Drake files defamation suit against UMG for 'not like us'

Rapper Drake has changed its direction of attack against Universal Music Group, now accusing the media conglomerate of defamation less than 12 hours after filing the previous petition.

The Canadian superstar just filed a new suit in New York, alleging that UMG's promotion Kendrick LamarMegahit “Not Like Us” helped push a “false and malicious narrative” labeling the “Best I Ever Had” singer as a pedophile.

Drake and Lamar are currently signed to a parent company through subsidiaries Republic Records (Drake) and Interscope Records (Lamar).

In the lawsuit filed Wednesday morning, Drake calls on UMG to be more concerned about “corporate greed for the safety and well-being of its artists” by allowing Lamar's “Not Like Us” to be released.

Using court documents, the performer, born Aubrey Drake Graham, alleges that UMG “endorsed, published and launched a campaign to create a viral hit out of 'Not Like Us,'” which was intended to “make a specific, unequivocal and false statement of fact. that Drake is a criminal pedophile, and to advise the public in response to vigilance.

Since the song's release, there have been numerous shootings in and around Drake's Toronto home, including one in which Drake's bodyguard was injured.

Lamar released “Not Like Us” in May 2024 as the last of five responses to Drake in the long-running feud, which flared up again that March.

In his song, the “Humble” rapper addresses past allegations against Drake regarding his close friendships with several young women, including the “Stranger Things” star. Millie Bobby Brown.

Lamar also questions the Canadian entertainer's position in black culture, referring to Drake in “Not Like Us” as a “nasty colonizer,” among other things.

Within days, the song became one of the biggest hits of 2024. It reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, where it stayed for two weeks, and #1 on the Billboard Hot Rap Songs chart, where it stayed for 20 weeks.

Per The Hollywood Reportr, Lamar is not among the plaintiffs sued by Drake, although he is the sole lyricist of “Not Like Us.”

“(This case is) entirely about UMG,” the court documents continue, “a music company that decided to publish, promote, exploit and monetize claims it realized were not only false, but dangerous.”

Drake's new filing comes less than a day after he withdrew a previous petition against UMG and streaming app Spotify for engaging in illegal tactics to “boost” the number of “Not Like Us.”

The petition, which was first filed in November and was considered a “preliminary action” rather than a full lawsuit, alleged that UMG and Spotify “have engaged in conduct designed to artificially inflate the popularity of Not Like Us.

This included “licensing the song to Spotify at drastically reduced rates and using 'bots' to give the false impression that the song is more popular than it really is.”

UMG said in a statement Diversitycalling Drake's accusations baseless.

“The suggestion that UMG would go out of its way to undermine one of its artists is offensive and false,” it said. “We use the highest ethical practices in our marketing and advertising campaigns. No amount of fancy and absurd legal arguments in this pre-action filing can mask the fact that fans choose the music they want to hear.

Spotify will respond to Drake's claims by filing a counterclaim in December, stating that they had “no economic incentive” to force users to stream “Not Like Us” more than they chose and “there were never any agreements whereby UMG charged Spotify. Licensing rates 30 percent below normal licensing rates for Not Like Us.

In response, Drake's legal team accused Spotify of trying to “distance” itself from UMG.

“If Spotify and UMG have nothing to hide, then they should fully comply with this basic disclosure request,” they add.

Drake and his company Frozen Moments voluntarily withdrew their petition late Tuesday “at no cost to either party.”

Although Drake and Lamar's feud had been brewing for some time, it was Drake who caused things to escalate.

On May 3, 2024, he released the controversial track “Family Matters”, which included allegations of Lamar physically assaulting and cheating on his wife, as well as rumors that one of Lamar's children was fathered by another man.

It was these dark claims that prompted Lamar to record three songs in revenge, “6:16 In LA,” “Meet the Grahams,” and his latest response, “Not Like Us.”