Drake Files a Defamation Lawsuit Against His Label for “Not Like Us” by Kendrick Lamar. Drake accused Universal Music Group of endangering his life and reputation by releasing and promoting the well-known diss track in a court complaint filed on Wednesday, January 16th, 2024. Rappers Kendrick Lamar and Drake accused one another of abuse, hypocrisy, and fakery in a bitter back-and-forth flurry of diss recordings last year. But Drake viewed the song’s pedophilia-referencing punchlines as something much more sinister, with practical repercussions. At the same time, fans hailed Lamar’s number-one single, “Not Like Us,” as the decisive blow in the fight. Now, looking ahead, the song itself is nominated for a few Grammys, and Kendrick will be performing at the 2025 Super Bowl. So, he’s gained a lot of shine and traction off this track.

In a lawsuit that began on Wednesday in federal court, Drake sued the Universal Music Group. The lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York claims that Universal “authorized, released, and initiated a campaign to turn a rap song into a viral sensation” that was “designed to communicate the clear, undeniable, and false factual claim that Drake is a criminal pedophile, and to imply that the public ought to take vigilante action in response.”  In response, a UMG spokesperson said: “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. Although Lamar might not have satisfied that criterion as a defendant — “this lawsuit is not focused on a dispute of words among artists,” the case emphasizes — it contends that Universal would not have partnered with Drake since 2009 if it had grounds to believe that any accusations of sexual abuse were credible. However, as a possible reason for the company actively promoting “Not Like Us,” it references contract discussions between Universal and Lamar — who had a brief agreement that was prolonged late last year, as stated in the lawsuit — along with Drake, whose contract is set for renegotiation

this year. “The lawsuit states that by undermining Drake’s music and brand, UMG would acquire leverage to compel Drake to agree to a new contract with terms more advantageous to UMG.” Drake additionally alleges that Universal employed dubious tactics to promote the track, as suggested in the prior legal documents from last year, which aimed to gather more details and safeguard pertinent records concerning a possible lawsuit. As stated in the lawsuit, the label “and its representatives further manipulated the situation by secretly providing financial incentives to third parties to dishonestly stream the Recording on streaming services, to broadcast the Recording on the radio, and to otherwise endorse and promote the Defamatory Material, all without ever revealing the payments publicly.”

After the events at his residence, Drake sought to notify Universal regarding the distress the track was causing. This included the need to take his young son out of elementary school “due to safety concerns,” as stated in the lawsuit, but he was warned that he “would endure humiliation if he pursued legal action.”