Drake sues long-time label UMG for defamation over Kendrick Lamar’s diss track Not Like Us

NEW YORK – Canadian rapper Drake sued his long-time label on Jan 15, accusing Universal Music Group (UMG) of defamation for promoting American rapper Kendrick Lamar’s hit song Not Like Us (2024), and saying the song’s false accusation that he is a paedophile has put him and his family in danger.

In a complaint in Manhattan federal court, Drake said the song was “intended to convey the specific, unmistakable, and false factual allegation that Drake is a criminal paedophile” and the public should exert “vigilante justice” in response.

Drake said it led to attempted break-ins at his home, prompting him to travel with extra security and pull his seven-year-old son out from his Toronto elementary school.

He and Lamar, a musician who won the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Music, have feuded for about a decade. The lawsuit seeks compensatory and punitive damages for defamation and harassment.

According to the complaint from Drake, whose given name is Aubrey Drake Graham, “UMG may spin this complaint as a rap beef gone legal, but this lawsuit is not about a war of words between artistes”.

“Notwithstanding a relationship spanning more than a decade, UMG intentionally sought to turn Drake into a pariah, a target for harassment, or worse,” it added, “UMG chose corporate greed over the safety and well-being of its artistes”.

In a statement, UMG said it has not defamed anyone, called Drake’s claims untrue and said it would be illogical to harm his reputation after investing massively to make him commercially and financially successful.

UMG also accused Drake of trying to “weaponise” the legal process in seeking damages, and trying to silence Lamar’s creative expression for “having done nothing more than write a song”.

Lamar is not a defendant, though Drake called Not Like Us defamatory. Drake’s lawyers had no additional comment.

The lawsuit on Jan 15 followed a November petition in a New York state court in which Drake, through his company Frozen Moments, accused UMG and Spotify of using payola and streaming bots to promote Not Like Us at his music’s expense.

Drake withdrew that petition on the night of Jan 14. His related case against UMG and radio company iHeartMedia remains pending in a Texas state court, online records show.

The feud between Drake and Lamar has played out in part through so-called “diss” tracks such as Not Like Us.

In the song, released in May 2024, Lamar mentioned Drake by name, saying “Drake, I hear you like ’em young” and calling him and others “certified paedophiles”.

A day earlier, Drake released Family Matters, appearing to accuse Lamar of physical abuse and infidelity, and questioning whether Lamar’s business partner fathered one of his children.

Not Like Us topped Billboard’s Hot 100 for two weeks in 2024. It received five nominations for the upcoming Feb 2 Grammy Awards, including for Record of the Year and Song of the Year. REUTERS