Drake has received a swift and intense response from Universal Music Group (UMG) after filing a defamation lawsuit against the company over Kendrick Lamar’s track “Not Like Us.”
The lawsuit, submitted to a New York federal court on Wednesday, January 15, accuses the music conglomerate—overseeing both Drake’s and Kendrick’s long-time labels—of knowingly releasing and promoting the song, despite the false nature of its allegations. Drake claims that UMG prioritized “corporate greed over the safety and well-being of its artists.”
In a statement to HipHopDX, a UMG representative dismissed the lawsuit, calling Drake’s accusations “untrue” and “illogical.”
“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,” the statement read.
“We have heavily invested in his music, and our staff worldwide has worked tirelessly for years to help him achieve historic commercial and personal success.”
“Throughout his career, Drake has strategically used UMG to distribute his music and engage in conventional rap ‘battles’ to express his feelings about other artists.”
The statement continued: “We do not engage in defamation — against any individual. We will defend this case vigorously to protect our employees, our reputation, and any artist who might be unfairly targeted by baseless litigation for simply writing a song.”
In his lawsuit, filed shortly after Drake withdrew an initial pre-action petition against UMG, the rapper claims that “Not Like Us” has not only harmed his reputation but also exposed him to physical danger. He points to an incident where a security guard was shot at his Toronto residence after the song’s release, along with multiple trespassing events, blaming UMG for stirring up such actions with the diss track.
As a result, “Drake fears for the safety and security of himself, his family, and his friends” and “pulled his son out of the elementary school he attended in Toronto due to safety concerns.”
The lawsuit also reiterates previous accusations that UMG artificially inflated the song’s popularity via streaming bots and payola, driven by a desire for profit and an effort to “devalue Drake’s music and brand” to gain leverage in renegotiating his contract.
Drake makes it clear in the filing that his legal action is not against Kendrick Lamar, the artist behind the defamatory lyrics.
“This lawsuit is not about the artist who created ‘Not Like Us,” it emphasizes. “It is entirely about UMG, the company that chose to release, promote, exploit, and profit from allegations it knew were false and harmful.”
Kendrick Lamar has not yet responded to the legal issue.
Although Drake withdrew his pre-action petition against UMG and Spotify, a similar lawsuit against the company and iHeartMedia in Texas remains active, with a court hearing scheduled for January 28.
It is still uncertain whether a formal lawsuit will be filed in this case as well.
