Drake Officially Sues Universal Music Group for Defamation Over Kendrick Lamar’s ‘Not Like Us’

In November, Drake filed a pre-action legal petition against Universal Music Group and Spotify, accusing the companies of artificially inflating the popularity of Kendrick Lamar’s diss track ‘Not Like Us’. Although he reportedly withdrew his petition on Tuesday, January 14, Drake has now newly sued UMG, his own label, for defamation and harassment, in a New York federal court.

The lawsuit, which claims that ‘Not Like US’ is “defamatory,” names only UMG as defendant, not Spotify, iHeartMedia, or Kendrick Lamar. It leads by mentioning the shooting outside the rapper’s Toronto residence, which took place just days after the song’s release. The incident, as well as two attempted trespassings in the subsequent days, is referred to as “the 2024 equivalent of Pizzagate”.

“UMG is the ‘world’s largest music company,’ and also the music company that has represented Drake for more than a decade,” the case reads. “Yet, on May 4, 2024, UMG approved, published, and launched a campaign to create a viral hit out of a rap track that falsely accuses Drake of being a pedophile and calls for violent retribution against him. Even though UMG enriched itself and its shareholders by exploiting Drake’s music for years, and knew that the salacious allegations against Drake were false, UMG chose corporate greed over the safety and well-being of its artists.”

The suit alleges that Lamar’s hit was “intended to convey the specific, unmistakable, and false factual allegation that Drake is a criminal pedophile, and to suggest that the public should resort to vigilante justice in response.” Drake’s legal team clarifies, however, that is “is not about the artist who created ‘Not Like Us’” or “a war of words between artists,” but entirely about the label that published, promoted, and monetized allegations it recognized as false.

It continues: “Drake is not a pedophile. Drake has never engaged in any acts that would require he be ‘placed on neighborhood watch.’ Drake has never engaged in sexual relations with a minor. Drake has never been charged with, or convicted of, any criminal acts whatsoever.”

Konstantinos Pappis
Konstantinos Pappis
Konstantinos Pappis is a writer, journalist, and music editor at Our Culture. His work has also appeared in Pitchfork, GIGsoup, and other publications. He currently lives in Athens, Greece.
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