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Drake, Kendrick Lamar.
Getty Images (2)Drake filed a federal lawsuit against his record label, Universal Music Group, accusing the company of defaming and harassing him by releasing Kendrick Lamar‘Not Like Us’.
One day after withdrawing a petition that accused UMG of artificial inflation popularity of the song, the rapper, 38, filed a federal lawsuit in New York City on Wednesday, January 15, claiming that the label “chose corporate greed over the safety and well-being of its artists.”
In a complaint received by Us WeeklyDrake (born Aubrey Drake Graham) claims that UMG – which is also home to Lamar, 37 – “sanctioned, published and launched a campaign to create a viral hit out of a rap track that falsely accuses Drake of being a pedophile and calling for violent vengeance against him.” It seeks a jury trial as well as damages, attorneys’ fees and “declaratory relief stating that the statements published and promoted by UMG” are false.
The filing cites an incident on May 7, 2024, where “a group of assailants” drove up to Drake’s house in Toronto and fire shots. “Drake was inside,” the filing continued. “The car stopped in front of the home, someone shouted ‘F— Drake,’ and at least one gunman began to open fire. One bullet went through the security gate and hit Drake’s front door; another bullet hit and wounded a security guard, who was also one of Drake’s friends.”
Kendrick Lamar and Drake’s rap feud is so heated it could burn the hip-hop world to the ground. Lamar, 36, and Drake, 37, have been waging a lyrical war with more personal disc tracks being released over the past few days. Drake’s song “Family Matters” accused Lamar of being a “make believe” activist, he claimed that Lamar had gone physical (…)
The complaint states that the security guard survived the incident, but a day later, a different intruder allegedly “used his bare hands to dig a hole” under the fence surrounding the home. There was another break-in attempt the next day as well.
“These acts of violence against his home, where Drake lives with his son, and against his business, are not normal,” the rapper’s legal team wrote. “In all the years he’s been famous, nothing like the events of early May has ever happened to Drake before. After these attacks, Drake reasonably fears for the safety of his family, and himself, especially in his property in Toronto. “
Drake performs on stage.
Prince Williams/WireimageUMG denied Drake’s claims in a statement to Us on Thursday, January 16.
“Not only are these claims untrue, but the idea that we would try to damage the reputation of any artist – let alone Drake – is illogical. We have invested enormously in his music and our employees around the world have worked tirelessly for many years to help him achieve historic personal and commercial financial success,” said a UMG spokesperson. “Throughout his career, Drake has deliberately and successfully used UMG to distribute his music and poetry to engage in outrageously conventional back-and-forth ‘rap battles’ to express his feelings about other artists. He is now seeking to weaponize the legal process to silence an artist’s creative expression and seek damages from UMG for the distribution of that artist’s music.”
Drake won’t try to stop Kendrick Lamar from playing his megahit “Not Like Us” at next year’s Super Bowl halftime show. “The rumors are completely false,” a rep for Drake, 37, told Us Weekly in a statement on Tuesday, October 1. The denial comes after reports circulated that the “Hotline Bling” rapper planned (… )
The statement continued: “We have not and are not involved in defamation – against any individual. At the same time, we will vigorously defend this litigation to protect our people and our reputation, as well as any artist who may directly or indirectly become the target of frivolous litigation for having done nothing more than write a song.”
Lamar released “Not Like Us” on May 4, 2024, amid a feud between him and Drake that saw the two men trade diss tracks via social media. While the two had released a number of new songs at the time, “Not Like Us” grew in popularity very quickly, reaching No.1 on the Notice board 100 hot.
In the song, Lamar accused Drake of pedophilia in the lines, “Certified lover boy? Certified pedophiles” and “Tryna taro tan and probably A minor.”
Drake addressed the accusation in a follow-up song called “The Heart Pt. 6,” he rapped, “I never been with nobody underage but now I understand why this is the angle you’re messing with / Just to be clear, I feel disgusted, I’m too respectful / If I f—ing young women, I promise I’d be arrested / I’m way too famous for this – you just suggested it.”
Kendrick Lamar and Drake’s feud has become one of the most storied rap beefs in history, but their relationship wasn’t always so tense. Before Lamar made his major label debut with Good Kid in 2012, MAAD City, the Compton native and Drake were on good terms. Lamar made a guest appearance on Drake’s 2011 (…)
After Lamar landed the Super Bowl LIX halftime show gig for 2025, rumors spread that Drake had sent a cease-and-desist letter about performing “Not Like Us,” but Drake’s rep shut down the speculation. “The rumors are completely false,” said the representative Us in a statement in October 2024.
A month later, Drake filed a legal petition in New York City accusing UMG of artificially inflating the popularity of “Not Like Us” using bots and other strategies. It voluntarily withdrew that petition on Tuesday, January 14, but the new lawsuit accuses the label of using “third parties to fake streams” of the track.
UMG vehemently denied Drake’s claims at the time, in fact Notice board in a statement: “The suggestion that UMG would do anything to undermine any of its artists is insulting and untrue. We use the highest ethical practices in our marketing and promotional campaigns. No amount of heated and absurd legal arguments in this pre-act presentation can hide the fact that fans choose the music they want to hear.”
