UMG Seeks to Dismiss Drake’s Amended “Not Like Us” Defamation Lawsuit

by

Universal Music Group has proposed dismissing Drake’s revised defamation lawsuit regarding Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” release, stating that Drake’s accusations against the music company are essentially an effort by Drake to salvage his reputation after his unsuccessful rap competition with Lamar.

The recent motion was filed a few weeks following Drake’s updated lawsuit against his record company, where he asserted that Lamar’s Super Bowl performance and not using the word “pedophile” in their collaborative song “Not Like Us,” supported his claim of defamation regarding the song’s lyrics.

In the dismissal request submitted by UMG last Wednesday evening (as reported by The Hollywood Reporter), they labeled Drake’s allegations as “remarkable.” They added that the fact Lamar didn’t use the term “pedophile” in his claims reveals this case to be more about attacking the commercial and creative accomplishments of a rap artist who surpassed Drake, rather than critiquing the content of Lamar’s lyrics.

“The amended complaint is without merit and should be dismissed with prejudice,” UMG said.

Back in January, I, Drake, took legal action against Universal Music Group (UMG) rather than Lamar, over the release of a song. I claimed that they chose to publish, boost, capitalize on, and monetize accusations they knew were not just untrue, but potentially harmful. They did this not because they believed these false claims, but solely for the sake of profiting from damaging my reputation. That’s how I put it in my initial complaint.

In 2024, the song turned out to be one of the most popular songs of the year and received Grammy awards for both Record and Song of the Year in February. Since its release, Drake’s team claims they have been subjected to harassment. Prior to filing an amended complaint, Drake’s team was given permission to seek records such as Kendrick Lamar’s recording contract and compensation plans for Interscope Records CEO John Janick. At the time of UMG’s motion to dismiss, a representative from Drake’s legal team had yet to respond to a request for comment regarding this matter.

Universal Music Group (UMG) seems to be portraying Drake’s legal actions as inconsistent, claiming that “Drake found it convenient to utilize UMG’s platform to accuse Lamar of similar inflammatory remarks, such as suggesting that Lamar was involved in domestic abuse and implying that one of Lamar’s managers is the true father of Lamar’s son.” However, UMG stated that Drake only deemed “Not Like Us” defamatory after he lost the dispute.

UMG argued that “diss tracks in rap music” have traditionally been characterized by “exaggerated insults,” and suggested that the practice could face a significant change if Drake’s lawsuit were successful.

On Wednesday evening, the company released a detailed statement, noting that despite the extensive legal jargon authored by Drake’s legal team spanning over a hundred pages, there was no mention of the fact that Drake himself has penned and performed hugely popular songs containing equally provocative jabs at other artists.

The company additionally asserted that Drake’s lawyers were seeking evidence for alleged far-fetched plots regarding a specific song that caused such worldwide popularity. However, they found no such hidden secrets or explanations behind it.

Through relentless collaboration with our artistic partners, we help them attain worldwide acclaim for their music. Our long-standing alliance with Drake and his lasting success serves as a beacon of inspiration. Despite efforts by his legal team to suppress other artists and intimidate the businesses that work with them, we remain steadfast in promoting Drake’s career while maintaining our resolute commitment to fostering the creative freedom of all our artists. It is important to note that Drake is included in this statement as well.

Read More

2025-05-08 19:24