On Wednesday, Drake filed a lawsuit against his longstanding label, Universal Music Group (UMG), accusing it of defamation for promoting Kendrick Lamar's song titled "Not Like Us." The Canadian rapper alleges that the track falsely accuses him of being a pedophile, placing him and his family in grave danger.
In a lawsuit filed in a federal court in Manhattan, Drake contends that "Not Like Us" was "deliberately crafted to convey the unmistakable and false allegation that Drake is a criminal pedophile," urging the public to exact "vigilante justice" against him. As a result, Drake claims, his home has been targeted by attempted break-ins, prompting him to travel with additional security measures. Furthermore, he was compelled to withdraw his seven-year-old son from his Toronto elementary school and relocate him away from the city.
The two rappers, Drake (Aubrey Drake Graham) and Lamar, who won the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Music, have been engaged in a feud for nearly a decade. The lawsuit seeks compensatory and punitive damages for defamation and harassment.
"UMG may attempt to portray this complaint as a mere escalation of a rap beef turned legal, but this lawsuit transcends a war of words between artists," Drake's complaint asserts. "Despite our decade-long relationship, UMG intentionally sought to ostracize Drake, making him a target for harassment and worse. UMG prioritized corporate greed over the safety and well-being of its artists," it further alleges.
In a statement, UMG denied any defamation, dismissing Drake's claims as unfounded. The label reasoned that it would be irrational to tarnish Drake's reputation after having invested heavily in his commercial and financial success. UMG also accused Drake of trying to "weaponize" the legal process to seek damages and silence Lamar's creative freedom, arguing that Lamar "did nothing more than write a song."
Notably, Lamar is not a defendant in the lawsuit, despite Drake labeling "Not Like Us" as defamatory. Drake's legal representatives declined to comment further.
The lawsuit follows a November petition in a New York state court, where Drake, through his company Frozen Moments, accused UMG and Spotify of employing payola and streaming bots to promote "Not Like Us" at his musical expense. Drake withdrew that petition on Tuesday evening. However, his related case against UMG and radio company iHeartMedia remains pending in a Texas state court, according to online records.
The rivalry between Drake and Lamar has been partially played out through so-called "diss" tracks. In "Not Like Us," released on May 4 last year, Lamar explicitly mentions Drake, stating, "Drake, I hear you like 'em young," and labeling him and others as "certified pedophiles." A day prior, Drake released "Family Matters," seemingly accusing Lamar of physical abuse, infidelity, and questioning whether Lamar's business partner fathered one of his children.
"Not Like Us" topped Billboard's Hot 100 for two weeks last year and received five nominations for the Feb. 2 Grammy Awards, including Record of the Year and Song of the Year.
The case is titled Graham v UMG Recordings Inc., filed in the U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, with the case number 25-00399.
