Drake is still steaming about being musically mauled by Kendrick Lamar’s instant classic “Not Like Us.” Therefore, the global superstar filed a lawsuit against his own label, claiming that the song was defamatory because it accused him of being a “pedophile.”
Drake claims UMG put profits over accuracy
According to the legal documents obtained by the New York Times and The Hollywood Reporter, Drake has submitted legal documents against Universal Music Group [UMG] claiming the corporate goliath is “an example of valuing corporate greed over the safety and well-being of its artists.”
Drake accuses UMG of putting him in harm’s way
As the publications point out, Drake is signed to UMG subsidiary Republic Records, and Lamar is signed to UMG’s Interscope Records. The new lawsuit claims UMG “approved, published and launched a campaign to create a viral hit out of a rap track” that 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 drops the legal notices against Spotify and UMG
This lawsuit against UMG replaces the legal notices that Drake filed against Spotify and UMG in late 2024 in New York and Texas. Drake believes those two entities deliberately inflated the numbers on “Not Like Us” to make it a bigger juggernaut than it already was.
According to THR, Drake dropped the legal notices against UMG and Spotify on Tuesday, Jan. 15. Instead, he is suing UMG for allegedly endangering his safety because the song implies he is a pedophile.
Interestingly enough, Drake is not suing Lamar.
“This lawsuit is not about the artist who created ‘Not Like Us,’” the new suit claims, according to The Times. “It is, instead, entirely about UMG, the music company that decided to publish, promote, exploit, and monetize allegations that it understood were not only false but dangerous.”
“Not Like Us” is more than just a blockbuster club anthem that spent multiple weeks at the top of the Billboard pop charts. It has become a cultural classic that is nominated for five Grammy Awards, including Song of the Year and Record of the Year. Most fans expect Lamar to perform the song during the coveted Super Bowl Halftime Show which annually boasts an audience of over 110 million TV viewers.
