- Drake is suing Universal Music Group for defamation and harassment
- The case is related to Kendrick Lamar’s record-breaking Not Like Us
- The diss track has been nominated for five Grammys
Drake is suing UMG for defamation, harassment and sharing the “false and malicious narrative” that he is a paedophile by releasing Kendrick Lamar’s diss track, Not Like Us.
The song began a back-and-forth rap battle between the two hip-hop giants in May last year. One of the most headline-grabbing elements was Lamar branding Drake as a sexual predator. This is a label that Drake strongly denies.
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The suit states, “Drake has never engaged in sexual relations with a minor. Drake has never been charged with, or convicted of, any criminal acts whatsoever.”
Filed in the U.S District Court for the Southern District of New York, the legal move comes a day after he took back the petition he filed against Universal Music Group, his label of the last 15 years.
Why is Drake suing UMG?
The documents, seen by Variety, outline how Drake asserted that Lamar’s lyrics and imagery in the music video were false and inflammatory.
It argues the label “chose corporate greed over the safety and well-being of its artists. In controversy” and “saw an opportunity, seized it and continued to fan the flames.”
Drake’s lawsuit also outlines how the song’s allegation that he is a “pedophile” led to people carrying out “vigilante justice” against him.
According to the papers, the label “approved, published, and launched a campaign to create a viral hit out of a rap track” which was “intended to convey the specific, unmistakable, and false factual allegation that Drake is a criminal paedophile, and to suggest that the public should resort to vigilante justice in response.”
What else does Drake’s case state?
Yes, Drake’s case accuses the cover artwork for the single, which sees his Toronto mansion covered in markers denoting a sexual predator residing there.
In the filing, Drake sights a shooting that occurred at the property days after the track dropped. A security guard was injured in the incident.
Following this, there were other trespassers to Drake’s home.
Is Kendrick Lamar a plaintiff in the case?
No, UMG’s fellow signee Kendrick Lamar is not a plaintiff in Drake suing UMG. The fault is firmly placed at the music giant’s feet.
“This lawsuit is not about the artist who created Not Like Us. It is, instead, entirely about UMG, the music company that decided to publish, promote, exploit, and monetize allegations that it understood were not only false, but dangerous,” the papers state.
The song was one of the biggest songs of 2024. Along with its five Grammy nods, it snagged the top spot on Luminate’s on-demand and audio-streaming US chart.
What claims has Drake backed down from?
In the pre-filing, Drake alleged that UMG and Spotify had worked together to increase the songs’ record streaming numbers. Both accused parties denied this allegation.
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A few days after this pre-filing, Drake took action against iHeartRadio, the country’s biggest station. A hearing related to this is set to take place later in January.
What is the response from the label?
Universal Music Group denied all the claims in Drake’s case, before adding, “not only are these claims untrue, but the notion that we would seek to harm the reputation of any artist — let alone Drake — is illogical”.
The rep continued that the label “will vigorously defend this litigation to protect our people and our reputation.”
“We have not and do not engage in defamation — against any individual. At the same time, we will vigorously defend this litigation to protect our people and our reputation, as well as any artist who might directly or indirectly become a frivolous litigation target for having done nothing more than write a song,” they added.
