Drake launched a defamation lawsuit against Universal Music Group (UMG), the record company he shares with rival Kendrick Lamar, after his diss hit. Not like us. was released.
The lawsuit, which was filed Wednesday in a New York federal court, is the latest development in the two rappers’ ongoing feud.
The action comes after Canadian rapper Aubrey Drake Graham dropped a lawsuit filed against Spotify and UMG.
Both businesses were accused of exaggerating the popularity of Lamar’s song in an earlier filing, which was a request for documents rather than a lawsuit.
Drake’s legal team alleges in the document that UMG paid radio stations and influencers to supposedly boost the song’s presence on streaming services.
Drake claims that the ads Not like us. It was intended to damage his reputation, and he accused UMG of harassment and defamation in his latest complaint. The lyrics of the song, which peaked at number one on the US charts, refer to Drake as a “certified pedophile”.
According to the lawsuit, UMG’s role in releasing and promoting the song resulted in a campaign that falsely portrayed Drake as the perpetrator.
Despite the song’s controversial and offensive nature, Drake’s legal team claims that UMG not only allowed it, but actively tried to make it go viral.
The action has drawn attention to the song’s artwork, which features an image of Drake’s home with markers pointing to the residences of registered sex offenders.
It also alludes to a shooting outside Drake’s home in which a security guard was injured days after the song was released.
The lawsuit compares the incident to the infamous “Pizzagate” conspiracy of 2016, in which a pizza was accused of being a hub for child trafficking, and links it to the negative public response generated by offensive lyrics. It also refers to many attempted desecrations.
After the publication of Lamar’s song Not like us.who called Drake a “colonizer” who was taking advantage of the hip-hop industry in addition to being a pedophile, tensions between Drake and Lamar escalated in 2023.
The song’s popularity on streaming services, particularly Spotify, which saw record-breaking streams, fueled the rivalry, which had already seen the two musicians trade several diss tunes.
Drake filed a second lawsuit in Texas in November, claiming that UMG backed off. Not like us. By paying the radio station iHeartRadio to promote the song and that the business allowed for its distribution despite its aggressive lyrics.