Kendrick Lamar said on his new album “GNX” that Nas congratulated him for being selected to perform at halftime of Super Bowl LIX in February.

Perhaps Nas will make a guest appearance on stage in New Orleans?

It’s hard to predict what Lamar will do with his upcoming performance — or with his music in general. He caught the music world by surprise in releasing his latest album on Friday, then releasing a video for the song “squabble up” on Monday.

The release of “GNX” gives fans a glimpse into additional songs that might be performed at Caesars Superdome in February. The Athletic in September rolled out early predictions and odds of the songs the Pulitzer Prize-winning rapper would perform during the Super Bowl halftime show. Here are updated predictions, which include some of the tracks from the new album:

‘Not Like Us’

When this song, considered by many as the knockout punch in the Kendrick Lamar-Drake rap beef, was released in May, rapper-turned-podcaster Joe Budden said Drake should be thankful it wasn’t the HBCU band season because it would be played at games repeatedly. Well, college football season is here, and marching bands are performing their renditions of the song. Pro teams are playing the song. Youth bands are picking up the song. It even became a theme for the Los Angeles Dodgers during their run to the World Series. It’s the new sports theme for this decade: “They not like us. They not like us. They not like us.”

Chance it’s played: 100 percent

‘squabble up’

When the “Not Like Us” video was released on July 4, there was a snippet of a song at the start of the video. The snippet had no title. That song turned out to be “squabble up” from the new album. The up-tempo start and the sample of Debbie Deb’s “When I Hear Music” is an ideal choice.

Chance it’s played: 99 percent

‘Like That’

This song, featuring Future and Metro Boomin, reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Lamar said in his verse there’s no “big three” in rap, declaring himself above Drake and J. Cole.

Chance it’s played: 95 percent

‘Humble’

The NBA used this track as its theme for the 2017 NBA Finals. It’s one of Lamar’s most recognizable songs. It’s hard to imagine it doesn’t make it into the show. If it doesn’t make the cut, “GNX” tracks might be the reason.

Chance it’s played: 90 percent

‘tv off’

Lefty Gunplay joins Lamar in this high-energy song off the “GNX” album. Lamar screaming “Mustarrrrrrd!” in reference to producer DJ Mustard quickly has become a meme-worthy expression. At the very least, Lamar has to yell “Mustarrrrrrd!” at least once during his performance.

Chance it’s played: 85 percent

‘Money Trees’

This song includes Jay Rock, as the two once were labelmates at Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE). Listen to “heart pt. 6” from “GNX” and be reminded how much Jay Rock means to Lamar’s career. It would be a great moment on stage for a reunion.

Chance it’s played: 75 percent

‘DNA’

This is one of Lamar’s biggest songs. It’ll be hard to imagine it’s not part of the show.

Chance it’s played: 75 percent

‘All the Stars’

Lamar teamed up with SZA for this song on the “Black Panther” soundtrack. Lamar is no longer on TDE, but he remains close with those on the label. SZA would add soul as a guest performer.

Chance it’s played: 65 percent

‘Swimming Pools (Drank)’

It’s a slower tempo, but it’s a great song in a concert setting. It also was the song that introduced many fans to Lamar’s “Good Kid, M.A.A.D City” album in 2012.

Chance it’s played: 60 percent

‘King Kunta’

This is one of Lamar’s more danceable tracks from his “To Pimp a Butterfly” album from 2015. It’s a perfect concert song … but will it fit in his Super Bowl rotation?

Chance it’s played: 60 percent

‘Family Ties’

Lamar joined his cousin, Baby Keem, on this song off Keem’s “The Melodic Blue” album. Keem has toured with Lamar, so it wouldn’t be surprising for them to be on stage together in New Orleans.

Chance it’s played: 60 percent

‘Alright’

Lamar performed this at Super Bowl LVI at SoFi Stadium when he was part of Dr. Dre’s halftime show. That’s the only thing that makes it dicey as to whether it’ll be part of the upcoming show.

Chance it’s played: 50 percent

‘Collard Greens’

This was a highlight of ScHoolboy Q’s “Oxymoron” album. It’s an up-tempo song and would be another opportunity for Lamar to bring one of his former TDE labelmates onto the biggest of stages with him.

Chance it’s played: 45 percent

‘Rich Spirit’

I’ve heard this song live, and it hits hard in front of a live audience. That doesn’t mean it translates to the Super Bowl. It’s not a dance song, but it’s also not a slow jam. Nice, mid-tempo game that could lighten the mood a little, if needed.

Chance it’s played: 40 percent

‘B—-, Don’t Kill My Vibe’

A popular song, but the NSFW first word of the title means Lamar would have to work around it. It’s not impossible, as any song on this stage will have to be cleaned of profanity. There are parts of the song that would work.

Chance it’s played: 40 percent

‘Euphoria’

This was the first solo diss track from Lamar at Drake. It’s unlikely Lamar will want to turn the halftime show into 14 minutes of clowning Drake … but you never know.

Chance it’s played: 30 percent

‘6:16 in LA’

This Drake diss was never released on streaming services. It was only made available on Lamar’s Instagram. The song was a hit with fans during Lamar’s concert on Juneteenth, but again, how much time is he likely to dedicate to diss songs?

Chance it’s played: 25 percent

‘Meet the Grahams’

The darkest song of the Lamar-Drake feud. It doesn’t fit in this setting.

Chance it’s played: 5 percent

‘Bad Blood’

Taylor Swift is too big of a star to be a featured performer, but this surprise would send social media into a frenzy. There’s a better chance of Swift sitting in a suite cheering for Travis Kelce than joining Lamar on stage. The more the Kansas City Chiefs win, the chances of this collaboration happening shrink.

Chance it’s played: 0 percent

‘Mona Lisa’

This collaboration with Lil Wayne would have been an awkward fit during the show, but it might have been a hit with hometown fans of Wayne. Given Wayne’s public disappointment over not being selected to perform at halftime, in addition to his ties to Drake, it’s hard to imagine him taking the stage at halftime.

Chance it’s played: 0 percent

‘Poetic Justice,’ feat. Drake

Remember when Lamar and Drake made music together? This track was released in 2013. A lot has changed since then. Drake plans to be on tour in Australia on Super Bowl Sunday. No one expected to see him in New Orleans in the first place.

Chance it’s played: minus-1,000 percent

(Top photo: Santiago Bluguermann / Getty Images)

Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) made sure to nix any speculation that the Jake Paul-Mike Tyson fight was compromised in any capacity, but in case you needed more evidence, one of the ring girls from that night is giving it.

MVP co-founder Nakisa Bidarian said in a recent interview with Fox News Digital that the fight was “100% real from beginning to end.”

The speculation was already present well before the fight, but one moment that prompted fireworks led to even more talk of possible staging.

Tyson slapped Paul across the face at the weigh-in, saying Paul had stepped on his toe. Several people needed to separate Tyson from Paul, causing a melee on the stage.

Fans pointed to the ring girls behind them, who continued to pose and smile, as evidence that it was all planned. But Sydney Thomas, who has since nearly doubled her social media following, says they had no choice but to not react.

“I was so shocked that it happened. I was not expecting that at all. … But our job as event models is to stand there and smile, we’re not really supposed to react. You’re not supposed to change what you’re doing. You’re supposed to be in the background of all the pictures and not have these big reactions,” Thomas told Fox News Digital in a recent interview. 

So, Thomas had to keep her cool.

Mike Tyson and Jake Paul are separated during their weigh-in, Nov. 14, 2024, in Irving, Texas. Ring girl Sydney Thomas is shown at left. (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

PAUL-TYSON RING GIRL SYDNEY THOMAS REFLECTS ON NEWFOUND FAME, CAREER GOALS

“I’m like, ‘Oh! He just slapped him!’ But I have to hold this smile the whole time. In my head, I’m like, ‘No way. But keep smiling! They’re taking so many pictures, this moment’s going to go so viral. I got to be looking good back here!’ That was my thought process.

“A lot of people, too, had drawn a line [and] said, ‘This has to be staged. There’s no way that’s real. The models in the back didn’t even react.’ They were saying it was on us for the reason why it was looking so fake, because we didn’t react. That’s our entire job. We’re paid to stand there and smile. We’re professional at it. We’re not going to have these reactions. It was shocking, but that’s our job.”

MVP ripped any notion that the fight was rigged in any form.

“If you were to rig such competition, it is a federal crime. And myself, Jake Paul, Mike Tyson, executives from Netflix would all be going to jail. They would be risking their entire company, and we would be risking our entire lives to do that,” Bidarian told Fox News Digital last week. “It is preposterous that people even suggest that this was in any way anything other than a professional fight. … That was not the case in any Jake fight, let alone this one.”

Sydney Thomas poses in the ring during Paul-Tyson. (Raphaela Milagres)

Thomas recently hit 1 million followers on TikTok and boasts more than 750,000 on other social media.

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LIV Golf has identified its new leader and is expected to hand its reins to longtime sports and entertainment executive Scott O’Neil.

O’Neil will replace Greg Norman, the original LIV CEO and architect of the breakaway league that reshaped the professional golf landscape during the last three years, according to a source briefed on the matter, who was granted anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.

In October, Sports Business Journal reported the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund’s intentions to shift Norman out of the CEO role and into a new position. That same month Norman told Sports Illustrated that his contract with LIV would expire in August 2025.

On Wednesday morning, Sports Business Journal reported O’Neil’s emergence as the likely choice as new CEO. A person briefed on the matter confirmed O’Neil’s selection to The Athletic on Wednesday. A LIV Golf spokesperson declined to comment on the matter.

O’Neil has worked as CEO of Merlin Entertainments since 2022, overseeing one of the world’s biggest operators of theme parks and resorts, including Legoland properties. Merlin announced Wednesday morning that O’Neil was departing for “another opportunity” and standing down as CEO effective at the end of 2024.

With O’Neil expected to be announced as LIV CEO, it’s unclear how much power Norman, 69, will maintain. The two-time Open Championship winner is still a current member of LIV’s board of directors.

O’Neil is most well-known for his time as CEO of Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, the parent company of the Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Devils. In an eight-year run, he oversaw multiple construction projects and expansion opportunities and stewarded the merger of holdings between Sixers and Devils owners Josh Harris and David Blitzer. He oversaw “the process,” the Sixers’ much publicized, often celebrated, occasionally maligned, rebuilding that resulted in a franchise turnaround but, ultimately, limited playoff success.

“I remember what it was like when we first walked in here, and to think we’ve grown this business, over $2 billion in value over six times in eight years, that’s what I do. Hypergrowth, super growth,” O’Neil told the Associated Press at the time of his 2021 departure.

In taking over LIV, O’Neil will steer the league through a cloudy future determined by lengthy negotiations between the PGA Tour and the PIF. The two sides, having first come together in June 2023 to create a new entity with combined assets (including LIV), have yet to finalize a structure. Negotiations blew past the original deadline earmarked for the end of last year.

It is still anticipated that PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan and PIF governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan will ultimately finalize some agreement that will need approval by DOJ antitrust officials. Where LIV will fit in that remains to be seen.

The league has evolved toward an increasingly worldwide schedule that, while growing the brand internationally, creates complications in securing a long-term TV carrier in the United States. With 10 of 14 events scheduled right now for 2025, only three are in the U.S. and none before June.

O’Neil, an alumnus of Villanova and Harvard Business School, also held front-office positions with the New York Knicks, New Jersey Nets, Philadelphia Eagles and New York Rangers.

Required reading

(Top photo: Bradley Collyer / PA Images via Getty Images)