Drake has officially filed a lawsuit against Universal Music Group regarding Kendrick Lamar’s popular diss track “Not Like Us.”
On Wednesday (January 15), Drizzy submitted a lawsuit in a New York federal court alleging that the music behemoth — the parent organization of both his and Kendrick’s record labels — committed defamation and harassment.
In the lawsuit, the Toronto rap artist criticizes UMG for having “authorized, released, and initiated a campaign to generate a viral success from a rap song that inaccurately labels Drake as a pedophile and advocates for violent revenge against him.”
He reiterates earlier assertions that the company employed “illegal” tactics to transform “Not Like Us” into an international success, such as covertly compensating for fraudulent streams and radio airtime.
He claims that the reason for this was monetary. The song would not only produce substantial revenue from streams and sales, but UMG recognized that its “dangerous” content could “undermine Drake’s music and brand” and provide them leverage during the contract renegotiation.
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“UMG expected that renewing Drake’s contract would be expensive,” the lawsuit states. “By undermining Drake’s music and brand, UMG could gain power to compel Drake into signing a new agreement on terms more advantageous to UMG.”
To back his assertion of defamation, the complaint cites various instances of the “avalanche of online hate speech” that has “labeled Drake a sex offender and pedophile.”
It also mentions a shooting at the rapper’s Toronto residence soon after the launch of “Not Like Us,” which wounded a security guard, along with several trespassing events. Drake attributes the blame to UMG.
He asserts that this trend of “violence and vitriol” has caused him to “fear for the safety and security of himself, his family, and his friends.”
“Following the assaults on his residence, Drake withdrew his son from the Toronto elementary school he was attending due to safety worries, and when the school year concluded for the summer, Drake made arrangements for his son and mother to depart from Toronto completely,” the lawsuit states. “Daily, Drake keeps making efforts to tackle ongoing risks to his safety.”
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Drizzy asserts that he approached UMG regarding the distribution and marketing of “Not Like Us,” along with the “tangible harm” he has experienced due to the track, yet the company took no action.
Although the 6 God has encountered criticism from the Hip Hop community for initiating legal proceedings in a rap conflict, the lawsuit emphasizes that his disagreement is exclusively with UMG, not with Kendrick Lamar.
“This legal case is not concerning the creator of ‘Not Like Us.'” It is, rather, solely focused on UMG, the music firm that chose to publish, endorse, exploit, and profit from claims it recognized as not just untrue, but also harmful,” it states.
The lawsuit, to which UMG has not yet replied, requests a jury trial.
The surprising filing arrives soon after Drake retracted his original pre-action petition against the music giant, causing many to think he was retreating from the legal conflict.
Filed in November, the petition detailed Drizzy’s claims regarding streaming bots and payola, among other issues, and requested information from UMG and Spotify for a possible upcoming lawsuit.
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UMG firmly rejected the allegations in a statement made then, while Spotify filed an opposition to the petition also denying any misconduct.
At roughly the same time, Drake submitted a comparable petition in Texas against UMG and iHeartMedia. Although a lawsuit hasn’t been filed in that matter, a court session is set for January 28 to decide if the “God’s Plan” creator can take depositions from representatives of the two firms.
