Drake continues crusade against label, files defamation suit over Kendrick Lamar bars

Psych! Just when you thought Drake was going to put the legal action over “Not Like Us” to bed, he went and filed a federal lawsuit about it. Late Tuesday, the rapper quietly withdrew his legal action accusing Universal Music Group of colluding with Spotify to artificially inflate Kendrick Lamar’s diss track. Instead of leaving it there, on Wednesday he turned around and sued UMG for defamation, according to TMZ. A representative for Drake did not immediately respond to The A.V. Club‘s request for comment. 

Lamar is not named as a defendant, despite being the one who actually uttered the line “Certified loverboy? Certified pedophiles.” Per The New York Times, the filing specifically states, “This lawsuit is not about the artist who created ‘Not Like Us.’ 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.” The suit claims UMG engaged in a campaign to promote a song that “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.” To support the latter claim, the suit cites multiple attempted trespassers and a shooting near Drake’s Toronto home, calling it “the 2024 equivalent of ‘Pizzagate.'” (The album art for “Not Like Us” was a map image of Drake’s house.)

The interesting wrinkle here is, of course, that Drake is a UMG client—he’s signed to Republic Records, which is a UMG-owned label. The suit states that “Not Like Us” was a “gold mine” for UMG, which may be true, but it’s a gold mine Drake contributed to by trading diss tracks with Lamar last spring. Apparently, it was all fun and games (and accusing Lamar of spousal abuse) until Lamar was heralded as the winner of the feud. Then, according to the lawsuit’s narrative, UMG’s promotion of “Not Like Us” helped devalue Drake’s music and brand, allowing the company to “gain leverage to force Drake to sign a new deal on terms more favorable to UMG.”

The federal lawsuit was filed in New York; Drake currently has an active defamation suit pending in Texas. At the time of Drake’s previous legal actions in November 2024, a Universal spokesperson said, “The suggestion that UMG would do anything to undermine any of its artists is offensive and untrue. We employ the highest ethical practices in our marketing and promotional campaigns. No amount of contrived and absurd legal arguments in this pre-action submission can mask the fact that fans choose the music they want to hear.”

As per the NYT, Drake claims he tried to bring his concerns to Universal—invoking the safety of his young son—and was told he “would face humiliation if he brought legal action.”