Drake sues Universal for defamation over Kendrick Lamar’s ‘Not Like Us’

Although Drake withdrew his lawsuit against his label, Universal Music Group, on Tuesday, he doubled down on Wednesday, suing the company for defamation and harassment, spreading the “false and malicious narrative” that he is a pedophile via the track of Kendrick Lamar’s brutal dissent, “Not Like Us,” according to the lawsuit, viewed by Variety.

In the documents, Drake claims that UMG knew that the lyrics and images of Lamar in the song’s music video were false and dangerous, and that it “chose corporate greed over the safety and well-being of its artists. In the controversy,” he continues, “UMG saw an opportunity, seized it and continued to fan the flames.”

The complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, claims that Universal “approved, released, and launched a campaign to create a viral hit out of a rap song” that was “intended to transmit the specific and unmistakable message. , and false factual allegations that Drake is a criminal pedophile, and to suggest that the public should resort to vigilante justice in response.

“Not Like Us” was one of the biggest hits of 2024, topping Luminate’s U.S. On-Demand Audio and Video Streams chart for the year. He is nominated for five Grammy Awards and Lamar is the star of the 2025 Super Bowl halftime show.

Although Lamar’s lyrics are at the heart of the lawsuit, they clearly place blame on Universal for the release, distribution and promotion of the song: “This lawsuit is not about the artist who created ‘Not Like Us'” , we can read in the complaint. “Rather, this is entirely about UMG, the music company that decided to publish, promote, exploit and monetize claims that it understood to be not only false, but dangerous. » However, Drake appears to have backed down on claims that UMG and Spotify conspired to falsely boost the song’s streaming numbers; these allegations have been vigorously denied by both companies. Ironically, Universal distributes Lamar and Drake’s music – both artists own their recent master recordings through their companies – and underwrites the majority of both artists’ careers. The lawsuit claims that because Drake’s current deal with UMG is coming to an end, the company is attempting to devalue his music and profile in an attempt to obtain more favorable terms during a renegotiation.

The lawsuit also says the cover art for the single “Not Like Us” is based on a photo of Drake’s Toronto home dotted with markers that traditionally note the presence of registered sex offenders. In fact, it begins with the account of a shooting at the residence, which took place just days after the song’s release, in which a security guard was injured. The incident, which was followed by two more intrusion attempts in the following days, led to a temporary cooling period in the feud between the two rappers, which had been vicious in previous weeks, although Lamar referred to it in the lyrics from his November album. album “GNX”.

Days after this album’s release, Drake filed his first lawsuit against Universal and Spotify, the world’s largest streaming service. In a subsequent move, she brought in iHeartMedia, the largest radio network in the United States. UMG-Spotify stock was delisted Tuesday; a hearing in the iHeart suit is scheduled for later this month.

The suit claims that “several months before filing this litigation, Drake attempted to respond to these claims privately with UMG. Drake believed, according to UMG CEO Lucian Grainge, that UMG executives should be held “accountable for the decisions we make and the way we behave.” …Yet in response to Drake’s concerns, UMG responded that Drake would be humiliated if he took legal action – assuming that the public would be unable to understand UMG’s role in exploiting and profiting from this dispute . UMG’s position as ‘the world’s largest music company’ was to be untouchable.”

A representative for Universal did not immediately respond Wednesday to Varietyto comment on the lawsuit, although the company denounced Drake’s accusations in a previous comment on the November lawsuit: “The suggestion that UMG would do anything to harm one of its artists is offensive and false “, we read in the press release. “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 obscure the fact that fans choose the music they want to hear.

The suit states that “Drake has never had sexual relations with a minor. Drake has never been charged or convicted of any criminal act.

The suit was filed on Drake’s behalf by Michael J. Gottlieb, a partner at Willkie Farr & Gallagher. Gottlieb represented the Washington pizzeria owner targeted by “Pizzagate” conspiracy theorists and election workers who were falsely accused by Rudolph W. Giuliani of contributing to a false plot to steal the presidential election 2020.