808s Kanye West and Tyler, The Creator. He loves L.A. hip-hop but not L.A. sports teams. The first album he ever bought was Big Willie Style by Will Smith, which he maintains is still a pretty good listen.
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