Drake has filed a second explosive lawsuit against Universal Music Group, alleging defamation over Kendrick Lamar‘s track “Not Like Us.”
The rapper argues the label could have blocked the song, which he claims falsely tarnishes his reputation by insinuating he is a sex offender. A day after filing a lawsuit in New York, accusing UMG of manipulating Lamar’s track on Spotify, Drake’s team shifted focus to iHeartRadio in Texas. The latest complaint, submitted late Monday and publicly released Tuesday, alleges that UMG “funneled payments” to iHeart in a covert “pay-to-play scheme” to boost the song’s airplay.
The lawsuit unveils fresh details about Drake’s growing frustration with UMG, the label he’s called throughout his career. His claims the company was fully aware that Kendrick’s track falsely branded him as a “certified pedophile” and “predator,” yet made the decision to release it regardless.
Drake’s legal team asserts, “UMG … could have refused to release or distribute the song or required the offending material to be edited and/or removed.” “But UMG chose to do the opposite. UMG designed, financed and then executed a plan to turn ‘Not Like Us’ into a viral mega-hit with the intent of using the spectacle of harm to Drake and his businesses to drive consumer hysteria and, of course, massive revenues. That plan succeeded, likely beyond UMG’s wildest expectations.”
Similar to the New York filing from Monday, Drake’s latest legal move isn’t technically a lawsuit but rather a pre-action petition designed to secure depositions from key figures at UMG and iHeart. This move aims to gather additional details that could bolster Drake’s defamation claims in a potential further case. Drake’s legal team asserts they already possess sufficient evidence to pursue defamation charges against UMG, though they also hint at possible further allegations of civil fraud and racketeering, contingent on what is revealed during the depositions.
Notably, K.Dot is not named in the petition and faces no legal allegations at this time.
UMG Responds to Drake’s Legal Move in Ongoing Feud
In response to yesterday’s filing, Universal Music Group issued a statement: “The suggestion that UMG would do anything to undermine any of its artists is offensive and untrue.” “We employ the highest ethical practices in our marketing and promotional campaigns. No amount of contrived and absurd legal arguments in this pre-action submission can mask the fact that fans choose the music they want to hear.”
Following Monday’s explosive petition, the new filing in Texas marks yet another bold move in the ongoing saga between Drake and Lamar, a feud that saw both artists trading sharp diss tracks earlier this year. While such rivalries are common in hip-hop, few anticipated they would escalate to legal action. This latest suit also signals a growing divide between Drake and UMG, the label that has been central to his career, first through his deal with Lil Wayne’s Young Money and later directly with Republic. Lamar, who has similarly been tied to UMG throughout his career, currently holds a licensing deal with Interscope.
In a new petition filed Tuesday, Drake alleges that the music titan employed unlawful tactics to unjustly elevate one of its artists above him. His legal team argues, “Before it approved the release of the song, UMG knew that the song itself, as well as its accompanying album art and music video, attacked the character of another one of UMG’s most prominent artists, Drake, by falsely accusing him of being a sex offender, engaging in pedophilic acts, harboring sex offenders and committing other criminal sexual acts.”
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