‘Not Like Us’: Drake Sues His Own Label for Defamation Over Kendrick’s Diss Record

Drake filed a federal lawsuit against Universal Music Group (UMG) for defamation over a diss track on Wednesday (Jan. 15).

The suit claims that the company’s support of Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” prioritized “corporate greed over the safety and well-being of its artists.” Ironically, UMG is the parent company of both the record labels Drake and Kendrick Lamar are signed to.

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The diss track (released May 4, 2024) was just one songs of multiple released during the weeks long rap battle between the two artists. “Not Like Us” labels Drake a pedophile, accuses him of cultural appropriation, and more.

The track topped the Billboard Hot 100, spent 20 weeks at No. 1 on the Hot Rap Songs chart, and earned five Grammy nominations.

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According to reports, Drake’s lawsuit specifies that the case is not about Kendrick, but instead aimed at UMG for,”approv[ing] publish[ing], and launch[ing] a campaign to turn the song into a viral sensation,” despite its defamatory content.

“UMG intentionally sought to make Drake a pariah, a target for harassment, or worse,” the complaint states, “This was not done out of any belief in the accusations, but solely for financial gain at the expense of Drake’s reputation.”

Related: Who You Got? A Complete List of Drake & Kendrick Lamar Diss Songs Right Now

Related: Kendrick Lamar Opens Up About “Not Like Us” In New ‘Harper’s Bazaar’ Interview

UMG responded to the suit saying, “Not only are these claims untrue, but the notion that we would seek to harm the reputation of any artist — let alone Drake — is illogical…We have invested massively in his music…Throughout his career, Drake has intentionally and successfully used UMG to distribute his music and poetry to engage in conventionally outrageous back-and-forth ‘rap battles’ to express his feelings about other artists. He now seeks to weaponize the legal process to silence an artist’s creative expression and to seek damages from UMG for distributing that artist’s music.”

 

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