In response to Drake‘s amended lawsuit over Kendrick Lamar’s ‘Not Like Us’ diss track, the rapper’s record label Universal Music Group have filed a motion to dismiss the action.
In January of this year, the superstar musician filed a defamation lawsuit against UMG for promoting ‘Not Like Us,’ in which he is accused of being a pedophile.
Claiming that UMG further damaged his reputation by permitting Lamar to perform ‘Not Like Us’ at the Super Bowl and consenting to the song being played at the 2025 Grammys, in his updated April complaint, the singer (born Aubrey Drake Graham) focused on events that had taken place since the initial filing.
Stating that Lamar did not use the phrase “certified pedophile” during his Super Bowl performance, in the record label’s motion to dismiss, on Wednesday (5.07) UMG lawyers called Drake’s new allegations “astonishing” adding:
“The focus of Drake’s new claims – that ‘the largest audience for a Super Bowl halftime show ever’ did not hear Lamar call Drake or his crew pedophiles – betrays this case for what it is: Drake’s attack on the commercial and creative success of the rap artist who defeated him, rather than the content of Lamar’s lyrics.”
In a statement to Variety, a UMG spokesperson argued that it was Drake who started the exchange of diss tracks with Lamar in 2024, stating:
“Nowhere in the hundred-plus page ‘legal’ blather written by Drake’s lawyers do they bother to acknowledge that Drake himself has written and performed massively successful songs containing equally provocative taunts against other artists,” they stated. “Apparently, Drake’s lawyers believe that when Drake willingly participates in a performative rap-battle of music and poetry, he can be ‘defamed’ even though he engages in the exact same form of creative expression.”
Both Drake and Kendrick Lamar are signed to record labels owned by the Universal Music Group.
Keep up with the latest trending music news by following us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram
Author: Saul Goode
Photo: Dillan Payne