Hip-hop artists usually drop bangers, not lawsuits… But Drake has now filed a second legal dispute against Universal Music Group, this time for defamation surrounding Kendrick Lamar’s hit song ‘Not Like Us’.
ADVERTISEMENTNo one has ever lost a rap battle this badly that they’ve sued before, but Drake isn’t bothered about that. Or looking petty. Or tanking his credibility.
For the second straight day, the Canadian artist has taken legal action against Universal Music Group (UMG), this time in Texas, over Kendrick Lamar’s Grammy-nominated diss track ‘Not Like Us’. The petition says Drake could sue UMG for defamation, among other claims.
It follows a similar filing in New York earlier this week, in which Drake alleges UMG “artificially inflated” streams and falsely bolstered the popularity of ‘Not Like Us’ on Spotify and other streaming services.
UMG has said in a statement that 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.”
The filing in Bexar County alleges UMG engaged in “irregular and inappropriate business practices » to get radio airplay for ‘Not Like Us’, including making illegal payments to San Antonio-based iHeartMedia. The petition, a precursor to a potential lawsuit, seeks depositions from corporate representatives of both companies.
The filing takes aim at UMG for allegedly knowing that “the song itself, as well as its accompanying album art and music video, attacked the character of another one of UMG’s most prominent artists, Drake, by falsely accusing him of being a sex offender, engaging in pedophilic acts, harboring sex offenders, and committing other criminal sexual acts.”
The filing points out that « the song calls Drake a “certified pedophile” and someone whose name should “be registered and placed on neighborhood watch”. »
‘Not Like Us’, released in May amidst a flurry of dueling tracks from the two artists, was the final nail in Drake’s coffin and exposed him as the weaker of the two artists. It contained the lyrics: “Say, Drake, I hear you like ’em young / You better not ever go to cell block one”, “Certified Lover Boy? Certified pedophile” and « Why you trollin’ like a bitch? Ain’t you tired? / Tryin’ strike a chord and it‘s probably A minor” – a reference to the accusation that Drake has had relationships with underaged women (which Drake has denied).
The track has gotten more than 900 million plays, according to figures listed on Spotify, and has been nominated for five 2025 Grammy Awards. These include Record of the Year and Song of the Year.
Drake was not nominated for any Grammys.
The back-to-back legal maneuvers this week represent a major and unprecedented escalation of a hip-hop feud, especially with the label representing the two artists. Drake has also lost a great amount of credibility with these actions, with fans mocking him online and questioning the timing of these lawsuits, considering Kendrick Lamar just released his new album – as well as the fact that the song ‘Not Like Us’ has been out since May. It has taken Drake a while to wake up, misunderstand what a rap battle is, and instigate legal proceedings concerning defamation to his character…
At the time of writing, UMG and Kendrick Lamar have yet to respond to the latest filing.
Additional sources • AP
