Drake Files Defamation Lawsuit Against Universal Music Group for Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” – Hollywood Reporter
TORONTO, ON - DECEMBER 27: Rapper Drake leaves the court following the NBA game between the Toronto Raptors and the LA Clippers at Scotiabank Arena on December 27, 2022 in Toronto, Canada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Cole Burston/Getty Images)
Subscribe for full access to The Hollywood ReporterSubscribe for full access to The Hollywood ReporterUMG responded to the lawsuit with: “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.”
By
Mesfin Fekadu
Drake has filed a defamation lawsuit against Universal Music Group, the parent record label he and Kendrick Lamar are signed to.
Drake filed a lawsuit in federal court on Wednesday and called the release of Lamar’s “Not Like Us,” which is aimed at the Canadian rapper, an example of valuing “corporate greed over the safety and well-being of its artists.” On the song Lamar calls Drake a pedophile and accuses him of appropriating Black culture.
Drake is signed to UMG subsidiary Republic Records, while Lamar is signed to UMG’s Interscope Records. The new lawsuit claims UMG “approved, published and launched a campaign to create a viral hit out of a rap track” that was “intended to convey the specific, unmistakable and false factual allegation that Drake is a criminal pedophile, and to suggest that the public should resort to vigilante justice in response.”
Related Stories
News
Clive Davis Gala, Special Merit Awards Still On for Grammy Week; Black Music Collective Canceled
News
Most-Viewed Music Documentaries: ‘Greatest Night In Pop’ Leads the Way for Netflix
“UMG intentionally sought to turn Drake into a pariah, a target for harassment, or worse,” the complaint reads. “UMG did so not because it believes any of these false claims to be true, but instead because it would profit from damaging Drake’s reputation.”
Drake’s latest suit comes two months after he claimed UMG and Spotify inflated the streams of “Not Like Us.” But it was reported late Tuesday that he dropped the legal action in that case.
“This lawsuit is not about the artist who created ‘Not Like Us,’” the new suit claims. “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.”
Lamar’s “Not Like Us” was one of 2024’s biggest hits. It spent two weeks on top of the all-genre Billboard Hot 100 chart; it spent 20 weeks at No. 1 on the Hot rap songs chart. The song is nominated for five Grammy Awards, including song and record of the year, and it has become an international, cultural anthem and more than a dis track.
Days after Lamar released the song, Drake’s security guard was shot outside his Toronto home. “With the palpable physical threat to Drake’s safety and the bombardment of online harassment, Drake fears for the safety and security of himself, his family, and his friends,” according to the new suit. “After the attacks on his home, Drake pulled his son out of the elementary school he attended in Toronto due to safety concerns, and once school ended for the summer, Drake arranged for his son and mother to leave Toronto entirely. Day to day, Drake continues to take steps to address persistent threats to his security.”
UMG responded to the lawsuit on Wednesday, saying: “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. We have invested massively in his music and our employees around the world have worked tirelessly for many years to help him achieve historic commercial and personal financial success.
“Throughout his career, Drake has intentionally and successfully used UMG to distribute his music and poetry to engage in conventionally outrageous back-and-forth ‘rap battles’ to express his feelings about other artists. He now seeks to weaponize the legal process to silence an artist’s creative expression and to seek damages from UMG for distributing that artist’s music,” the statement continued.
Lamar released the anthemic West Coast banger in May after the rappers’ feud resurfaced in March. After going back and forth with dis songs, Lamar dropped “Not Like Us,” calling Drake a pedophile and accusing him of appropriating Black culture. The upbeat DJ Mustard-produced track set streaming records and spectators crowned Lamar the winner of the battle as a result. The beef originated in 2013 when Lamar — who formerly collaborated with Drake and opened for him on tour — sent jabs to 11 of his contemporaries through his guest verse on Big Sean’s “Control.”Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every daySign up for THR news straight to your inbox every daySubscribe for full access to The Hollywood ReporterSend us a tip using our anonymous form.
