Universal Music Group (UMG) has filed a counterclaim against its biggest star, Drake, seeking to dismiss his pre-suit deposition in Texas.
Drake filed the legal documents in Bexar County, Texas, late last year claiming that UMG deliberately “inflated” the number of Kendrick Lamar’s 2024 hit, “Not Like Us,” which put the final nail in Drake’s coffin during his beef with K. Dot.
According to the 144-page filing obtained by Variety, UMG seeks dismissal of the petition under the premise of protected free speech and based on the Texas Citizens Participation Act, which “protects from retaliatory lawsuits that seek to intimidate or silence them on matters of public concern.”
The motion states that Drake brought his petition under Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 202, which is “designed to intimidate and punish people for exercising their First Amendment rights.”
Drake believes UMG “funneled payments” to iHeartMedia, the country’s largest radio network, as part of a “pay-to-play scheme” to play “Not Like Us” on their stations.
UMG claims Drake has no admissible evidence that UMG paid off iHeartMedia to benefit Lamar.
Drake, the documents read, “provides nothing outside of his verified petition” and that there is “no evidentiary support for his asserted need for pre-suit deposition of UMG.”
Ironically, Drake also filed similar documents in New York but has not named Lamar as a defendant despite the fact that “Not Like Us” was the knockout blow in their rap beef.
